NJ State Legislators Push Expansion of Dream Act

NJ State Legislators Push Expansion of Dream Act to include in-state tuition rates for families who are legal residents of the state and of the US but who are not citizens and were not born in the US.

Non-immigrant aliens currently must pay out-of-state tuition rates despite being legally authorized to work and live in NJ.

In-state tuition rates are significantly lower than out-of-state rates.

Earlier this year Republican Governor Chris Christie signed a bill to allow immigrants who were brought to the US as children to qualify for in-state tuition rates. The bill is known as the DREAM Act.

But that law does not apply to nonimmigrant aliens.

Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Somerset) introduced a new bill (A3013) in March to allow nonimmigrant aliens to access in-state tuition. The bill defines «nonimmigrant» aliens» as someone who as a «permanent residence» abroad and is admitted to the US on a temporary basis for a specific purpose such as education, business employment or pleasure. The bill would not allow a student to pay in-state tuition if his or her family came to the US for vacation. To qualify the student needs to have graduated from a high school in NJ after spending at least three years enrolled.

The bill is not the only proposal to help such students. State Sen. Peter Barnes (Middlesex) and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Union) introduced a similar bill (S2215) months ago that would also allow non-immigrant alienist who went to high school in NJ for at least three years to pay in-state tuition, but only if they applied for a green card.

New Jersey is not the first state in the nation to extend in-state tuition for nonresident aliens.

New York State Universities such as The State University of New York have a policy to offer in-state tuition rates to non-immigrant aliens if they graduated from an approved high school after spending at least two years there or earned a GED from an approved New York State program.

The bill has not advanced in either the NJ state house or the legislature.