Summary On September 5, 2023 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended Special Student Relief (SSR) to F-1 students from South Sudan, effective from November 04, 2023 through May 03, 2025. The original SSR notice was set to expire on November 3, 2023. What is Special Student Relief? Special Student Relief (SSR) is the suspension of specific immigration regulations for F-1 students who face unexpected hardship due to a situation in their home country. This particular notice suspends applicable on-campus and…
Author: Sara Torres
Enrollment Requirements for Autumn 2023
International Student Services (ISS) staff are happy to welcome more than 8,000 new and returning international students to the Seattle campus. We know that the beginning of the academic year is an exciting but busy time for you. With that said, we wanted to take some time to help you understand your enrollment requirements for the upcoming quarter. Credit Requirements Undergraduate students must enroll in at least 12 credits per a quarter. Graduate students typically must enroll in at least…
DHS Extends Special Student Relief for Students from Sudan and Ukraine
Summary On August 18th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended Special Student Relief (SSR) for students from Sudan and Ukraine through April 19, 2025 due to ongoing situations in those countries. What is Special Student Relief? Special Student Relief (SSR) is the suspension of specific immigration regulations for F-1 students who face unexpected hardship due to a situation in their home country. SSR typically provides eligible students flexibilities related to employment and enrollment requirements. Who is eligible for the…
Meet Our Advisers – Max
ISS recently welcomed three new advisers to our team! To introduce them to you all, our blog will feature Adam, Brittany, and Max throughout the week. How did you become interested in working with international students? I became interested in working with international students while I was a TA here at UW. It was so great getting to work with the UW international student community that I wanted to continue doing so Are you originally from Seattle? I’m originally from New…
Meet Our Advisers – Brittany
ISS recently welcomed three new advisers to our team! To introduce them to you all, our blog will feature Adam, Brittany, and Max throughout the week. How did you become interested in working with international students? I spent about 8 years travelling and working with students around the world, and through those experiences I developed a passion for working with international students. I knew that I wanted pursue a career working with international students once I returned to the US. Are…
Meet Our Advisers – Adam
ISS recently welcomed three new advisers to our team! To introduce them to you all, our blog will feature Adam, Brittany, and Max throughout the week. How did you become interested in working with international students? During my Undergraduate and Graduate studies at the university I attended, I worked for a First-Year experience office. In that role I was a peer leader for many international students, where I introduced them to campus resources, arranged for study times, helped with conversational English…
Spring 2023 Graduates – Your Grace Period is Ending Soon
If you graduated in Spring 2023, remember that your 60-day grace period ends on August 08, 2023. During your grace period, you have a few options to consider: apply for OPT: Your OPT application must be received by USCIS by August 08. Remember: you can remain in the U.S. while your application is being processed by USCIS. transfer to another school: If you plan to study at another school, you can transfer your immigration record to that school. change your…
DHS Announces Updated STEM Designated Degree Program List
On July 12, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security announced an update to the STEM Designated Degree Program List which included the addition of 8 CIP codes. The newly STEM-designated CIP codes are as follows: Landscape Architecture (04.0601) Institutional Research (13.0608) Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician (15.0407) Composite Materials Technology/Technician (15.0617) Linguistics and Computer Science (30.4801) Developmental and Adolescent Psychology (42.2710) Geospatial Intelligence (43.0407) Demography and Population Studies (45.0501) Students who graduate with degrees under these CIP codes will…
New Guidance for J-1 Students
On June 8, 2023, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Private Sector Exchange released Guidance Directive 2023-01 which clarifies guidance regarding exchange visitors’ participation in remote work and enrollment and online classes. As of July 1, 2023, the following policies for J-1 students will be in effect: J-1 students may enroll in one online course towards full-time enrollment. J-1 students may engage in hybrid academic training. Up to 40% of the training may be remote….
SEVP Portal Update
This Thursday, June 15, 2023 from 8 PM to 11 PM EDT, the SEVP Portal will not be available. During this time, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) will be making a technical update that will fix issues in the portal. The notice our office received indicates that this update will correct issues related to the OPT start date and student issues with password resets.