Special Immigrant Status and Refugees

Under Education Code section 68075.6, Special Immigrant Visa holders and refugees who settled in California upon entering the United States may not have to pay nonresident tuition fees. This means that eligible visa holders and refugees may be treated like California residents for tuition purposes. 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 (and their spouses and children) who were employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or 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.