Dear F-1 students,

This Fall, ISSS is asking that all F-1 students who are applying for Optional Practical Training or Curricular Practical Training attend a practical training workshop before you submit your application to ISSS. This policy is in effect for all students who submit practical training applications during Fall 2020 semester, and may continue into the future, if successful. 

ISSS will offer a series of virtual workshops to help you learn more about the practical training options for F-1 students, and to help you meet this new requirement. You must attend the entire workshop to gain credit for attending that workshop. 

When you apply for OPT or CPT, we will check to see if you have recently attended a workshop on the topic. If you have not, then we will ask you to attend a workshop before we will process your application.

ISSS offers the following three practical training workshops. Be sure to attend the workshop relevant to your application:

Post-Completion OPT Workshop– for F-1 students who will soon graduate and apply for Optional Practical Training work authorization to work in the U.S. after graduation, or in the final stages of your thesis/dissertation.  

CPT and Pre-Completion OPT Workshop – For F-1 students who want to work or intern off-campus while you are still an active student, or who are enrolled in degree programs with clinical placements or other practical training at off-campus locations (paid or unpaid). 

STEM OPT Extension Workshop – for F-1 students who are already on post-completion OPT, and who are preparing to submit an application for STEM OPT Extension. Currently enrolled students who are in STEM majors should attend the regular Post-Completion OPT Workshop for their initial OPT application. 

Students who are not yet ready to apply for practical training may also attend the workshops of their choice, if they are interested to learn more about options for future planning. 

Find a Workshop:

• Visit the ISSS Events Calendar to find a workshop information and a virtual event link. 
• Workshops that list a specific campus in the event name are intended for students who attend that campus (the workshop information may be customized to the academic programs offered at that campus). Workshops that do not include a campus name in the workshop title will provide general information, not customized to a specific program.
  
• Law School practical training workshops are still being scheduled, and ISSS will announce those dates separately.
  

Thank you and please let us know if you have any questions.

Fall semester will soon begin, and ISSS would like to remind all international students that you must study on a full-time basis every semester.

 Full-time generally means you are taking a minimum of:

·         Bachelor’s – 12 credits/semester

·         Master’s/PhD, with graduate assistantship – 6 credits/semester

·         Master’s/PhD, no graduate assistantship – 9 credits/per semester

·         JD students – 12 credits/semester

·         UCAELI – Participate full time in your IEP, 22 hours/week.

Check Your I-20/DS-2019 Program End Date

In addition to taking the full-time amount of credits, remember you must also complete all program requirements by the program end date listed on your I-20 or DS-2019 form, and plan your courses accordingly. If your I-20/DS-2019 program end date falls within fall semester and you will not be able to complete this semester, you must request an extension of your form. ISSS cannot extend your program end date after it has passed.

Reduced Course Load for Last Semester

If you will graduate in December, and you need fewer than full-time credits to complete your program, you may request permission from ISSS to take a Reduced Course Load for Last Semester. Please submit this request by August 31. Do not complete this request until your course load for Fall semester is confirmed.  Link to application information: https://international.global.uconn.edu/part-time-study/#reducedcourseloadforlastsemester

Special Fall 2020 Semester Reminders:

• New students who were not in the U.S. as F-1 students in March 2020 must enroll in at least one in-person or hybrid course if you will come to the United States. If you will not come to the United States, then you can enroll fully online, but you must request an updated I-20 form from ISSS with new program start date.  New J-1 students must be coming to participate in at least partial in-person learning as well.

• Continuing F and J visa students may be enrolled 100% online. Students who are beginning new programs this fall, but who were in the U.S. as F-1 students last March and have not departed, may enroll fully online as well.

• Continuing students who will enroll full-time while outside the U.S., or enroll part-time but with approved Reduced Course Load, can maintain an active SEVIS record/I-20 while abroad. If for some reason you do not wish to maintain an active SEVIS record during your time outside the United States, please contact international@uconn.edu.

For more information, contact: ISSS at international@uconn.edu

There have been many changes this summer related to policies for international students and whether study can be online, or whether in-person courses are needed. The situation may be a bit more nuanced for Canadian students due to the extension of the land border entry restriction.

Continuing students should be able to return to the U.S. from overseas to continue your program here, even if studying 100% online this fall. However, because the current Canada/U.S. land border is restricted to essential travel only, we are concerned that students who attempt to return with a fully online course load may be denied entry, because your travel could be considered non-essential, if 100% online.

We recommend that students returning from Canada return by flight, which is not restricted to essential travelers only, OR if returning by land or sea border, you carry proof that you are registered for at least one in-person or hybrid class. If you are returning for 100% online courses and seeking entry at a land border, you might have difficulties returning as an essential traveler.

If you have not already done so, please remember to submit your Fall 2020 Check In Form to tell us your study plans for fall, and please reach out to your ISSS Advisor with any further questions.

Today the U.S. government offered clarifying guidance for new students who are outside the United States and wish to travel to the United States for school in fall semester. The government has confirmed that if you will take only online classes in the Fall, you will not be eligible for a visa or for entry to the United States. 

This updates former information provided by our office that only advised new students to take an in-person course. Now we are telling you that you are required to take at least one in-person or hybrid course, if you want to travel to the United States for your Fall semester courses.

We interpret this guidance to apply to any student currently outside the U.S. who has an I-20 with a Fall semester program start date, and lists the following Form Issue Reasons on your I-20: Initial Attendance, Transfer-Pending, or Change of Education Level. 

We are notifying UConn academic programs of this requirement, and we advise you to contact your academic advisor or program to find out if an in-person course will be available for you to take. 

When you go to your visa appointment (if needed – Canadians do not require a visa stamp), or travel to the U.S. , we suggest that you have with you a print out of your course registration, showing your course modalities, to prove that you not enrolled in fully online courses. We also suggest you bring a letter to further document that UConn is not offering only online courses, which you can download here. 

When you arrive at U.S. immigration, present your I-20 and passport, and if you are asked to provide further documentation of your in-person courses, have these documents ready to access, but do not provide them unless prompted.

Thank you and please contact ISSS with any questions you have about this update

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.

You can find the link to the ISSS meeting on Fall 2020 Semester here.

Dear international students,

 

We are writing to provide you with updated information, and to share a message from our University Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Carl Lejuez, that was sent earlier today. The memo released by ICE on Monday suggests a course of action that is incredibly cruel to international students, who are already dealing with so many difficulties as a result of the pandemic, including travel and visa restrictions, xenophobia and financial challenges.  These proposed rules represent a drastic measure by the U.S. government and is already being challenged by many States. 

 

In the meantime, we want to provide you with some updates on the terms of the memo to help you plan, in case the rule is eventually finalized. 

 

1. The U.S. government issued updated FAQs for schools yesterday, in which policy seems to have changed on students who take online courses from their home country. According to these FAQs, continuing international students who take full time courses from their home country will be able to maintain an active SEVIS record/I-20 form, if studying online from home.  We will await final rule publication to confirm this.

 

2. We have determined that the following course types, as listed in Peoplesoft, will qualify as “in person” for Fall 2020 semester, should the rule go into effect. If you will study in the U.S. as a new or continuing student, you must have at least one course classified as In Person, Hybrid/Blended or Split. This includes courses that are not traditionally taught in a classroom, such as research credits, that are classified as In Person. While the government has not identified a minimum number of in-person credits required to maintain status, the memo implies that students should take the minimum number of online courses as needed to make degree progress. We recognize that with so many University courses being taught through distance learning or online, you may have very few in-person courses this fall. Please work with your academic advisor on questions related to your available course options, and remember that course registration for continuing students will not reopen until July 27. We will discuss further details at the webinar scheduled for students on Friday, and in future communications. 

 

Finally, we would like to share a message that was sent by UConn’s Provost this morning addressing the F-1 visa restrictions. While this was originally addressed to UConn employees and graduate students, it shares UConn’s support of international students.   

Dear UConn Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students:

 

This week, the Trump administration announced new restrictions that limit access to educational opportunities in the United States for international students. In short, international students on F-1 visas may not stay in the country to pursue their studies if their coursework is entirely online. 

 

This is a serious challenge to our core values as a comprehensive and multi-cultural global research institution. Currently, UConn has 2,055 international undergraduate and graduate students in Connecticut who would be in jeopardy along with the 1,558 international students who are currently abroad and unable to return to campus. The majority of our normally enrolled 1,600 international graduate students serve as teaching and research assistants and provide essential services in support of our fall re-opening efforts. Without them, University teaching and research capacity will be restricted.

 

We are frustrated by this decision and the way it targets international students, who have already endured so many challenges related to the pandemic. This new ICE directive will cause severe disruption to the lives of our international students, a core part of the UConn family. Many of these students have stayed in Connecticut during the pandemic, have leases, spend considerable time away from their families and loved ones abroad, and at this moment, are simply unable to depart the United States given limited flights and travel restrictions. They made decisions to come to Connecticut for their education, decisions that lead to sacrificing time with loved ones in order for UConn to provide access to an exceptional education. It is our responsibility to ensure that they are treated fairly and their aspirations can be fulfilled.

 

Further, this creates additional complications for course planning for the fall, as we will have to be mindful of international student course availability that allows them to take at least one course in-person. 

 

Our Global Affairs team and The Graduate School are working swiftly with other University partners to study these new restrictions and develop guidance and strategies to do all we can to allow our international students to continue their studies as smoothly as possible. We are also seeking congressional and legal assistance to have this directive reversed and be consistent with previous directives for online learning for international students during the pandemic. We will be in touch as we know more but please know now that we are distressed by these developments and we are exploring additional avenues that we may be able to use to assist affected students.

 

Thank you,

Carl

 

Carl Lejuez

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs