Immigration News January 2021

April 13, 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..

Change of Level 

Before Census Day, February 3, 2021. Students who completed an academic program or ended OPT in the Fall 2020 semester and will continue or begin another degree program in the Spring 2020 semester, must obtain a Change of Level I-20  to maintain their F-1 status.

Change of Major

Census Day, February 3, 2021. Students whose primary major will change to a different Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code for the Spring 2021 semester, will be issued a Change of Major I-20 by the International Center beginning Census Day of the Spring 2021 semester.  These students will receive an e-mail notification when their new I-20 is ready to pick up.

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.

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).

Spring Graduation OPT Dates

If you are completing your academic program this semester and plan to apply for post-completion OPT, the ISSO will begin accepting OPT applications for Spring 2021 graduates on February 14, 2021. ISSO processing times for OPT applications are 7 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.

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.

Reminder: Not All On-Campus Employment is Allowed for F-1 Students

On-campus employment options depend on where the work is physically located and who the employer is. F-1 students may work on campus, employed by UT Dallas or by on-campus commercial firms that directly serve the UT Dallas student population (Chartwells, University Bookstore, etc). Positions with third parties not providing services directly to students (alumni call center) or personal services for faculty or staff (housekeeping, lawn care) is not allowed. Refer to information on the F-1 Student Employment page for more information.

Travel Reminder

Refer to travel and re-entry information for information on re-entering the United States after holiday travel in F-1 status. If you have received a soft copy Form I-20, it can be used for travel. You will print it, sign it, and carry it with you while traveling. Check page 2 of your current I-20 to see if you already have a travel endorsement. Travel endorsements are valid for 12 months for current students and for 6 months for students on OPT.

Report Your OPT Employment

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. Failure to timely report may jeopardize your F-1 status and OPT benefit. Visit the OPT webpage for further information.

ISSO will be closed, MLK Day

The University of Texas at Dallas will be closed Monday, 1/18 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Please plan accordingly.

Advising Services

The ISSO will offer limited advising services 1/4 – 1/15, so that advisors can prioritize processing urgent student requests. If you have immigration questions, join us for a Group Chat or send a question through Live Chat at these times:

  • Thursday – Friday, 1/14 – 1/15 from 3 – 5 pm CST

We will resume our regular advising services on 1/19.

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 11 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.

Winter Storms Season

While severe winter storms are rare in Texas, the International Center would like you to be prepared.  Review the Winter Storms information on the UT Dallas Emergency Preparedness Information webpage for detailed information. It is located under the “Know Your Hazards” section. In the event that International Center staff are unavailable due to an emergency, call the UT Dallas Police Department at 972-883-2222. If the UT Dallas Police are unavailable, and you need critical immigration assistance or evacuation, contact the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) at SEVP@ice.dhs.gov, or call 703-603-3400.

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.