International Student Services Newsletter - Winter 2013

Welcome

Welcome to all new and returning students! We hope that you had a good start to the New Year and wish you all the best for a successful 2013 at SCU. Happy New Year! 

International Student Services (ISS) is dedicated to the support of the international and exchange student community at SCU. Please remember that the staff at ISS is here to help international students with any immigration questions or issues. Feel free to contact ISS if there is any way that we can help ease the whole adjustment process for you.

Also in this Issue

New Int'l Students Winter 2013

This Winter ISS welcomed 79 new international students to the SCU community. 

Graduate Engineering: 46
Graduate Business School: 19
Law (including exchange): 5
Pastoral Ministries: 1
Undergraduate Students: 4
Undergraduate Exchange Students: 4

International Student Services would like to thank everyone who participated in the Winter International Student Orientation. As always, your valuable input and support is greatly appreciated. We ask that those of you attended the orientation, please provide us feedback by clicking here. We continuously strive to improve our services and your feedback is much appreciated. 

ISS is currently serving 680 students on the F-1 and J-1 visas. We are excited about our continued growth. However, please note that as a result of our increased numbers, we have much more paperwork and requests to process. We ask that you please respect our policy of five working days to process any request. Thank you for your cooperation!

ISS Updates

Please note that effective January 2013, Walk-in office hours are Monday and Tuesday: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm and Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary during these times. Outside of these walk-in hours, we ask that you contact our office to schedule an appointment. The main ISS telephone number is: 408-551-7037.

Please welcome Adam Julian to the ISS team! Adam is joining ISS as a temporary International Student Advisor through April 9, 2013. He brings a wealth of experience with international students and will be assisting our team with I-20 issuance, basic advising, and other projects. Adam is currently completing his M.A. in International Education Management at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

In addition, please welcome our newest peer advisor, Jaden Zhao. Jaden is also a first year MSIS student. Her energy and enthusiasm are a good match to that of our two other peer advisors, Rekha and Rosannna. Our peer advisors provide front office coverage from 10 am – 5 pm every day so feel free to stop by during those hours for pick up or drop off of documents or to ask general questions.

IMPORTANT UPDATES

Winter Graduation: Extension / Post Completion OPT

If you have the end date: 03/22/2013 listed on your I-20 or DS-2019, and you are NOT graduating, you must apply for an EXTENSION. Remember, we cannot extend your document after the expiration date. If you require an extension, please download, complete and return the Request for an Extension Form to ISS before the end date on your document. If you have already completed all the required classes for your degree, you need to petition to graduate. ISS cannot extend your I-20/DS 2019 if you have already completed all required course work for your degree.

If you are graduating this quarter, and have not yet applied for OPT, you can still apply for it. Complete information regarding OPT can be found here.

OPT STEM Extension

If you are currently on OPT and wish to apply for the OPT Stem Extension, please be sure to submit your request prior to the end date on your EAD card. USCIS must receive your application before the expiration date of your EAD, but no earlier than 120 days before the expiration date. USCIS recommends that students apply within 90 and 120 days of the expiration date of the current OPT. Timely applications will automatically extend the 12-month OPT work authorization up to 180 days until you receive the 17-month OPT extension EAD.

Spring 2013 Petition to Graduate Deadline

The deadline to petition for a June 2013 graduation for each program is listed below. For all other schools, please contact your respective departments. If you plan on applying for OPT, you must have petitioned to graduate.

For Graduate Engineering Students: March 15th
For Graduate Business Students: February 15th
For Undergraduate students: February 22nd

Tax Filing Information

All international students are expected to file a tax return. The deadline to file U.S. tax returns is  Monday, April 15, 2013. Please visit the internet resources below to find the most current information about your U.S. tax responsibilities: Click here

In addition, students are welcome to call the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Philadelphia Center to assist you over the phone or email IRS with your questions. That phone number is 215-516-2000 and the email address is www.irs.gov/taxlaw - then select alien issues.

Frequently asked questions: Click here

Please note that ISS staff cannot answer tax questions nor provide reference or lists of private tax preparers. However, we can recommend you search online under "tax consultants and representatives" for additional help.

In addition, please note that the University will be mailing out the W2 tax forms for your 2012 earnings as a student employee by the end of January 2013. The W2 tax form will be mailed to your permanent address in eCampus (listed under "Personal Portfolio"). Please ensure that your permanent address is the correct address, so you can receive your W2 in a timely fashion. If you choose to list your home country address, the W2 will be mailed to the international address. Any questions about the W2 form? Please contact the Human Resources Department.

Online Forms for Address Change/OPT Employment Change

We are thrilled to announce that you can now report a change of address by updating Ecampus and filling out the change of address form on the ISS Website. Click here to fill the form. In addition, students on OPT can update their employer  information with ISS by clicking here.

New ISS Facebook Page!

ISS has a Facebook page. Like us on Facebook by going to:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SCUISS

Check out our Facebook page for events and other interesting information.

ISS Workshops

ISS offers workshops on topics such as Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT), and H-1B Employment. Please see below or visit the ISS calendar for a list of upcoming workshops and to register.

Coffee Social

Join us for coffee to kick off the New Year, the Winter Quarter and to celebrate Valentine's Day! Coffee mornings are an informal gathering and an opportunity to meet and mingle with other international students at SCU.This quarter's Coffee Morning will be held on Thursday, February 14^th, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., in the lobby of Varsi Hall. In order to register, please click on RSVP link below or send an email to iss@scu.edu.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Upcoming Events

JAN

29

CPT/OPT Workshop

10:00AM | Benson Center, Conference Room 21

FEB

12

H-1B Workshop

10:00AM | Benson Center, Conference Room 15

FEB

14

Coffee Social

10:00AM | Varsi Hall

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