Fingerprinting FAQS for Undocumented Students

Yes! Undocumented students can do fieldwork and/or student teaching in charter schools, independent (private) schools, and/or some schools outside New York City. NY State Education Department has updated the process for requesting a “Teach Access Number” at NYSED (please see Question 3 for details) which enables them to open a TEACH account and pursue the fingerprinting process. Other college requirements and processes for clinical placements remain unchanged.

No. Students who do not have an SSN and are not studying under an F1 International Student Visa will not be able to be fingerprinted and cleared through the NYCDOE PETS system. As such, they will not be allowed to enter NYCDOE schools to complete field work or to student teach. Students should speak to their clinical coordinator (or appropriate faculty member) about finding a non-DOE clinical placement.

• Undocumented students should reach out to their college certification officers. Certification officers will email OTI  to request a nine-digit identifier with student’s first and last name, DOB, and email, with “TEACH Access Number” in the subject line.
• Once this identifier is received from NYSED, the student creates a TEACH account.

This guidance is detailed on NYSED’s website, under Evaluation of Foreign Credentials:

https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/evalforeigncred.html

• Once students create a TEACH account, but before they are fingerprinted by IdentoGo, students are directed to contact OSPRA  for further instructions on how to proceed with fingerprinting. Staff in NY State Education Department want to make sure students get good advice on how to register for fingerprinting with their new identifier so they don’t end up having to pay IdentoGo more than once.

This guidance is detailed on NYSED’s website, under FAQ for Individuals #20:

http://www.nysed.gov/educator-integrity/fingerprint-frequently-asked-questions-faqs

• Once a student obtains the Teach Access Number, students can request the fingerprinting appointment via IdentoGo:

https://uenroll.identogo.com/workflows/14ZGQT

Please see “What Documents to bring to the appointment” webpage before making the fingerprinting appointment:

https://uenroll.identogo.com/workflows/14ZGQT/documents/documents

For the list of acceptable fingerprinting documents, students can preview “What do I need to bring to enrollment?” Acceptable documentation includes a NYC ID card.

Idemia’s privacy policy is published online and includes a description of when or when not information collected is treated confidentially.

Yes. You can be certified with an initial certification. The initial certificate is valid for 5 years. You, however, may not be able to work in many settings in the United States without securing a work permit. Guidance on registering for an ITIN number which can facilitate work is available from CUNY’s Office of Immigrant Student Success.

However, citizenship or legal residence is required for initial certified educators to advance to the professional/permanent certification.

• CUNY’s Citizenship Now project offers free immigration law services to students and their families
• CUNY’s Office of Undocumented & Immigrant Student Programs features a dedicated webpage for undocumented students
• CUNY colleges have designated staff who serve as Immigrant Student Liaisons. Find the contact at your campus.
• CUNY’s Initiative on Immigration and Education (CUNY-IIE) offers resources for students: https://www.cuny-iie.org and UndocuEdu, which works to highlight specific issues.
• CUNY’s Office of the University Dean for Education can provide resources on a range of educator preparation-related questions: see www.cuny.edu/teachered or email Teacher.Education@cuny.edu