Recent News

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 […]

---

No Advisors Available May 28th – 31st

May 8, 2019

All immigration advisors will be out of the office from May 28th through May 31st at our national association’s annual conference. In addition, that Monday, May 27th is Memorial Day and the University will be closed in observation of the holiday. Therefore, we urge you to submit any inquiries or requests, including travel signature requests, […]

---

CBP Update: Alphanumeric I-94s Arrival/Departure Records

April 25, 2019

Effective this May 2019, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be adjusting the I-94 number once it is issued to international travelers. Currently, the formatting of an I-94 number includes 11 digits and is comprised of only numbers. Starting this May, the I-94 number will become alphanumeric. The I-94 will remain 11 characters in length […]

---

Potential changes to H-4 EAD Eligibility

March 4, 2019

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has submitted a draft proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to end the work authorization of H-4 spouses. This proposed rule would end the current eligibility that H-4 spouses have to apply for the employment authorization document (EAD) card once primary H-1B holder has reached […]

---

Revised Form I-539 and new Form I-539A

February 27, 2019

Effective March 11, 2019, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that they will only accept the revised Form I-539 with the edition date of 02/04/2019. Any submissions of the Form I-539 with a previous edition date will automatically be rejected. USCIS has also created a new Form I-539A, Supplemental Information for Application to Extend/Change […]

---

International Income Tax Software Now Available

February 25, 2019

The Office of International Services (OIS) has recently sent out an email about the International Income Tax Software. We do encourage you to read this email. International students and scholars who worked in the U.S. and received pay in 2018 need to fill out and file tax forms with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). […]

---

Non-emergency visa services suspended in Venezuela

January 28, 2019

Due to the political situation in Venezuela, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) has withdrawn all non-essential diplomatic staff from the country and has suspended all “non-emergency” visa services in Caracas, Venezuela. At this time, the DOS has not addressed whether any services will be available to foreign nationals.  However, immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing […]

---

New Policy on Accrual of Unlawful Presence

January 14, 2019

On May 8, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a memo proposing a fundamental change to the way it counts accruing “unlawful presence,” which impacts those of you who are in F-1 and J-1 status, as well as your dependents. This new USCIS policy went into effect on August 9, 2018. In the […]

---