The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia requires that any student applying to Georgia State University will be required to provide verification of their lawful presence in the United States before their admission to the university can be finalized.
This requirement is detailed in the following Board of Regents policies:
In compliance with the above policies, a Citizenship Verification Hold preventing registration will be placed at the time of admission for any student admitted for fall 2011 or later until lawful presence is verified.
This requirement applies to all newly admitted students at Georgia State University beginning Fall 2011. This includes students who have been previously enrolled at GSU but are either returning (Re-entry) to a degree program or applying for a new degree program. Transient students must also ver verified: however, Cross-Registration students do not.
How Can the Citizenship Verification Hold be Removed?
A. Verification through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form
If you are either a U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident or eligible non-citizen (does not apply to international students on a visa) that has completed and submitted a FAFSA (and named GSU as a recipient), the U.S. Department of Education will verify your citizenship verification status. If you are not able to be confirmed, the Office of Financial Aid will follow-up with you for additional documentation.
B. Verification through submission of of one of the following documents:
We will accept photocopies of the first seven types of documents, but a certified birth certificate must be original and a military ID must be brought in person. Copies may be faxed to 404-413-8003 or scanned and emailed to the appropriate admissions counselor listed below. Please include your Panther ID # with your fax or email correspondence. Only one document is required.
If you have specific questions regarding your citizenship verification hold or your documentation, please contact your graduate admissions counselor at the College of Education:
C.Verification through the Student and Exchange Information System (SEVIS) -- F, J, or M visa types or through the program.
If you have or are applying for an F or J visa, the International Student and Scholare Services (ISSS) office will verify your lawful presence through SEVIS. As this is already part of the immigration process, there are no additional steps required to have your Citizenship Verification Hold removed. Simply comply with the requirements outlined by the ISSS office as you prepare to arrive at Georgia State University.
D. Verification through Systematic Alien verification for Entitlements (SAVE)
If you are not a U.S. citizen and are not able to be verified by one of the options above, please contact the International Student and Scholar Services office in order to query the SAVE Database.
What If I Do Not Provide Proof of Lawful Presence?
Admission will be withdrawn for any student who is unable to provide proof of lawful presence by at least one of the methods outlined above.