gsas immigration essentials - international students and scholars office

7/29/2019 GSAS Immigration Essentials - International Students and Scholars Office

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IMMIGRATIONESSENTIALS

Graduate School

of Arts and Sciences

Fall 2013



TOPICS

Immigration Terms & Documents

Maintaining F-1/J-1 Status

Travel rules

Overview of on-campus and off-campus employment eligibility

Social Security Numbersand Tax-filing Obligations

Importance of Staying Informed



IMMIGRATION TERMS& DOCUMENTS

SEVIS

Entry Visa

Admission Stamp in Passport andElectronic I-94 Arrival record

Certificate of Eligibility (COE):I-20 for F-1 statusDS-2019 for J-1 status



SEVIS

SEVIS = Student & ExchangeVisitor Information System

Government database that containsinformation on:

F-1 students J-1 exchange visitors

F-2 and J-2 dependents



SEVIS

● Implemented in 2004 accessible tothe Department of Homeland Security(DHS), U.S. Consulates, and U.S.universities

● Collects, maintains and tracksinformation pertaining to international

students and J-1 exchange visitors● F-1 and J-1 forms are processedthrough SEVIS



STUDENT INFORMATIONSTORED in SEVIS

• Information on your Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019)

• Your U.S. and Permanent Address• Your Entry Visa Information

• Your Arrivals & Departures

• Your Enrollment Status each term,and employment , if any



ENTRY VISA

# of Entries

Visa Type

Expiration Date



ENTRY VISA

Issued by the U.S. State Department atU.S. Embassy/Consulate abroad. Cannotget visa in the U.S.

Determines how many entries you canmake into the U.S. during a specific periodof time with a valid I-20 or DS-2019.M = multiple unlimited entries.

Does not determine how long you maystay in the U.S. in the status with whichyou entered



ENTRY VISA

Length of Validity of the

entry visa depends on

reciprocity agreement

between the U.S. and your country.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/fees_3272.html






ENTRY VISA

5-year entry F-1 visa DOES NOTmean that you may stay in the U. S.for 5 years if your program isshorter.

1-year entry visa DOES NOT meanyou must leave U.S. and get a newone when it expires.

It is not a problem to have anexpired entry visa in your passportwhile in U.S. maintaining your status



ADMISSION STAMP IN PASSPORT

AND ELECTRONIC I-94 ARRIVAL

Date and place of entryStatus (F-1, J-1)

How long you can stay



ADMISSION STAMP IN PASSPORTAND ELECTRONIC I-94 ARRIVAL

Electronic I-94 record if

arriving by air or seaPaper I-94 card if

arriving by land border orchanging status in theU.S.



ADMISSION STAMP INPASSPORT

Should bemarked

“F-1 D/S” or

“J-1 D/S”



D/S: DURATION OF STATUS

D/S stands for

“Duration of Status”

i.e. the duration of yourauthorized period of stay

in the United States.



ADMISSION STAMP IN PASSPORT

AND ELECTRONIC I-94 ARRIVAL

If no D/S on passport stamp, don’tworry if it’s in electronic record at

www.cbp.gov/I94. Access andprint out your arrival record each

time you travel. Keep papercopies.

http://www.cbp.gov/I94




I-94 ARRIVAL RECORD




D/S= The length of your fulltimeprogram as indicated on your I-20 orDS-2019

plus

any period of authorized F-1 Practical

Training or J-1 Academic Trainingfollowing completion of studies (if youchoose to apply for work permission

after graduation)




plus a “grace period” toprepare for departure

F-1: 60 days

J-1: 30 days

Duration of Status is NOT defined bythe expiration date of your entry visa!



GRACE PERIOD

Grace period is the period of timeused directly after the completion of program or after academic/practical

training time.

No international travel or work duringthis time. This time is designed for youto prepare for your departure.



CERTIFICATE OF

ELIGIBILITY (COE):I-20 (F-1) or DS-2019 (J-1)

Must be presented every time youenter the U.S. in F-1 or J-1 status

Columbia University students inF-1 status must use an I-20issued by Columbia University.



I-20



DS-2019

Columbia University students in J-1 status must use a DS-2019 formissued by Columbia University

OR

a J-1 sponsoring agency such as IIE,

OAS or LASPAU, but not a DS-2019from another university.



DS-2019



MAINTAINING STATUS

Submit online SEVIS report form within 7days of arrival.

https://www1.columbia.edu/sec/cu/isso/new_arrival_check_in.html

Or tinyurl.com/issocheckin

Enroll full-time every term during normalregistration period and make normalacademic progress toward degree.

For GSAS, fulltime means 1 full Residence Unit(RU) until RU requirements have been met.



MAINTAINING STATUS

EXCEPTION to RU applies to some MAprograms. Fulltime is 12 credit points.

American Studies

East Asian Studies

French Cultural Studies in a Global Context

Human Rights Studies

Islamic Studies

Japanese PedagogyJewish Studies

Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Modern European Studies

South Asian Studies



MAINTAINING STATUS

Exception to fulltime requirement:

Final term of non-RU MA programs,

not required to be fulltime if 12 pointsnot required to complete degree.

Example: 30-point MA in 3 terms:

12 / 12/ 6



MAINTAINING STATUS

NEVER work without proper workauthorization.

Maintain a valid and unexpired

passport at least 6 months intothe future

Update your change of address with the

ISSO within ten days of moving bysubmitting online form.

https://www1.columbia.edu/sec/cu/isso/a

ddress_change.html

https://www1.columbia.edu/sec/cu/isso/address_change.html








MAINTAINING STATUS

Don’t let your I-20 or DS-2019 expire!Apply for an extension if you qualify formore time to complete your degreeprogram BEFORE the expiration date.

Inform the ISSO if you are completing your program earlier than the date on

your I-20 or DS-2019. Example:Finishing MA in May instead of December, or PHD earlier. Need timelyinformation regarding deadlines.



TRAVEL REGULATIONS

To return from a trip abroad duringyour program, carry:

Unexpired Passport, valid 6 months into thefuture (some countries are exempt from the 6-

month rule. Seehttp://www.ice.gov/sevis/travel/faq_f2.htm#_Toc81222003 )

Unexpired F-1 or J-1 entry visa, valid for

further entries (except Canadians) Unexpired I-20 or DS-2019, with travel

signature less than 12 months-old on date of return

http://www.ice.gov/sevis/travel/faq_f2.htm






I-20 TRAVEL SIGNATURE valid for 12 months

Travel signature



DS-2019

TRAVEL

SIGNATURE:Valid for 12

months

Signature



TRAVEL AND RETURN TO THE U.S.

Check your I-20 or DS-2019 formsnow to see if you already have atravel signature (which is valid forreturn to a U.S. for a year from date)

If not, we’ll sign it at the ISSO tableat the Resource Fair or come to the

ISSO before your first trip abroad.

ISSO advisors also available forquestions at Resource Fair.



TRAVEL AND RETURN TO THE U.S.

BE MINDFUL that your passport isstamped correctly every time you

return to U.S.:

F-1 or J-1 for D/S

(and dependents F-2 or J-2 for D/S)

After arrival, go to www.cbp.gov/I94 toaccess and print out your arrival recordeach time you travel. Keep paper copies.





CANADIANS & TRAVEL

No visa requirement…

BUT you MUST present yourI-20 or DS-2019 each time you

re-enter the U.S. in F-1 or J-1

status and have your passport

stamped properly.



AUTOMATIC REVALIDATION

**Special considerations applyfor travel to Canada, Mexicoand the Caribbean. May be

possible to return to the U.S.with an expired visa

http://www.ice.gov/sevis/trave

l/faq_f2.htm#_Toc81222014 Please check with the ISSO

for details.









EMPLOYMENTin Student Status

On-campus work

OPT (F-1 Optional PracticalTraining)

AT (J-1 Academic Training)



ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT

You are immediately eligible for on-

campus employment once you are inF-1 or J-1 status.

On-campus means it is work done forand paid by a Columbia office ordepartment.




Includes work at Columbia such as: Teaching or Research Assistants (TA,

RA), work paid by the hour such as

libraries, computer labs. “Work-study” not allowed.

Restricted to part-time (up to 20

hours per week) during the schoolyear

Full-time allowed during recessperiods during the program of study




I-9 Employment Eligibility VerificationForm required of everyone who isemployed in the U.S.

Columbia I-9 completed at 210 KentHall.

You will need:passport, I-20 or DS-2019, andpaper print-out of electronic I-94arrival record.



OFF-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT

F-1: Eligible for off-campusemployment after you havecompleted one academic year (2FT semesters) in lawful student

status.

J-1: CU-sponsored students mayapply for permission to work

after one semester. Other J-1students must check withprogram sponsor (such as IIE)




All international students,including Canadians, must have

authorization to accept off-campus employment.

Working without authorization is a veryserious violation of your status




F-1 Students: usually done underthe framework of Practical Training.

J-1 Students: usually done on the

basis of Academic Training.



J-1 ACADEMIC TRAINING

May take place during and/or afterthe completion of studies

Authorized by J-1 sponsor. ISSO oragency such as IIE.

AT may not exceed the time earnedas a full-time enrolled student, up to18 months (except PHD may be upto 36 months)



F-1 PRACTICAL TRAINING

OPTIONAL (OPT) Can be usedduring the program (after a

year in status) and/or aftergraduation.

[Doctoral students may be eligible foranother type of employment authorization--Curricular Practical Training (CPT)-- if

required for dissertation research]



F-1 OPTIONAL PRACTICAL

TRAINING (OPT)

F-1: OPT is employment in your fieldof study for up to 12 months perdegree level.

→ Exception: Some students are eligible

for an additional 17-month “STEM” extension following post-completion OPT.

Any OPT authorized during theacademic program is deducted from the12-month total after graduation



F-1 OPT Employment

ISSO and GSAS will offer informationsessions in the spring term, for

summer OPT for students continuingin the fall

Post-completion OPT for studentsgraduating in May



SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

SSN issued by Social SecurityAdministration (SSA), federalagency

given ONLY for authorizedemployment

Note: 9-digit Columbia University IDnumbers are for use within Columbia and

are NOT Social Security numbers.




An SSN is used by employers towithhold relevant taxes with the taxauthorities and by employees to file a

tax return.Employment for SSA application

means you are getting compensated

for providing services, such as beingpaid to be a teaching assistant (TA) orfor hourly work in the library.




Not eligible to apply for SSN without a job, but one important exception:

Doctoral fellowship recipients who aregetting stipend the first year without “working”.

Letter of admission and fellowshipoffer must outline future workcomponent




For on-campus job (such as TA orhourly work on-campus:

1. obtain an SSN verification formcompleted by the hiring office or department

printed on their letterhead

2. Bring the form to the ISSO with yourdocuments--passport, print-out of I-94

arrival (www.cbp.gov/I94), I-20 for ISSOendorsement and instructions for applicationto SSA.

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/isso/visa/F-1/SSN.pdf







For fellowship stipend without workingthe first year:

Bring your admission letter with

fellowship offer to the ISSO with yourdocuments--passport, elecronic I-94arrival (www.cbp.gov/I94), I-20 to getISSO letter to SSA and instructions for

application to SSA.

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/isso/visa/F-1/SSN.pdf









TAX TREATY BENEFITS

You may be eligible for

tax benefits if there is a relevant tax

treaty between the U.S. and yourhome country.http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p901.pdf

Ask your department about filing IRSForm 8233 with the payroll office toclaim a tax treaty benefit for anyearnings at Columbia.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p901.pdf








FILING A U.S. 2013 TAX RETURN

All individuals employed orreceiving U.S.-based income in

the U.S. during any part of 2013will be required to file aU.S. tax return

betweenFeb. 1 and April 15, 2014.




All F-1 and J-1 students and theirdependents who are nonresidentsfor tax purposes---even thosewithout any US income must fileone Federal tax form (8843) by

June 15, 2014.If no U.S. income other than interest from U.S.bank account, 8843 is the only form you will file.




The ISSO provides access to a web-based Nonresident Federal tax returnpreparation system

The ISSO provides workshops inMarch and April by tax professionals

to assist you with the NY State TaxReturn (if you had income in NYState in 2013).




Information on how to comply

with your tax filing obligation willbe sent to you through the

ISSOnews email broadcastsbetween February and April.



ADVICE…

Maintaining your immigration status isYOUR responsibility. Stay informed!

• READ ISSOnews, which is sent to your CUemail address

• ATTEND ISSO workshops

• Contact the ISSO (not your friends) forcurrent and reliable information about your

immigration status

Always bring your document--passport and yourcertificate of eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019) when

visiting the ISSO



ISSO LOCATION524 Riverside Drive in International House North

ISSO CONTACT INFORMATION



ISSO CONTACT INFORMATION

Office HoursMonday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

10:30 – 4:00 pm.Closed on Wednesday

Address and Phone Number524 Riverside Drive in International House North,between 122nd Street and Tiemann Place

(212) 854-3587

Websitehttp://www.columbia.edu/cu/isso/

E-mail Address

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/isso/

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/isso/