Residency

To be considered a California resident, you must show intent to become a resident and live in California for at least one year and one day. Your residency status is determined by how you answer residency questions on the application. To prove that you are a resident of California, you’ll need to bring in two forms of proof. The most common proofs are:

• Bank statements
• Pay stubs
• Car registration
• California ID or California driver’s license
• Lease
• Tax statements from the previous year

Education Code section 68075.6 grants an immediate nonresident tuition fee exemption to eligible Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders and refugee students who settled in California upon entering the United States. This exemption is granted for one year from the date the student settled in California upon entering the United States.

This exemption applies to the following:

• Iraqi citizens or nationals (and their spouses and children) who were employed by or on behalf of the United States Government in Iraq (Pub.L. No. 110-181, § 1244)
• Afghan and Iraqi translators (and their spouses and children) who worked directly with the United States Armed Forces (Pub.L. No. 109-163, § 1059)
• Afghanistan nationals who were employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or in the International Security Assistance Force {ISAF} in Afghanistan (Pub.L. No. 111-8, § 602)
• Refugee students admitted to the United States under Section 1157 of Title 8 of the United States Code

For more information, click here.

AB 1232 — Nonresident tuition waiver for English as a Second Language (ESL) Courses
AB1232 amends existing law to exempt nonresident tuition for a student who enrolls in an English as a second language (ESL) course at a Community College if they are (1) a recent migrant; (2) a recent refugee; or (3) a person who has been granted asylum by the United States. This exception applies only to individuals who, upon entering the United States, settled in California and who have resided in California for less than one year. Only the tuition fee for the ESL course is exempt. (AB 1232 amends Section 76140 of the Education Code)