This message was originally sent by email on 8/23/2024.

Dear International Huskies!

I’m thrilled to welcome all our international huskies back to campus this fall! CISS staff has been hard at work welcome students and families to campus for the past week, check out our photos here. This year we have new and continuing international students from 102 different countries who will call UConn their home this fall.  ISSS supports students at all of our UConn campuses and we are here for you during your time at UConn. We have full-time ISSS staff to help you in Storrs, Stamford and Hartford campuses and part-time staff to help you at the School of Law.  Students at the Waterbury and Avery Point campuses have dedicated ISSS advisors and should check their emails for updates from ISSS and to meet with staff when we come to your campus.  Students in Storrs can visit us at the Center for International Students and Scholars (CISS) located at 2019 Hillside Rd.  Please see some important reminders for new and continuing international students at UConn.

Reminders for All Students

As a reminder all international students must be enrolled full-time and in predominantly in-person classes. Please review the full-time enrollment requirements here and contact your academic advisor if you have questions about your enrollment.   

When school is in session, students are expected to be studying full-time and in-person at the UConn.  One of the fundamental requirements of the F-1 visa is that students are present on campus when school is in session. Students requesting to travel when school is in session will be limited to traveling during vacation periods.  Travel over two weeks when school is in session may result in losing your F-1 or J-1 status.

Starting Fall 2024 ISSS advisors in Storrs campus will offer more appointments every week, but they will no longer offer drop in advising hours.  To schedule an appointment with your advisor visit: https://international.global.uconn.edu/advising-services/

Reminders for New Students

If this is your first semester at UConn or you received an updated form I-20 or DS-2019 with an August 2024 start date you must complete the “Immigration Check-in” with ISSS by submitting your arrival documents and completing all steps in the Arrival Checklist.  THANK YOU to all the new students who already completed their immigration check in, you do not need to do this again.

If you are working on campus in an on-campus job or as a graduate assistant, don’t forget to submit the Foreign National Information Form to the payroll office and to work with ISSS to apply for a social security number (SSN).

Please log in to MyHealth.uconn.edu and check your compliance with university immunization requirements.  If you are not 100% compliant please follow up with Student Health and Wellness (SHAW) ensure you are compliant before enrollment begins for spring term.  Storrs campus students can contact SHAW in person or by calling 860-486-4700 to schedule an appointment.  Regional campus students will need to work with a local provider and submit documentation to SHAW online.  Students at the School of Law should follow guidance and procedures as instructed by the registrar at the School of Law.

Reminders for Continuing Students

Are you graduating in Fall 2024?  If you will be graduating in fall 2024 and you do not require a full course load to complete your degree, you can request to take a reduced course load for last semester from ISSS.   If fall 2024 will be your last semester and you only need to enroll in one course, it must be an in-person course and must be offered at UConn.   If you will graduate in Fall 2024 and you are interested to stay in the U.S. and work in your major field you should attend and OPT workshop and plan to apply for OPT with ISSS in October or November.  Review the Optional Practical Training (OPT) information and application procedures on our website.

Save The Date! Upcoming Events That We Recommend
Storrs Campus
Husky WOW Opening Weekend, Thursday, August 22 – Sunday, August 25

Sunset Yoga Friday, August 30 – 6:30 PM at Horsebarn Hill

This UConn tradition should not be missed. Join over 1000 other UConn students for yoga at the end of your first week.

Involvement Fair Wednesday, September 4  – 2:00-6:00 PM at Fairfield Way

Find new ways to connect, make friends and get involved at UConn – see over 400 different student clubs and organizations.

Hartford Campus

Involvement Fair Wednesday, September 6  – 12:00-3:00 PM UConn Hartford

Stamford Campus

Opening Week A la Carte Monday, August 26th -Thursday, August 29th from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.

Kickoff Carnival Monday, August 26 – 3:00-5:00 Rich Concourse

Fall Involvement Fair Thursday, September 5 – 12:00-1:30 Rich Concourse

Waterbury Campus

Week of Welcome: Involvement Fair Tuesday, August 27  – 11:30-2:30 PM Courtyard, MPR 113/116/119
Week of Welcome: Ice Cream & Inflatable  Wednesday, August 28 – 12:00-2:00pm Courtyard
View all Waterbury Events here: https://events.uconn.edu/uconn-waterbury/all

Avery Point Campus

Student Involvement @ Avery Point
View all Avery Point events here: https://events.uconn.edu/uconn-avery-point/all

Wishing you the best for a terrific fall term.

Best regards,

Arthur

___________

Arthur Galinat
Director, International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)
UConn Global Affairs
Center for International Student & Scholars (CISS)
2019 Hillside Rd., U-1083
STORRS, CT 06269-1083
PHONE: 860.486.3855  |  FAX: 860.486.5800

EMAIL: arthur.galinat@uconn.edu | http://isss.uconn.edu
Facebook: @UConnGlobal  | Instagram: @uconn.global

Dear Students, Scholars, and Faculty/Staff Users,

The ISSS Student Portal and ISSS Scholar/Employee Portal will be temporarily unavailable this weekend, June 15 & 16, for upgrade and maintenance.

During this time, there will be no access to ISSS portal requests, documents, reports, nor profile or personal information updates.   Please plan accordingly and submit any urgent requests or updates in the ISSS Portals before close of business on Friday, June 14.

We anticipate ISSS Portal access to resume on Monday, June 17.   Any further delays will be posted to our news section of our website.

Thank you for your understanding and patience during this upgrade outage.

Warm regards,
International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)

To F-1 OPT and STEM participants:

Please take a moment to review all of the below information/updates as one or more may pertain to you.
NEW OPT PARTICIPANTS IN PARTICULAR, please ensure that you read all carefully and familiarize yourself with your reporting requirements!

Email Address Updates & UConn Google Use Retirement
Please be aware that UConn is currently in the process of  transitioning away from Google. This means that alumni access to the google drive and UConn email will discontinue as of April 30, 2024.  Please visit the link here to find information on forwarding your UConn email to a personal mailbox: https://its.uconn.edu/google-to-microsoft-365-transition/

Note that the email in your SEVIS record is the same as your “campus” email address in StudentAdmin.  If you no longer have a “campus” email then it changes to your “personal” email type.  If your “campus” address in StudentAdmin is currently a UConn email, you will need to either forward the email to a personal account using the instructions linked OR change the “campus” email address to a personal email address to ensure that you continue to receive important messages from SEVIS.  When you update your email address in StudentAdmin, it will then update in SEVIS as well.

Reporting Reminder
Remember that during your OPT and STEM periods, you are required to report any changes in employment within 10 days of the change. All changes in employment are reported using the OPT Employment Update links on the OPT and STEM pages. If you are currently on a STEM extension, be sure that you understand and follow the additional STEM validation reporting requirements. Additionally, be sure to send us a copy of your OPT and STEM OPT receipt notice, approval notice and EAD when they are issued.  You can submit this to us by submitting the Immigration Document Update in the ISSS Portal.

H1B Filing & Cap Gap
If your employer has filed an H1B petition on your behalf and your OPT/STEM will end prior to the H1B start date, you may request a Cap Gap I-20 from ISSS. Please visit our cap gap information page for more information and instructions for requesting the document.
If you will move directly from OPT/STEM to H1B (no cap gap), you will need to report the change using the Program Update link on our website. Do this in prior to the H1B start date of Oct 1.
Note that if you will transition from STEM to H1B, you will also need to submit a final evaluation with STEM Validation Report in Sept (prior to the H1B start date).

STEM Validation Reporting
If you are currently on a STEM extension, be sure that you understand and follow the STEM validation reporting requirements. If you are due to submit a Validation Report, you must do so through the link on the ISSS website. Validation Reports are due every 6 months during the 24-month STEM period (at the 6, 12, 18 and 24 month points).

Travel during OPT/STEM
Keep in mind that all F-1 visa holders and their dependents who travel outside the U.S. while OPT or STEM should report their travel to ISSS by completing a Travel Information Record to notify us of the plans, even if a travel signature is not needed. During your OPT/STEM period, travel signatures are valid for six months from date of issue. Check page 2 of your most recent I-20 to see if you already have a valid signature. If you do need one, please follow the instructions at the link and note that signatures can be issued electronically if you are not in the area.

Address Updates
As a reminder, F-1 visa holders are required to update addresses within 10 days of any move. Follow the instructions here to update an address.

Please contact your ISSS Advisor if you have any questions about these reminders.

Thank you!
International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)
https://international.global.uconn.edu

Attention UConn Sponsored F-1 OPT/STEM Students:

UConn ISSS has received several reports from students on OPT and STEM OPT Extension that they are no longer able to access the SEVP Portal or that their employment information is not properly updated in the SEVP Portal.  Please understand that these problems are occurring at schools all over the U.S. and that this is a known technical issue with the SEVP Portal.

SEVP will be closing down the portal today to implement the fix and students should be able to login again and see their employment information by April 29.  In the meantime, ISSS can still access and update the SEVIS database with your employment information.

Be sure to continue submitting any employment updates to ISSS directly via the OPT Employment Update in the ISSS Portal.  Submit any personal address changes to ISSS via update your address in the ISSS Portal.

Continue to submit your address and/or employment updates to ISSS to ensure your data is properly updated in SEVIS.

Thank you,
UConn ISSS

This information was originally sent to all GAs on an F-1 or J-1 visa on February 21, 2024 and will be sent out again before the end of the spring 2024 term. If you are not graduating this spring, this information will not apply to you, but is still important to understand for the future.

Dear International Huskies,

Federal government regulations allow graduate students on F-1 and J-1 visas to hold on-campus employment while they are pursuing their degree. If you complete your degree requirements during Spring 2024 and if your degree is conferred in May, you will no longer be pursuing your degree after May 5, 2024.

If you hold an Academic Year 2023/2024 or Spring 2024 appointment at Storrs or a regional campus (excepting UConn Health), the final date of your appointment is May 21, 2024. If your degree is conferred in May and you hold an F-1 or J-1 visa and your assistantship appointment is covered by a collective bargaining agreement with the Graduate Employee Union (GEU), the time from May 4, 2024 through May 21, 2024 should be treated as time off. Please work with your supervisor to ensure you finish the duties associated with your assistantship before May 4, 2023. You will still receive your full Spring 2023 GA stipend.

In addition, ISSS will be updating your I-20 or DS-2019 program end date to May 4, 2024 if you are graduating in May and hold a GAship this term. This means your grace period to depart the U.S., or your first eligible date to begin post-completion practical training will begin May 5, 2024. Please plan for this accordingly. ISSS will adjust your I-20 or DS-2019 end date automatically based on notification that you have applied for graduation, or at the time you apply for post-completion OPT (F-1 students) or Academic Training (J-1 students), whichever comes first. ISSS will notify you when your adjusted I-20 or DS-2019 is ready to download from your ISSS portal account later in May.

Please reach out to ISSS at international@uconn.edu if you have any questions about this change as it relates to your visa status, I-20, grace period, or practical training timeline.
Kent Holsinger
Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Biology
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
and Dean of The Graduate School

 

Arthur Galinat
Director, International Student and Scholar Services

Dear Students,

ISSS wants to share some resources and remind you of  the enrollment parameters required for international students for fall 2023 term.   Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Review the minimum full-time enrollment rules for international students and remember which courses count as in-person: In-Person (P), Hybrid (HB), and By Arrangement (AR) are all considered in person.

F-1 Visa Holders (undergraduate students) must be enrolled in at least 12 credits each term.  Only one course (3 credits) can be online.  The other 9 credits must be in-person.

F-1 Visa Holders (graduate students) must be enrolled in at least 9 credits each term (6 credits w/ a GA). Only one course (3 credits) can be online.  The other 6 credits (3 credits w/ a GA) must be in-person.

J-1 Visa Holders (graduate students/graduate exchange students) must be enrolled in at least 9 credits each term (6 credits w/ a GA). Undergraduate exchange students must be enrolled in at least 12 credits each term.  No online courses can count towards the full course of study.  

If fall 2023 will be your last semester and you only need to enroll in one course, it must be an in-person course and must be offered at UConn. If you have any questions about this information please reach out to your ISSS Advisor.

I wish everyone a strong finish to the semester and a happy summer break!

Best regards,

___________

Arthur Galinat
Director, International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)