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Reminders & Information for students on an F or J visa.
Help Wanted for Kaleidoscope Project. If you would like the opportunity to share your culture at a small, rural central Missouri school Monday evening from 6:00-8:30 pm May 12, please contact Dottie Heibel at Heibeld@missouri.edu as soon as possible. A ride will be provided.
Congratulations! On behalf of the ISSS team, we want to wish all the May 2008 graduates congratulations and the best of luck! We hope that you will keep in touch with us as you begin your new journeys from here.
Please make sure that you consider the following items:
- Complete an Exit Form (pdf) to let us know your forwarding address and what you plan to do. Remember that F-1 students have a 60 day and J-1 students have a 30 day grace period after completing their academic programs.
- If you plan to transfer to a new school for a new academic program, you should fill out and submit the Transfer Request Form (pdf) to ISSS, along with a copy of your acceptance letter.
- Review the newest changes for OPT, now posted on the ISSS website.
Important Changes to OPT. Changes to OPT were officially posted on April 8, 2008 and now the public has the opportunity to comment before the final ruling is completed in June 2008 (please note that the interim rule is currently in effect). We’ve had some students interested in commenting and you may do so in the next two months at www.regulations.gov (DHS docket number ICEB-2008-0002). We have now posted all the changes for OPT on our website. Please remember that specific parts of this rule may change, so it is important to watch for future messages from ISSS. The most immediate changes for those on OPT is:
- While you still must request a start date within the 60 day “grace period” after your academic completion date, you can now apply for OPT within the “grace period” after your completion date. It will continue to take up to 90 days for processing, so it is better to plan ahead.
- Changes in the Form I-765 and the codes of eligibility.
- Now, in addition to home address changes, you will need to also update all employment with ISSS within 10 days. We have now updated our on-line document request to accommodate for the address changes.
- If you accrue more than 90 days of unemployment on OPT, you are considered “out of status.” It is very important that you notify us immediately when you begin and end employment.
- If you are on OPT and have a pending H1-B petition, you can continue working, even if your OPT expires until the decision is made for your petition. This is open to all majors, not just STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
- If you received a degree in a STEM area, you can apply for an additional 17 months of OPT authorization with a timely filed renewal application to USCIS and if you are with an employer using e-verify.
Changes to J-1 Student On-Campus Employment Recordkeeping. New updates with the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) beginning April 19, 2008, require entering into SEVIS all J1 student on-campus employment related to scholarship, fellowship and/or assistantship into SEVIS. Even if it is continuing on-campus employment, ISSS will need to update the on-campus employment information every 12 months. It is important that before beginning employment, on-campus or off-campus, that you notify ISSS advisor. For J-1 students sponsored under another program, for example, Fulbright, Muskie, etc., please consult with your sponsor program advisor with regard to this requirement.
Fall 2008 GIA Scholarship Applications Available On-Line. Information and applications for the fall 2008 MU Curator's Grant-in-Aid (GIA) Scholarship program are now available. The GIA scholarship is an awards program that provides partial waivers of educational fees for eligible undergraduate and graduate international students pursuing degrees at MU. The award is based both on academic merit and financial need. MU international students must have attended two regular semesters at the time of the application deadline. The deadline for the fall 2008 award is Friday, April 25, 5:00 p.m.
Working this Summer? The last day ofthe spring 2008 semester is May 15. Remember to review the summer employment rules regarding on-campus employment. If you hope to work off-campus, please review information on CPT (F-1 students), OPT (F-1 students), and Academic Training (J-1 Students). If you have questions about your options, please contact an ISSS advisor or come to the International Center during our walk-in advising times. If you are graduating in May 2008 and are not continuing to another degree level, please note that you cannot work on campus after May 15 without work authorization.
Don’t Leave Without a Signature! The end of the semester is usually a busy time for you as you finish up your courses and research projects. Do remember that if you are traveling outside the US, you’ll need a current signature on your I-20 or DS-2019. There are a number of ways to get your travel signature. You can make a document request, stop by during our walk-in times (pdf) at the International Center, or come by Memorial Union (across from the Reservation Desk in the North side) for lunch time travel signatures:
- Friday, May 2, 11:30 – 1:30
- Thursday, May 8, 11:30 – 1:30
- Friday, May 9, 11:30 – 1:30
- Wednesday, May 14, 11:30 – 1:30
- Thursday, May 15, 11:30 – 1:30
How do I Renew My Visa? With all the travel plans coming up, many of you have asked how you can renew your visa. Please remember that you cannot renew your visa in the U.S. Please review the visa renewal process information on our website and come talk to an ISSS advisor if you have any questions.
International Student Orientation- Fall 2008. Looking for some leadership experience? Interested in helping new International students have a smooth transition in moving to Columbia? The International Center is now recruiting volunteers to help with orientation! Please e-mail Jennifer Glass at GlassJS@missouri.edu for more information.
OPT Workshops
Are you an F-1 visa holder and graduating soon? Or maybe you want to learn more about the new OPT updates. Please plan to attend one of our last two OPT workshops for this semester:
- Friday, April 18, 12:00 pm, International Center
- Monday, April 28, 5:00 pm, S207 Memorial Union
Please refer to the International Center calendar for updates about workshops and other programs.
MU celebrates International Education Week - April 20-25! The International Center invites you to learn how international education can change your world, as it celebrates International Education Week April 20 through 25. Events offer something for everyone - cultural festivals, a faculty Fulbright workshop, study abroad photo contest awards, presentations on education in Vietnam and using technology to promote literacy in India, an international banquet, and MU's own World Cup soccer tournament!
3rd Grand Songkran Festival at Mizzou. The festival, which is a celebration of the Thai New Year and Water festival, invites attendees to experience the images, tastes, smells, and sounds of Thai traditions, cultures, histories, artifacts, foods, and tourist destinations. The Songkran festival is part of the International Education Week and is organized by the Thai Student Association (ThaiSA) and the International Programming Committee (IPC).
Event: Grand Songkran Festival (Thai New Year & Water Festival)
Date: Thursday April 24, 2008
Time: 11am - 3pm (with opening remark by Chancellor Brady Deaton at 11am)
Place: South (Carnahan) Quad behind the Tiger Plaza
For programs and activities, please visit: http://www.songkranfest.org.