Spring Quarter is here, and the cherry blossoms are in bloom across campus! While this is a beautiful and exciting time of year at UW, it’s also the busiest time for the ISS office. Many students are applying for CPT or OPT, requesting travel signatures, extending their I-20 or DS-2019, or preparing for graduation. If you’re planning to visit the ISS office this quarter, a little preparation can go a long way. Here are a few tips to help make your visit as smooth and helpful as possible.
Tip 1: Check the ISS website first
Many of the most common questions we receive are already answered on our website, including travel, work authorization, program extensions, and reduced course load information. Checking the website first may save you a trip to the office and help you prepare better questions if you still need to meet with an advisor.
Tip 2: Take action as early as possible.
Immigration requests usually include new and confusing language making them challenging for students to navigate. Getting ahead on requests can be very helpful when you have many questions or when a process is new to you. If you’ve checked our website and find yourself still needing help, you should stop by our virtual or in-person drop-in advising.
You should also submit requests early when possible. Requests can take up to 3 weeks to be processed by our advisors and that does not include time to clarify any issues. Because of this, getting questions answered early will allow you to get answers to follow-up questions and ensure you are completely on time. To be fair to all students, ISS is not able to expedite processing including CPT and OPT I-20 requests.
Tip 3: Choose the correct line.
If you are visiting the ISS office to pick up a document such as an SSN Letter, you do not need to wait in the same line as those attending drop-in advising. Instead, you can head to the left side of our front desk where a student assistant will be able to help you! Look for a sign pointing you that way. Please be ready to either swipe your UW Husky Card or share your student number.
Tip 4: Try our live chat!
You can skip the line completely by using live chat instead of stopping by the office. This feature will connect you to an ISS staff member who can answer your quick questions. This is not an advising service for complex cases. You should use it for help with basic questions, finding resources, and getting updates to your requests. If you have a difficult situation, we still recommend you attend our drop-in advising with an ISS immigration advisor. To connect with the Online Chat, click the yellow chat icon at the bottom right of an ISS webpage.
Tip 5: Student assistants are here to help you!
In-person drop-in advising is between 1:00 to 3:00 afternoon but our office is open 10 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. Monday – Friday. If you have general questions, this is a great time to come to the office and talk to a student assistant. Our phone number and email are also great places to direct your non-urgent questions!