Category: Newsletter

OPT can be difficult to navigate even without all of the dates and deadlines to remember. One of the questions we get a lot is about the grace period students get after their program and the unemployment days students have once their OPT begins. We’ve created a graphic that will hopefully help you understand the differences a little better! Note: This example is specifically for a student applying for post-completion OPT. The “Grace Period” This period begins after your program…

On March 28, 2023, the Department of State announced that effective April 27, 2023, DS-2019s may be digitally signed and electronically transmitted. This will allow AROs in ISS to issue your DS-2019s through MyISSS with our digital signatures. All J-1 forms will be updated in MyISSS on April 26, 2023 to prepare for this change. You will no longer be asked if you would like to have your documents shippped to you via e-Ship Global. And, you will not have…

With the recent challenges with lay-offs in the tech industry, we have also heard of students on OPT or STEM OPT asking questions about receiving lump sums of money to start their jobs later than expected. Lump sums from potential employers are often called signing bonuses. The sign-on bonus is not considered employment and you should be able to accept the money. If you do have delayed start dates, you may need to find other work. Unemployment days count from…

We’ve had a lot of students come to ISS to talk about their questions about the H-1B visa recently and we wanted to make sure to communicate clearly about how ISS can help you with your questions. ISS’s Purview ISS’s mission is to advise students about their F-1 or J-1 visas. While we may have knowledge or experience advising on H-1Bs, we are not able to advise you about your petition or your travel related to your H-1B processing. H-1B’s…

We’ve been seeing some errors in STEM OPT I-20 requests that are causing delays. e-Verify Number Issues Your I-765 requires you to include the e-Verify number for your employer. Our form in MyISSS request also requires it. We’re seeing students answer the question that they will upload a letter from their employer about their e-Verify employer and then not uploading the number. We’re also seeing students input the EIN number of their employer rather than the e-Verify number. If we…

Our advising team recently discussed the upcoming end of the SEVP COVID Guidance which ends after this academic year (June 10, 2023). While remote work for STEM OPT Employers was allowed under COVID guidance, we are anticipating that the regulations will return to normal and require direct supervision/on-site work from your employer. If the COVID guidance expires, you will be required to have an in-person/on-site component to your employment. Your I-983 training plan will need to include a work site…

F-1 Immigration Orientation is required for all new students who receive I-20s from ISS at the University of Washington. New students who missed spring 2023’s orientation session on March 22 or 23 may make up their orientation requirement by watching a recording of our session from winter 2023 F-1 immigration session and completing the form to let us know they’ve watched the video. Students who do not complete this requirement may have a hold placed on their MyUW account. Thus,…

On March 28, 2023, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program is scheduling an update to the SEVP Portal that will display the number of days you have been unemployed when you log into the portal. We wanted to remind you of your obligation to report your employment within 10 days of starting or ending a practical training opportunity. Students on STEM OPT are also required to upload copies of their completed I-983s when they start or end a training opportunity….

On March 7, 2023, we had a Tax 101 Information Session for international students at UW! During the session, presenters shared about how the U.S. tax system operates and talked about some important information about filing non-resident and resident taxes. As a note, though presenters mentioned that you can consult with ISS about your taxes, we wanted to reiterate that ISS advisors are not tax consultants and will not be able to help you with your tax questions. While we…

We’ve been noticing that many students and campus staff are coming to our information sessions or sending emails about 3 years of OPT. We wanted to clarify the difference between post-completion OPT and the STEM 24-month extension of OPT. One of our advisors, Alisa Sweet, wrote out a message to help promote understanding. Some of you may know that F-1 students who are in a STEM field can be authorized for up to three years of OPT. But did you…