Hello, I apologize if similar questions have been asked before, but I'm going to college for the first time, and so I'm inexperienced with these matters. I've been under the care of my biological grandparents for the last decade of my life (I'm 18 currently). And I assumed I was under legal guardianship to them, putting that on my fasfa, which marked me as an independent. But when my college requested documents, the ones they could provide were not sufficient. My father left when I was one, and my mother disappeared when I was around 6-7, leaving me with my grandparents. Yet apparently, they never applied for adoption or guardianship over me.
Is Unusual Circumstances applicable to my scenario or am I considered something else? And if so, do you know what generally needs to be supplied as evidence so that I can maintain my independent status? My high school counselors know about my familial situation, along with people like my healthcare providers, if that may help.