Immigration News February 2021

Time Sensitive Reminders for F-1 Students

Graduation and Beyond

Before February 6, 2021. If you are an F-1 student, have completed your academic requirements and are remaining in the U.S. after Fall 2020 graduation, make appropriate preparations such as applying for OPT, starting another academic program, transferring out to another school, or departing the U.S. Do not delay your graduation. Postponing graduation when you have completed all the courses required to earn your degree is a violation of the immigration regulations. For more information visit the Graduation and Beyond webpage.

Spring 2021 Enrollment Requirements

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has extended the fall guidance on enrollment requirements for spring 2021. Continuing students who were in active F-1 status on March 9, 2020 may choose to enroll online or in person as they wish. Students whose F-1 status began after March 9, 2020 must have at least one class with an in-person component (face-to-face, hybrid, HyFlex).

Upcoming Event – ISSO and University Career Center

On February 25 at noon, the ISSO and University Career Center will present “International Student Employment – Tips for Negotiation.”  This will be a virtual Microsoft Teams event. We will discuss tips for negotiating with employers and get advice on navigating the U.S. work environment from our Career Center expert. Watch the Comet Calendar for more details, coming soon.

H-1B  Electronic Registration Process

Employers must complete an electronic registration process as a part of the H-1B petition process. Registration opens in March. If you need copies of your UT Dallas I-20 forms, complete the Immigration Document Copy Request through the iComet Portal. Please keep in mind, the ISSO can only provide copies of documents that we have on file. It is the your responsibility to maintain your immigration records.

H-1B registration DOES NOT provide Cap Gap Extension eligibility. Any Cap Gap Extension is based on the filing date (when the full application is sent to USCIS), not the registration date. You will receive both a registration notice after electronic registration and a receipt notice after filing the application. Only the receipt notice can be used for Cap Gap Extension benefits.

H-4 Work Authorization

Certain H-4 dependent spouses can file for work authorization.  Pursuant to the Biden administration’s January 20 regulatory review memo, a proposed rule that would rescind H-4 work authorization has been withdrawn. The ISSO advisors are not experts on H-1B or H-4 status. If you have questions about your H-4 or H-1B status, please consult with an experienced immigration attorney.

USCIS Delays and Lockbox Changes

Most students who have applied for OPT are experience extreme delays in receiving their receipt notice for their application. USCIS is experiencing a high volume of incoming applications and slower processing times due to social distancing measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They are forwarding some cases to other processing centers, to help improve processing times. The filing location for OPT applications has changed to the Chicago lockbox. Any applications received at the Dallas lockbox will be either processed by Dallas lockbox or routed to Chicago for processing. If you have already mailed your application, it will be processed. There is no action for you to take as a result of this change.

Apply for OPT

If you are graduating this semester, you can start applying for your OPT I-20 on  February 14, 2021. ISSO processing times for OPT applications are 14 business days. USCIS must receive your OPT application no later than July 14, 2021. F-1 students applying for Optional Practical Training (OPT) are required to complete  the online OPT workshop in iComet before applying for post-completion OPT.

Want an OPT packet review? We will be offering OPT packet reviews as small group sessions, starting in February. You will receive a link to sign up for a packet review session in your OPT I-20 approval email. This is an optional service – every year, many students successfully compile their own packet and apply for OPT. In either case, you will want to carefully follow the checklist on page 3 of the OPT guide to create your application packet.

Report Your OPT Employment in iComet

F-1 students currently on OPT are required by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to report any changes to employment or residential address within 10 days of the change. Students on STEM OPT must also submit validation reports to the ISSO every six months. 

Ensure your Home Address in Galaxy is up to date for Spring 2021 Study

Check your Galaxy account to make sure your current physical address is listed as your home address. If you are a continuing F-1 student who will be studying outside the U.S. for the spring 2021 semester, the ISSO will be sending you a new, electronic I-20 by February 18, 2021. The new I-20 will include a remark stating that you are studying outside the U.S. for this semester. You do not need to submit a request – the ISSO will automatically issue the I-20 for all F-1 students with home addresses in Galaxy that are located outside the U.S.

Taxes

All non-resident aliens who resided in the United States between January 1 and December 31 of 2020 must file a U.S. tax form. Refer to the ISSO webpage for resources to help you file your taxes: https://www.utdallas.edu/isso/taxes/. If you have any additional questions about tax filing, contact the UT Dallas Tax Compliance Office at taxcompliance@utdallas.edu.

Use Your UT Dallas Email

ISSO advisors will only send communications to official UT Dallas emails. All current students and F-1 alumni on OPT should have access to their UT Dallas email account. If you are having trouble accessing your UT Dallas email, please contact the Office of Information Technology for assistance. Check your UT Dallas email regularly for updates from the ISSO.

UT Dallas Prepares You for Global Options

Your UT Dallas education and work experience on OPT prepares you to be a global citizen. UT Dallas alumni are highly sought after in many industries, and you have many choices on what to do after graduation and after OPT. Whether you choose to pursue H-1B or seek experience in another country, you have options. If you are interested in continuing your North American experience but do not plan on staying in the U.S., consider Canada. Canada is actively seeking highly skilled workers who are interested in permanent residency in Canada. 

Do Not Work without Authorization

The types of employment allowed under the F-1 visa are limited by specific requirements. Before engaging in any type of work, F-1 students should verify they are eligible to work and have the proper authorization. Working without authorization is a serious violation of F-1 status. This is true whether the work is paid or unpaid. Review information regarding on campus and off campus work employment safeguard your status.

 Updated DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List Available

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) recently updated the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List at ICE.gov/SEVP to reflect changes made as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s 2020 Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) conversion. The STEM Designated Degree Program List is a complete list of fields of study that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) considers to be science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields  for purposes of the 24-month STEM optional practical training extension. The updated list aligns STEM-eligible degrees and CIP codes with the revised Department of Education’s 2020 CIP conversion; DHS did not add or remove degrees from the list.

The ISSO and university partners are reviewing the list for any implications to UT Dallas programs. Additional information will be provided in the coming days to any students or alumni in affected programs. Watch your UT Dallas email for updates – as soon as we have additional information, we will share it.

Good Neighbor Scholarship

The Good Neighbor Scholarship Program applications will be accepting applications until February 15, 2021. This program encourages academically talented students from the countries of the Western (American) hemisphere to pursue higher education in the State of Texas. Visit the Good Neighbor Scholarship webpage for more information, including eligibility criteria and the application form.

Submit Requests to ISSO Early

Don’t wait until the last minute! Submit processing requests to ISSO at least 4 weeks in advance of when you need them. 

Advising Services

ISSO Live Chats

The ISSO advisors will be available to chat online during regular advising hours. To chat, visit utdallas.edu/ic/issoadvising/ and look for the “We Are Here” widget during advising hours. This chat is for general questions only. Do not share your ID number or other private information, as the live chat is not encrypted.

• Mondays 10am – 11:45am and 3pm – 4:45pm CST
• Tuesdays 10am – 11:45am and 3pm – 4:45pm CST
• Wednesdays 6pm – 7:45pm CST
• Thursdays 10am – 11:45am and 3pm – 4:45pm CST
• Fridays 3pm – 4:45pm CST

Contact an advisor

Advisors are working remotely and can answer your immigration questions in a scheduled appointment or through the Ask an Advisor eForm in iComet (http://utd.edu/t/6085). If you have access to your iComet Portal, you should submit questions through iComet – do not send advising questions by email. You will be able to see responses to your questions in your iComet portal.

ISSO Office Phone Lines

You can call the ISSO! Our welcome desk staff will answer phone calls to our main office line 972-882-4189 between 10 am – 2 pm. The welcome desk staff are not advisors and cannot offer immigration advising.

Workshops

The mandatory CPT and OPT workshops are available online through iComet. In-person workshops are cancelled until further notice.

Scam Alert

The ISSO has received reports of scammers calling and emailing students, pretending to be U.S. government officials and threatening deportation. The scammers tell the student that they failed to fill out the AR-11 form and may mention that the student needs to complete a background check. This is a scam. F-1 students do not need to complete the AR-11 form, and U.S. government agencies do not call, text, or email. If you have any questions about a potential contact or scam, call the UT Dallas Police at 972-883-2222. You may also report potential scams to covid19fraud@dhs.gov.

Official communications from UT Dallas about COVID-19 will continue to be provided via UT Dallas email addresses and the UT Dallas website, utdallas.edu/coronavirus/. If you are uncertain about the source of communications you receive, please validate legitimacy. You may also contact the UT Dallas Information Security Office  infosecurity@utdallas.edu.