Author: sharece

Some students applying for their STEM OPT Extension are not receiving their EAD cards at their current addresses. This issue may impact students who are applying for the STEM OPT extension if they have moved since filing their last I-765. What is happening? Students who applied for OPT by filing their I-765 online with USCIS are not receiving their EAD card at their new address. Rather, it is being sent to the old address that USCIS has on file from…

This year, ISS made Glacier Tax Prep go live a bit earlier than usual. We wanted to make sure it was available for alumni who are on post-completion OPT, STEM OPT, or post-completion AT as early as possible. That said, we wanted to make sure that students understand that UW has not yet issued 1042-S forms at this time. Under the IRS rules, these forms must be issued by March 10. However, there is currently a plan to get these…

Today, the Department of Homeland Security published a notice to the Federal Register regarding an extension to Special Student Relief for Haitian students studying on an F-1 visa. Special Student Relief allows students to apply for work authorization off campus and request reduced course loads when approved. More information about Special Student Relief and how to apply is located on our website.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program has a planned update for the SEVP Portal tomorrow, January 24, 2023. The release will allow students on post-completion optional practical training to see and edit supervisor information including last name, first name, telephone number and extension, and email address. SEVP anticipates a three-hour SEVP Portal outage from Tuesday, January 24 at 9 PM EST to Wednesday, January 25 at 12 AM EST.  

Tax season is upon us! By now, you may have started to see messages from tax preparation companies and you may have even received your W-2 tax form from your employer. While ISS is not able to meet with you about or advise you on your tax obligations, we provide information to all students about filing their taxes. ISS recommends for all students who were studying at the University of Washington on an F-1 or J-1 visa in 2022 to…

We are always excited to welcome new international students to the University of Washington! Today, we held our make-up immigration orientation session for new F-1 international students. During this session, students were able to learn about the basics of their F-1 status. Immigration Orientation is required for all new students. Students who did not attend the in-person orientations or make-up sessions must watch the recording and complete the confirmation form so that ISS can track their attendance.

The Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule change on January 4, 2023 that could affect UW students – those who are applying for OPT and STEM OPT or those who are applying to change their status within the U.S., or submitting reinstatement applications. The proposed rule is currently open for public comment through 03/06/2023. We encourage people interested in submitting public comments to review the Frequently Asked Questions and proposed rule in the Federal Register.  

USCIS has announced that beginning in March, they will expand premium processing to certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking STEM OPT extensions with pending applications. Beginning in April, they will expand processing to F-1 students seeking OPT and F-1 students seeking STEM extensions who are filing the initial Form I-765. This means that later this spring, UW students on F-1 visas applying for OPT or STEM OPT may be able to pay to have…

We’re so excited to welcome students with the J-1 visa to the United States for winter quarter 2023! All students on J-1 visas were required to attend their in-person orientation on January 6, 2023. Students who did not attend were able to attend the make-up orientation on January 12, 2023 at noon. Any student who did not attend will have a hold on their account. To remove the hold, they must watch the recording of the orientation from January 12th…

While ISS helps manage your immigration compliance, there are other requirements of being a student at University of Washington. One of those requirements is the husky prevention and response (Title IX) student course. This course is designed to help all students understand how to create a safe and enaging campus environment for all students. Please make sure to complete the requirement soon so you understand how you can help. Here is the reminder from our colleauges in the Title IX…