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(Application Processing) Subject: Important Information About the Secondary Confirmation Process and the G-845 Form

Posted Date:March 06, 2009

Author: William Leith, Service Director, Program Management, Federal Student Aid

Subject: Important Information About the Secondary Confirmation Process and the G-845 Form

Federal Student Aid conducts a match of applicant data in the Central Processing System (CPS) with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to confirm a student's eligible noncitizen status, required to determine eligibility for federal student aid. When DHS is unable to verify an applicant’s eligible noncitizen status through the automated primary or secondary confirmation process, the school must perform manual secondary confirmation by submitting an Immigration Status/Document Verification Request (G-845) form to DHS along with copies of the applicant’s DHS documentation.

To assist you with timely and accurate processing of the G-845 form, we are providing important information regarding G-845 processing at DHS. The following topics are addressed:

  • G-845 Form With Expiration Date of 6/30/2008

  • DHS Verification Number

  • Missing Alien Registration Number (ARN)

  • Contact Information

Please review this information carefully to ensure the manual secondary confirmation process is successfully completed for your students. In addition, comprehensive information about student eligibility and citizenship issues, including the secondary confirmation process, can be found in the .

G-845 Form With Expiration Date of 6/30/2008

There are currently two G-845 forms in use, one that is available in the 2008-2009 Federal Student Aid Handbook with a 6/30/2008 expiration date, and another that is available on the DHS Web site with a 7/31/2011 expiration date. Please continue to use the G-845 form with the 6/30/2008 expiration date as provided in the online version of the Federal Student Aid Handbook at
.

While DHS has created a new G-845 form with a 7/31/2011 expiration date and has posted it on their Web site, the new form does not provide for all of the USCIS responses that are useful to determine whether an applicant is an eligible noncitizen for Title IV purposes.

DHS Verification Number

As we informed you in an Electronic Announcement posted on August 1, 2008 to the IFAP Web site, DHS will no longer process G-845 forms submitted without a 15-digit DHS Verification Number accurately entered on page 1, Section A (#5- Verification Number) of the form. DHS will return, unprocessed, all G-845 forms that do not include a complete DHS Verification Number. The verification number is used by DHS to locate and accurately match the student’s record in the DHS databases and to verify that a school administering Title IV funds is requesting the information. This number is necessary to avoid processing delays.

Tips:

  • The DHS Verification Number is found under "Match Flags" in the FAA Information section of the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). The DHS Verification Number must contain 15 digits, begin with the current year (e.g. 2009), and end in two alpha characters. If there is no DHS Verification Number on the student’s ISIR, see the section “Missing Alien Registration Number (ARN)” below.

    DHS may cross out the DHS Verification Number you provide on the G-845 form, enter a new verification number, and process the form. This is acceptable and you may ignore the change.

  • If the G-1120 form (Status Verification Return Checklist) from DHS indicates that the DHS Verification Number is missing, but the number is clearly on the form, check the number for accuracy. If the number is incorrect, make the necessary corrections and resubmit the G-845 form to DHS. If the number is complete and correct, contact Marya Dennis at 202/377-3385 or marya.dennis@ed.gov.

Missing Alien Registration Number (ARN)

The CPS sends student records to DHS for matching only when the applicant provides an Alien Registration Number (also known as an ARN or “A” number) on his or her Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you need to confirm an applicant’s eligible noncitizen status, but there is no ARN on the ISIR you receive, you must submit a correction to the CPS that includes the applicant’s ARN. You must also correct the applicant’s citizenship status to “eligible noncitizen,” if necessary.

Wait up to three processing days to receive a new ISIR for the applicant. A comment on the ISIR will indicate whether DHS was able to confirm the applicant’s status as an eligible noncitizen or if they need more information. If DHS needs more information, you must complete a G-845 form with the applicant’s DHS Verification Number from the ISIR and submit it to the USCIS field office that processes forms for your school. If you do not know the correct field office, see the "Contact Information" section below for further information.

Contact Information

For the most recent list of USCIS field offices that process the G-845 form, see the attachment "Where to Mail Form G-845" to the Electronic Announcement posted to the IFAP Web site on February 27, 2009.

If you have specific questions about G-845 processing issues, contact Marya Dennis at 202/377-3385 or marya.dennis@ed.gov.

If you have general questions about the G-845 form, contact Federal Student Aid’s Research and Customer Care Center (RCCC) at 800/433-7327 or by fax at 202/275-5532. You can also e-mail the RCCC at fsa.customer.support@ed.gov. The RCCC staff are available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays.