Verification of Eligibility for Public Benefit Process - PowerPoint Presentation

Verification of Eligibility for Public Benefit Process Technical College System of Georgia Office of Adult Education FY19

Training Topics Overview the VOEPB Process Go over the VOEPB affidavitWalk through each procedureShow examples of key documentsSAVE verificationSubmission Tips

Introduction Verification of Eligibility for Public Benefit (VOEPB) is the process where applicants identify their citizenship or immigration status and provide specific documentation in order to receive a public benefit Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 50-36-1), not a federal regulation

Georgia Law States: Agencies of the State providing or administering a public benefit (adult education) must require every applicant ages 18 and over to:Provide one secure and verifiable documentExecute an affidavit and provide supporting documentation, if required

Applicant Responsibilities

Step 1 - Provide a Secure and Verifiable Document Must be on the approved list from the Attorney General of Georgiahttp://law.ga.gov/immigration-reports Cannot be expired

Examples of approved SV Documents U.S. Passport State-issued Driver’s Licenses and ID cards U.S. Military ID cards U.S. Permanent Resident card

Other SV Documents Employment Authorization Cards Foreign Passport with paper I-94 Foreign Passport with visa

A Closer Look at the I-94 Departure Number Entry Date Visa Type Admitted Until Date Entry Location 23 11 74

Electronic I-94 I-94 Retrieval Website https ://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/

Non-approved SV Documents Consulate Card of any kind International Driver’s LicenseNational ID CardStudent IDVoter IDForeign Passport without supporting documentationDriver’s License from another country, except CanadaITIN – Individual Taxpayer Identification Number Social Security Card

Examples of Non-approved SV docs International Driver’s License Expired Consulate Card National ID Student ID

Step 2 – Complete an Affidavit Name Age StatusA#, if applicableSecure and Verifiable Document typeCitySignature and Printed Name of ApplicantNotarization Document tracking

U.S Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident Steps Provide a secure and verifiable document Complete the affidavit and select a categoryUnited States citizenLegal permanent resident of the United StatesPresent the affidavit to a notary public and follow his/her instructions

Qualified Alien or Non-immigrant Steps Provide a secure and verifiable document Complete the affidavit and select a categoryQualified Alien/Non-immigrantPresent the affidavit to a notary public and follow his/her instructionsProvide supporting documentation that shows lawful presence

Qualified Alien or Non-immigrant Lawful Presence Most commonly presented: Foreign passport with I-94, I-94A, I-94W Foreign passport with a U.S. VisaEmployment Authorization Card J-1 visa authorization document with SEVIS ID And many others

Supporting Documentation Examples Employment Authorization Card Foreign passport with I-94 J-1 Visa form (DS-2019) US Visa – w/ Passport

Supporting Documentation and Dates Be aware that: D ates on some U.S. Visas are not expiration dates of the person’s lawful presence, but rather, the timeframe when the person must enter the country.Employment Authorization Cards have a 180-day grace period before they expire due to a backlog at USCIS.A document may have expired, but they have a pending application for something else – Just ask them!

Expired Visa Example Example: K-1 (fiancé/fiancée) visa The applicant has six months from the issue date to travel to the U.S. before the visa expires .

Other Supporting Documentation Department of State letter with picture and A# (usually given to refugees without any documentation from their home countries) USCIS form I-797-A w/ detachable cardUSCIS form I-797-C with biometrics data collectionCopy of I-94 from the r etrieval website Other U.S. Citizenship and Immigration documents If you are not sure about a document, contact OAE

Not Supporting Documentation Letter from an attorney or other advocate Copy of a submitted USCIS applicationMarriage license or spouse’s legal documentsDocuments from when they were a MINOR (ORR) Social Security Cards Military ID – Dept. of Defense

Restricted Visas - B1, B2 If you are presented with a B2 visa, ask if they have any other documentation or if they have evidence that they have applied for Asylum (an I-797-C with a biometrics appointment or a letter from USCIS). I-94 B1 (business visitor) I-94 B2 (pleasure visitor) B1/B2 Visa

Other Restricted Visas BBBCV (B1/B2 Border Crossing Visa) Waiver Business visa stamp (WB) Waiver Tourist visa stamp (WT) C1/D is a transit visa and landing visa for crew members of vessels, e.g., cruise ships, airplanes

Restricted Visas - F1, M1 F1 ( student must pay tuition to attend school or college) M 1 ( student must pay tuition to attend a vocational school or college)

Local Program Responsibilities

VOEPB forms and documents Print the Verification of Eligibility for Public Benefit Affidavit; have the list of secure and verifiable documents available for review. If the document is going to be completed outside of the program, also give a copy of secure and verifiable documents. Distribute the affidavit to all students ages 18 and over at the time of intake (AL290 for edit checks) Provide a notary public , if able Collect a copy of the secure and verifiable document and supporting documentation

Local Processing of Affidavits Collect the notarized affidavits Make copies of required documentsRecord information in GALIS Maintain the affidavits in the students’ permanent recordsReview and identify qualified alien affidavits

Qualified Alien status: Local Program Copies of the affidavit and supporting documentation must be submitted to OAE within 20 business days of receipt Affidavits and supporting documentation may be submitted by mail only (as of July 1, 2018)

Qualified Alien status: OAE Receives documents Reviews the affidavit, secure and verifiable document, and supporting documentationSubmits the information to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program

Refusal of Services and Appeal If a applicant’s documentation is unable to be verified: Program will be notified by OAE Program must notify studentStudent has 10 days to submit additional supporting documentation

Refusal of Services and Appeal If student is unverified a second time: Program must reject adult education services Student may appeal to OAEIn writingWithin 10 business daysWith additional supporting documentation or explanation

Keep in Mind VOEPB Directions document is available Applicants complete the affidavit only ONE time Applicant can enroll while paperwork is pendingPrior year affidavits can be usedPull VOEPB forms forward when students attend in a new fiscal year

Special Populations Refugees have a Reasonable Opportunity Period or 90 days from U.S. entry date to acquire documents Minors who were previously under the supervision of the Office of Refugee Resettlement have a Reasonable Opportunity Period or 90 days from their 18 th birthday to acquire adult documentation Programs need to work with Correctional and Institutional programs to satisfy VOEPB requirements in a reasonable manner

Submission Tips Modify the top of the affidavit to include the name of the organization. It helps us keep them organized.Do not submit original affidavits to OAE; please submit copies. Originals should be maintained locally in the student permanent record. You do not have to submit the 2nd page of the affidavit , which is the list of Secure and Verifiable documents. Send copies of both the secure and verifiable document and the supporting documentation , as required for submission.

More Submission Tips Don’t be afraid to send too much. The more options we have to choose from when running documentation, the better.Check all copies for legibility and completeness before submission. Each program should have at least one “Local Program Point of Contact” who reviews each packet before submission and initials and dates in the space that says “Local Program POC Initials.”

Even More Submission Tips Make sure each affidavit has the secure and verifiable document and the supporting documentation stapled to it.We collect forms throughout the month and run them starting on the 1st of the following month . We cannot accept visas by themselves . Please make sure a visa is accompanied by a passport. I-94’s are the easiest documents for us to run.

And Finally… In order to be cleared, all J1, J2, and F2 visa holders require a SEVIS ID, which is an 11-digit number that starts with an N. Most common reasons for a document to go unverified: Not enough information was submitted to enter into SAVE Omission of the SEVIS ID for J1, J2, and F2 Copies of documents were unreadable by staff Person is in between a change in statusSAVE system database error

Referral Process Work with local community agencies, organizations, and volunteer groups Develop a referral processDistribute contact information for other providers

Thank You Thank you for your time and your attention. Please direct questions about the VOEPB process at your organization to your local Point of Contact (POC) Additional questions can be submitted to your assigned GPS Coordinator or the Instructional Services Technical Coordinator.