Students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non‑citizens are able to verify their lawful presence by submitting a FAFSA to the University of Georgia. All students wish to be considered for any Federal student aid are encouraged to submit a FAFSA to UGA. Accordingly, this is an easy way to both be considered for Federal aid and verify your lawful presence in the US at the same time. Your VLP hold will generally be cleared within a few days of the US Department of Education sending us your FAFSA.

We are able to accept driver’s licenses and state IDs from the states listed below. Please note: Only unexpired licenses and state-issued IDs with the REAL ID symbol may be accepted. Licenses and IDs marked “Not for REAL ID Purposes,” “Federal Limits Apply,” or similar will not be accepted. Temporary / interim driver’s licenses and/or IDs (paper copy provided until the official DL/ID card is generated) cannot be accepted.

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia (front and back of card needed)
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

We will accept a current U.S. passport with an expiration date after the first day of your initial term (photocopy must include the photo page and the following page).

Green Card holders should plan to submit a front and back copy of their Green Card / Permanent Resident Card to fulfill their VLP.

Students with a pending Green Card application (Form I‑485) are welcome to apply for admission and can be accepted as international students.

Important: To enroll at UGA, you must have a valid visa status. If your previous visa status expired while your I‑485 application is pending, you will not be eligible to enroll.

If you maintained a valid underlying visa status on the date you filed your I‑485 application, provide the following:

• Evidence of your valid visa status at the time of filing
• Your I‑485 receipt notice

Submitting these documents will resolve any Verification of Lawful Presence (VLP) holds on your application.

We will accept any of the following documents to fulfill the VLP requirement:

• Clear and complete copies of original and certified U.S. birth certificates may be accepted by mail or electronically for the purpose of verifying U.S. lawful presence. The copy must be of “an original or certified birth certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority, or territory of the United States bearing an official seal”. The copy must very clearly show the raised or written seal to be acceptable. Copies that are not clear or do not show the seal cannot be accepted.
• A U.S. Certificate of Naturalization (USCIS form N-550 or N-570)
• A U.S. Certificate of Citizenship (USCIS form N-560 or N-561)
• Permanent Resident Card (USCIS form I-151 or 551)
• Military ID presented in person (service members only, not valid for dependents. Scans, photocopies, or faxes will not be accepted)

This should be scanned and submitted using the Verification of Lawful Presence document upload area on the application status page.

When applying to UGA, please upload the following documents using the instructions above:

• Your Non‑Immigrant Visa, or evidence of your non‑immigrant visa status
• Your I‑94 information sheet (printed from www.cbp.gov/i94)
• Your passport picture page

Please ensure submission of your most up‑to‑date immigration records. If you have filed a change of status application or an I‑485 adjustment of status application, we will need copies of the receipt notices as well.

Please note that B‑2 (tourist) non‑immigrant statuses are not permitted for degree program study. Applicants holding either of these statuses are not eligible to enroll or register for classes at UGA.

If you are currently have a Refugee status, please upload all of the following documents:

• Your approved refugee documents
• A copy of the passport picture page
• Any evidence of your current immigration status or case
• Your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) — valid or expired

If you currently have a pending Refugee status please upload both of the following documents:

• Proof of your current immigration status, and
• Your Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) — valid or expired

If you have a pending asylum case (your application has not been approved), please contact our office at [email protected] for an immigration status evaluation. After consulting with us, please upload both of the following documents:

• Proof of your current immigration status, and
• Your Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) — valid or expired

If you hold a pending or approved DACA status, you are able to apply and receive an admissions decision, but you will be unable to finalize your admission or enroll at the University of Georgia unless your immigration status changes by the beginning of the term for which you are admitted. For more information on the USG policy for DACA and Verification of Lawful Presence (VLP), please visit the University System of Georgia’s page on Verification of Lawful Presence.

Upon your arrival to UGA, you will complete the mandatory Online Immigration Check-In with Immigration Services to verify your immigration documents. The Verification of Lawful Presence (VLP) flag on your record will be lifted after it is confirmed that you were admitted to the U.S. in valid F or J status.