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NEW THIS WEEK
The ISS office continues to serve students throughout the break between summer and autumn quarter - our drop in advising schedule and virtual front desk will continue to operate on the summer schedule until the beginning of the new academic term.
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Arrive by September 29, 2021:
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Autumn quarter officially begins September 29, 2021! We're excited to welcome you back to campus. Make sure to double-check your travel plans - we cannot endorse nor accommodate late arrivals, so please ensure that you will be arriving no later than 9/29/2021.
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ISS Office Services During Autumn Quarter:
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In the coming weeks, we will have more information to share about our return to campus and services available through our office. We'll be launching a new appointment booking process with more availability for one-on-one virtual advising appointments as well as a change to our virtual front desk and drop-in services. Please look for a more detailed update in an upcoming edition of this newsletter!
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Back-to-School Checklist:
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Campus partners in the Division of Student Life have prepared a Back-to-School resource for students planning on coming to campus in September.
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The checklist details actions recommended for all students as well as specific actions that students traveling from outside of Washington state – please carefully review the checklist and make preparations according to your plans and vaccination status.
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IMMIGRATION CHECK-IN AVAILABLE NOW!
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AUTUMN 2021 ISHIP INFORMATION
Each autumn quarter, the ISHIP Office receives many questions about the process for enrolling in ISHIP, getting a LifeWise insurance card, and accessing the online LifeWise portal and resources. Here is a primer for what to expect from ISHIP as you start your autumn quarter classes: Things To Know About ISHIP for Autumn 2021.
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If you have additional questions after reviewing the web page above, email the ISHIP staff at stdins@uw.edu
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ISHIP PREMIUM REBATES FOR 2020
If you purchased ISHIP health insurance coverage at the UW during the 2020 calendar year, whether for just one quarter or for the entire year, you will receive a letter and rebate check from LifeWise sometime during the month of September, assuming that LifeWise has a current address for you.
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2020 was a very unique year in many ways due to the COVID-19 outbreak. One effect was a significant reduction in the utilization of healthcare over several months when much of the world was effectively shut down. Due to low utilization, LifeWise will be returning a portion of the premium fee to students who enrolled in ISHIP during the 2020 calendar year. Most of the checks will be relatively small, with the vast majority under $100.00.
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To find more information about the ISHIP premium rebate, go to our News/Alerts of the ISHIP website.
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The checks will be sent by LifeWise to the addresses which they have in their system. If you are a currently enrolled UW student, you may update your local mailing address through your MyUW account.
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REMINDER: SCAMS TARGETING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
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With the new academic year starting, we're likely to see an increase in scams targeting international students. These scams are operated by individuals who have just enough knowledge about international students to sound very realistic when they target you and your status.
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The latest trend we've seen is that individuals are impersonating SEVP or ICE officials.
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- The scammers are spoofing a SEVP or local ICE phone number, so your caller ID may show "SEVP", "ICE" or "Immigration and Customs Enforcement" or another, official-looking name. These callers are not SEVP officials or ICE officers.
- They will tell you that your status is in jeopardy and that you can fix it by paying them money. This is not how you resolve status violations - if you are ever concerned about your status, contact the ISS Office.
- The scammers are using words and phrases that will sound very official - they have enough familiarity with international student regulations that they can sound very convincing. ICE officers or other government officials will never call you over the phone to ask for money.
If you are contacted in this scam:
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- Report the call to the anonymous ICE tip line at 1-866-347-2423.
- Report the call to the UW Police Department (UWPD) at their non-emergency line, (206) 685-UWPD (8973).
- Reach out to the ISS Office if you want to confirm your student status or to ask any questions that you might have.
- Contact the UW Counseling Center. Being a victim of a crime or scam like this can be alarming and the counseling center can help you cope with the stress and emotions you may be feeling.
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REMINDERS
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VACCINATION STATUS VERIFICATION & RETURN-TO-CAMPUS
In an email to UW community members on July 7, UW President Cauce and Provost Richards shared updated guidance about campus operations and provided instructions for vaccination status verification. If you are a student who is also an employee at the UW, note that you will be required to complete the student attestation as well as the employee attestation.
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- Updated 8/13/2021: All campus community members are required to wear masks or other face coverings when indoors.
- Based on Washington State guidance, physical distancing and capacity limits are no longer in place.
- Students, Faculty and Staff must verify their vaccination status. Students must provide vaccination information by the start of autumn quarter. Do so using the student COVID-19 vaccine attestation form.
- If you are traveling to the U.S. for autumn quarter and will not be vaccinated yet, your deadline to provide vaccination status verification is November 5, 2021.
- A hold will be placed on winter quarter registrations if the form has not been submitted by November 5, 2021.
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SUMMER VIRTUAL FRONT DESK SCHEDULE
Virtual Front Desk Schedule – Summer 2021
- Monday – Thursday from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM PST
- Monday – Thursday from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM PST
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Staff will be available to help you navigate the website, connect you to important resources, and provide general assistance. Staff will admit one student at a time to the Virtual Front Desk – we appreciate your patience!
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Drop-In Advising
Our summer schedule is coming to an end - the remaining drop-in advising sessions will be:
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- September 8th, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
- September 14th, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
During these blocks, International Student Advisors will be available for 10-minute consultations. There will be no advising staff at the Virtual Front Desk outside of these hours.
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I-20 END DATE COMING UP?
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The beginning of a new academic year is a great time to double-check your I-20 for accuracy! If your I-20 end date is coming up, but you think you'll need more time to finish your academic program, it's not too early to request a program extension. Updated financial documents are not required for a program extension.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & DEADLINES
- September 29, 2021 - Autumn Quarter Instruction Begins
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Need more information? We offer on-demand and live resources to help answer your questions! Let us know how we're doing by filling out our feedback form.
Missed an edition of our newsletter? They're now archived on our website for easy access.
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