Cares Act: Eligibility For International Students

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed to provide economic relief to Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act includes provisions for Economic Impact Payments to American households, with a maximum of US$1,200 per adult and US$500 per child under 17. However, international students, who are categorized as nonresident aliens, are not eligible for financial aid under the CARES Act, despite some being taxpayers with social security numbers. While the CARES Act excludes international students, the subsequent Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act may provide financial aid to all students, including international students, in the form of grants and unemployment insurance.

International students are not eligible for CARES Act funding

The CARES Act funding is reserved for eligible students enrolled in accredited programs on or after March 27, 2020, who are eligible for Title IV funding. This includes students who are US citizens or eligible noncitizens, have a valid social security number, and are not in default on a federal student loan.

The CARES Act funding is intended to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The allocated amounts are based on an institution's Pell FTE enrollment and overall FTE enrollment relative to the national total. The funds are to be used for costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction, such as reimbursements for housing, food, or other services that the institution could no longer provide, as well as hardware, software, or internet connectivity for students.

While international students are not eligible for CARES Act funding, they may be eligible for financial aid under the proposed HEROES Act, which would provide direct relief to all students and prohibit the US Department of Education from limiting who can receive the grants.

International students are not eligible for stimulus payments

International students enrolled in associate degree-granting institutions or accredited programs are not eligible for stimulus payments under the CARES Act. This is because they fall under the non-resident alien category and are therefore not eligible to receive any form of financial aid, even if they are taxpayers with a social security number. The CARES Act provides Economic Impact Payments of up to $1,200 per adult for individuals earning less than $99,000 annually (or $198,000 for joint filers) and $500 per child under 17 years old. However, this does not extend to international students.

The CARES Act, or the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, provides emergency grants to students who are eligible for Title IV funding and were enrolled in an accredited program as of March 27, 2020. These grants are intended as cash awards to students to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the CARES Act does not directly address eligible programs, the US Education Department (ED) has stated that emergency financial aid grants should be made available to eligible students in the most efficient, effective, and expedient way possible.

The institutional funds provided by the CARES Act must be used for costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the pandemic. This includes reimbursements for refunds made to students for housing, food, or other services that the institution could no longer provide, as well as hardware, software, or internet connectivity purchased on behalf of students. The funds can also be used for emergency grants to students who can no longer work on campus due to shutdowns, but institutions cannot reimburse themselves for paying student wages.

While international students are not eligible for stimulus payments under the CARES Act, they may be eligible for financial aid under subsequent relief bills. For example, the proposed HEROES Act, or Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, may provide financial aid to all students and prohibit the US Department of Education from limiting who can receive grants, making international students eligible. The HEROES Act also includes a $600-per-week boost in unemployment insurance until January 2021 and student loan forgiveness for private loan borrowers.

International students enrolled in non-credit programs are not eligible for emergency grants

International students enrolled in non-credit programs are ineligible for emergency grants under the CARES Act. This is because the CARES Act only provides for Economic Impact Payments to American households. International students, who fall under the nonresident alien category, are not eligible to receive any form of financial aid under the CARES Act, even if they are taxpayers with a social security number.

The CARES Act was signed into law by President Trump and provides emergency grants to students as cash awards. These grants are intended to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. The allocated amounts are based on a combination of an institution's Pell FTE enrollment and overall FTE enrollment relative to the national total. However, students who were enrolled exclusively online before the pandemic are not included in this count.

To be eligible for CARES Act emergency grants, students must be enrolled in an accredited program as of March 27, 2020, and eligible for Title IV funding. This includes being a US citizen or an eligible noncitizen, having a valid Social Security number, and not being in default on a federal student loan, among other requirements. The CARES Act also specifies that the funds must be used for costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus. For example, reimbursing costs related to refunds made to students for housing, food, or other services that the institution could no longer provide.

While the CARES Act does not provide financial aid for international students, the proposed HEROES Act may offer a different outcome. According to Forbes, the HEROES Act may make financial aid available to all students and prohibit the US Department of Education from restricting access to grants, thus including international students.

International students are eligible for the HEROES Act funding

International students were not eligible for funding under the CARES Act, which was signed into law in March 2020. The Act provided economic relief to American citizens impacted by COVID-19, in the form of stimulus checks, federal student loan relief, and protection programmes for those who had been laid off.

However, international students are eligible for funding under the HEROES Act. This Act was proposed by House Democrats in May 2020 and includes a $3 trillion aid package to provide direct relief to Americans and bolster funding to state and local governments.

The HEROES Act prohibits the US Department of Education from limiting who can get grants, meaning international students, undocumented students, and DACA students are eligible for emergency financial aid grant funds. It also includes a boost in unemployment insurance of $600 per week until January 2021, as well as student loan forgiveness of up to $10,000 per borrower in federal student loans.

The Act also reverses previous guidance from the US Department of Education, which required emergency financial aid grant recipients to have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or be eligible to file a FAFSA.

International students are eligible for student emergency grants if enrolled in an accredited program on March 27, 2020

International students are not eligible for financial aid under the CARES Act. They fall under the non-resident alien category and are therefore not eligible for stimulus payments, even if they are taxpayers with a social security number.

However, according to one source, international students enrolled in an accredited program on March 27, 2020, and eligible for Title IV funding, may be eligible for CARES Act emergency grants. This seems to contradict other sources that clearly state that international students are not eligible for funding under the CARES Act. It is important to note that the CARES Act did not directly address the issue of eligible programs, and this decision was made by the US Education Department (ED).

The CARES Act provides economic impact payments to American households, up to $1,200 per adult for individuals earning less than $99,000 ($198,000 for joint filers) and $500 per child under 17, or up to $3,400 for a family of four. The Act also includes provisions for student loan forgiveness for private loan borrowers.

The proposed HEROES Act, on the other hand, may provide financial aid to all students, including international students, and prohibits the US Department of Education from limiting who can receive grants. This Act includes a $600-per-week boost in unemployment insurance until January 2021 and student loan forgiveness for private loan borrowers.

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