Recent News

Public Charge Update

March 6, 2020

Final Rules on Public Charge Determinations: New Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DOS) public charge regulations were originally scheduled to go into effect on October 15, 2019. A preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and other district courts halted enforcement of the […]

---

Important Updates from OIS – Coronavirus and Travel Ban

February 3, 2020

The OIS wants to bring to your attention the following two recent updates with potential impact on our international visitors: Coronavirus: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Azar announced a ban on foreign nationals traveling from China and quarantines for U.S. citizens coming from China. The restrictions went into effect at 5:00 p.m. (EST) on […]

---

Tis the Season, that is the “Travel Season”

November 14, 2019

The travel season has arrived! The next several months are full of holidays that are celebrated across the globe and not to mention that some people just want to get away and enjoy a beautiful remote beach. As we keep this in mind, the OIS wants to remind all international visitors that they should carefully […]

---

Revised Postdoc Policy Forthcoming

August 1, 2019

Postdoctoral Research Fellows, Faculty, and Administrative Staff The Executive Committee of the UT Health San Antonio has recently approved new policies for postdoctoral research fellows effective September 1, 2019 with full implementation by January 1, 2020. Important features of the policy are summarized below: Define postdoctoral research fellow / establish minimum salary < 5 years […]

---

Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Card Delays

July 31, 2019

There are major delays currently with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issuing employment authorization document (EAD) cards. This should not be news to anyone who has been staying on top of the EAD card delays with USCIS. Processing times are hitting the five-month marker. We understand that some of our current students who have […]

---

U.S. Department of State to Collect Social Media Information

June 11, 2019

The next time you need to apply for a visa, be prepared to provide all personal social media accounts that have been used within the last five years effective May 31, 2019. The U.S. Department of State is requiring that you release your username/handle for all accounts, but not your password. This new requirement applies […]

---

Hurricane Season 2019

June 7, 2019

If you are listening to the Scorpions, “Rock you Like a Hurricane” then you got good taste in music and you probably know that it is hurricane season. Nothing to be alarmed of at this time but we want to remind you that the hurricane season officially began on June 1st and typically runs through […]

---

I-901 SEVIS Fee Increase

May 22, 2019

It’s been confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has decided to officially increase their fees that the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) charges to those needing to enter the U.S. in F-1 or J-1 status (minus J-1 au pairs). These fees are effective June 24, 2019. I-901 Fees F-1 J-1 Current New […]

---

Scam Alerts

May 21, 2019

Don’t get fooled into falling for a scam! Unfortunately, scams are happening ever day and not just to you, but to all of us. We in the OIS also receive multiple scams via email to our personal and work email accounts and to our phones. The scam methods are becoming even craftier than before and […]

---

Update on New Policy on Accrual of Unlawful Presence

May 13, 2019

This is an update to the New Policy on Accrual of Unlawful Presence post by OIS. A group comprising of a few colleges and universities, a teachers union, an international student club, and a couple of students banded together to file a lawsuit against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) back in October 2018 (Guilford College […]

---