Updated Fall 2020 Guidelines

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Dear International Students,

 

We wish to provide you with more details about the Fall 2020 semester as it relates to your student visa, and some updates related to international travel and visa services. We thank you for following these updates closely throughout the past months. 

 

Unless directed otherwise, ISSS will follow the guidelines set forth by the U.S. government in March 2020 and further detailed by the ICE FAQ for SEVP Stakeholders document, to determine how to advise you and maintain your SEVIS record. This guidance is reflected below. 

 

Visa Services and the National Interest Exception

Some U.S. visa services will resume today (July 15) at some U.S. embassies and consulates. Check the website of your local embassy/consulate for updates – we have observed a variety of opening plans across U.S. embassies worldwide. New and returning travelers can report your visa appointment information to us through this form (reporting your visa appointment is not required, but it can help us to understand your situation if we are helping you with an issue). 

 

Travel from Entry Restricted Countries in the Schengen Zone

We believe, based on information posted on certain U.S. embassy websites, that F-1 and J-1 students and exchange visitors who are located in Schengen Area countries of Europe will be able to request a National Interest Exception to travel to the U.S. If you apply for a visa, the National Interest Exception will be granted as part of the visa process.

 

If you already have a valid F-1 or J-1 visa, then you need to get a National Interest Exception before traveling to the U.S. from an entry-restricted country in the Schengen Area of Europe. To request this, we suggest you email the U.S. embassy or consulate where you would normally apply for your visa, and upload a copy of your Form I-20, unexpired passport, unexpired visa and a copy of your enrollment verification showing full time enrollment for Fall 2020 semester. You may email registrar@uconn.edu to request your enrollment verification. Law students should contact the Law Registrar for this request at law.registrar@uconn.edu. You may use this template for your email message. It is unclear at this time whether National Interest Exceptions are being granted to students in entry-restricted countries outside the Schengen Area – check your Embassy’s “News and Updates” webpage for details. 

 

Information for New Students Starting Fall 2020

The ICE guidelines issued last March provide flexibility for online learning for continuing students and new students who are already in the United States. It does not address explicit rules for new students who are outside the United States, but suggests that new students who are outside the U.S. remain at home through the emergency. Therefore, ISSS cannot predict how the U.S. embassies and U.S. border control will handle new student visa issuance and admission for students whose SEVIS records are in initial status traveling to the U.S. for Fall 2020 semester. Until new, more specific guidelines are issued for Fall 2020 new students, we advise the following: 

  • New students who will try to come to the U.S. must still complete the Fall 2020 Check In Form to tell us your intent to study in the United States. If these plans change because you are unable to arrive on time, you can update this later.   
  • ISSS advises new students who will try to arrive for Fall 2020 semester to have at least one course that is in-person or hybrid/blended. When you submit your Fall 2020 Check In Form, ISSS will look at your current fall course enrollment. If we can verify that you have at least one course listed as In Person/Hybrid or Split, we will add comments about this to your SEVIS record and send you an updated electronic I-20. We do not yet know if this will be sufficient to travel to the United States. If further guidance is provided on new student requirements, we will let you know as soon as possible. 
  • If you are planning to come to the U.S. and your courses are entirely online, we will not update your SEVIS record with comments, and you will not receive an  updated Form I-20. The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security will determine whether you are admissible to the U.S. when you apply for your visa and seek entry to the U.S., based on your planned courses at UConn. 
  • If you are an undergraduate student located in China, and you will enroll as a home country study abroad student at East China Normal University (ECNU) or University of Nottingham Ningbo, you must request an updated Form I-20 to list Spring semester as your anticipated arrival term. To do this, submit the SEVIS Defer – Request to Change I-20/DS-2019 Start Date form as soon as your plans are confirmed. 
  • If you are a new student and you will take online classes from your home country, you will also need to request an updated Form I-20 to list Spring semester as your anticipated arrival term. To do this, submit the SEVIS Defer – Request to Change I-20/DS-2019 Start Date form as soon as your plans are confirmed. 
  • If you are a new student, and you will defer your admission to a later term, request an updated Form I-20 to list your anticipated arrival term. After your admission deferral has been approved by your academic program, submit the SEVIS Defer – Request to Change I-20/DS-2019 Start Date. 
  • Students who arrive to Connecticut from international locations and many U.S. states will be required to quarantine for 14 days after arrival, as directed by the Center for Disease Control. ISSS is exploring how we can assist new international students who arrive in the Storrs area August 14-17 to travel to their residences and go on shopping trips to purchase necessary food and living items. We will provide you more information as soon as we can better assess the needs for these services.   
  • ISSS is working with our community partners to determine how new students will access services such as Social Security Administration and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Please understand these services may not be easily accessible this Fall due to government office closures. 

Information for Current/Active Students Fall 2020

The ICE governing guidelines and FAQ permit ISSS to keep your SEVIS record active this Fall, even if you enroll in a fully online curriculum. Therefore, students may plan to enroll in all online courses as long as this guidance remains in effect. 

Please note:

  • You must report to ISSS where you will take courses this semester – in the U.S., at home online, or through home country study abroad. Please report this to ISSS through the Fall 2020 Student Check In Form as soon as your plans are confirmed.  
  • If you are studying in the U.S. you must take a full-time course load or if part-time, be approved to take a Reduced Course Load. ISSS will not issue you an updated I-20 with comments about Fall 2020 Semester, as the government no longer requires this. 
  • If you are taking classes online from your home country, ISSS will keep your SEVIS record active if you are enrolled on a full-time basis or enrolled part-time with an approved Reduced Course Load. We will issue you an updated Form I-20 that confirms you are enrolled as a full-time student and includes a travel signature for your return. While we plan to keep the SEVIS records active for students who are in their final semester, you will not be allowed to travel to the U.S. with your visa/I-20 after you have finished your program.
  • If you are an undergraduate student studying abroad in your home country at a UConn partner institution, ISSS will keep your SEVIS record active. We will issue you an updated Form I-20 with remarks about your study abroad, and a travel signature for your return. If you have not considered this option, but would like to, please reach out to the UConn Education Abroad office as soon as possible to inquire if this is possible. 
  • Current students who would like to cancel their enrollment at UConn for fall semester or take a temporary leave or “gap term”, should reach out to the Dean of Students office dos@uconn.edu (undergraduate students) or the Graduate School gradschool@uconn.edu (graduate students). 

Please continue to check the ISSS website for updates and reach out to international@uconn.edu if you need help. Thank you so much for your flexibility and patience during this time.

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