Immigration News July 2022

ISSO to Resume Face to Face Advising Services

Beginning in the month of July, ISSO will begin offering both virtual and in-person immigration advising services. In-person advising will be available at 3 locations: the ISSO main office, JSOM CMC, and ECS North. All face to face advising must be scheduled by appointment; all appointments are available up to 1 week (7 days) in advance. Please see “General Immigration Advising” on our advising web page to book: https://isso.utdallas.edu/advising/. We encourage all UTD students to wear a mask indoors.

Time Sensitive Reminders for F-1 Students

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 ISSO Graduation and Beyond webpage.

Change of Level 

Students who will complete an academic program or end OPT in Spring or Summer 2022 and who will continue or begin another degree program in the Fall 2022 semester, must obtain a Change of Level I-20 to maintain their F-1 status. You must request for your Change of Level I-20 in a timely fashion in order to maintain your F-1 status.

Last Date to Submit your OPT Application

If you graduated in the Spring 2022 semester and are interested in applying for OPT, the last date to submit your OPT application to USCIS is Tuesday, July 12. USCIS must receive your OPT application on or before this date. For more information, attend an online OPT workshop through iComet or visit the ISSO Optional Practical Training webpage.

Applying for STEM OPT

If your OPT end date is approaching and you plan to apply for STEM OPT, please make sure to submit your request as early as possible. Due to a high volume of requests, STEM requests are being prioritized based on OPT EAD end date. Processing times begin from the date the ISSO receives all required documents. If your STEM OPT I-20 application documents are incomplete, processing times may take longer. In order to expedite processing, please ensure you are submitting a complete request and that your forms are correctly filled out. Review the application instructions and the sample I-983.

STEM OPT Validation Reports

You must report to the ISSO every 6 months, from the start date listed on your STEM OPT EAD card. Your reporting deadlines are based on your STEM OPT start date, not your employment start date. Every 6 months you must submit a STEM OPT Reporting eForm in iComet to confirm that your name, address, employer name and address, and employment status are correct. Will select “yes” for the last question on the eForm, and then select the option to report a validation report. You must report your home address and complete employment information, even if it has not changed. Every 12 months, you must also upload a copy of your I-983 with the student evaluation on page 5 completed by you and your employer with your STEM OPT Reporting eForm in iComet.

You must submit your validation report to the ISSO within 10 days of the due date, which is exactly 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after the start date listed on your STEM OPT EAD card. Then, the ISSO is allowed 21 days to update SEVIS with your validation information. Once you have submitted your validation documents in a timely manner, you have met your requirement to report.

ISSO is here for you

There are many ways to contact the ISSO. You can reach out through your iComet Portal, join us for a Live Chat online, or schedule an appointment. We offer virtual workshops for OPT and CPT in iComet, and we are making plans to resume some in-person workshops on-campus this spring. Watch the Comet Calendar for upcoming events!

Submit Processing Requests to ISSO Early

ISSO receives a high volume of student and alumni requests. Don’t wait until the last minute! Submit requests to ISSO 3-4 weeks in advance of when you need them.

Beware of Scams

International students are often targeted by scammers, who may pretend to be government officials or threaten legal action in order to get money from scam victims. Watch out for scams! Government officials will not call you and demand payment or information over the phone, and no legitimate organization will ask for payment in the form of gift cards. Learn more about scams from the UT Dallas Information Security Office and UT Dallas Police Department.