Immigration News July 2025

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 2025 and who will continue or begin another degree program in the Fall 2025 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 2025 semester and are interested in applying for OPT, the last date to submit your OPT application to USCIS is Wednesday, July 23. 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, it may take approximately 14 business days to process requests. 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.

Time Sensitive Reminders for J-1 Students

Summer 2025 Graduation/Completion and Grace Period

J-1 students who will graduate or complete their exchange program in Summer 2025, please be aware:

• J-1 Degree Seeking Students on a UTD DS-2019 will have their program end date shortened to August 23, 2025 and will have a 30 day grace period.
• J-1 Degree Seeking Students on another programs DS-2019 will need to consult with their J-1 sponsor to confirm their program end date and grace period.
• J-1 Exchange Students’ program end date will not be changed and will have a grace period of 30 days.

J-1 Academic Training

J-1 students may be eligible to work off-campus by applying for Academic Training. Academic Training can be used before or after program completion. For additional information, visit J-1 Academic Training.

Travel For J-1 Students

If travelling outside of the U.S. over break, remember to have your DS-2019 endorsed by the ISSO or by your program sponsor. Travel endorsements are valid for six months. Visit Traveling Outside the U.S. in J-1 Status for more information.

J-1 On-Campus Employment

J-1 students are eligible for on-campus work authorization including employment related to a scholarships or assistantships. The student must be authorized for employment by their Program Sponsor, on form DS-2019, before beginning employment. Employment is limited to 20 hours a week during the fall and spring semesters and can be full-time during official school breaks. For the work authorization, you must submit the J-1 Student Service Request Form to the ISSO.

J-1 Student Advising

The ISSO offers 15 minute advising appointments, Mondays from 1pm to 2pm, Wednesdays from 9am to 10pm, and Fridays from 2pm to 3pm.  Email ISSOJ1@utdallas.edu to schedule an appointment with a J-1 advisor.

Breaking News

Student Visa Issuance – Implentation of Social Media Screening Updates

Recently U.S. consulates have begun updating their resources to reflect the new social media screening / disclosure requirement for F, J, and M visa applicants. Applicants are asked to adjust their privacy settings to ‘public’ to facilitate vetting necessary to establish identity and admissibility to the U.S. and to list all social media usernames/handles when submitting the DS-160 application form. Going forward, you should be mindful of your social media presence when planning to apply for a new visa or a visa renewal. Some things to keep in mind are:

• Being aware of what information is publicly available when you search your name on the internet
• Reviewing social media accounts or posts, including photos and content that may be considered threatening or indicate mental health issues
• Being aware of politically sensitive content that could be misinterpreted by immigration authorities – be especially mindful of information in your social media that could be viewed as antisemitic actions or terrorist activity
• Additionally, being aware that your online presence may be construed as “evasive” if accounts are overly restricted or hidden – omitting social media information can lead to denial and ineligibility for future visas

Seasonal Reminders

Summer Travel & Fall 2025 Physical Presence

Visit the ISSO webpage for information on Traveling Inside the U.S. and Traveling Outside the U.S for specific details on what immigration documents to carry when traveling. Remember that the law requires anyone who is not a U.S. citizen to carry evidence of status at all times.

While summer enrollment is not required for most continuing students, we would like to remind all current students of your enrollment and physical presence requirements for Fall 2025. To fulfill your F-1 status requirements, you must be physically present in the U.S. – on campus or at your designated educational site (such as a CPT internship) each fall and spring semester. In order to verify the physical presence of current students, the ISSO requires all continuing students to submit proof of their current presence in the U.S. before each fall and spring semester by submitting a copy of your most recent I-94 through the ‘Current Student Check In’ form in iComet. If you will be travelling, you should anticipate timely re-entering and submitting your updated I-94 to the ISSO. Plan your summer travel accordingly to ensure that you return prior to the start of fall classes. The ‘Current Student Check In’ form is available in iComet beginning 30 days before the start of fall classes, and must be completed no later than fall Census Day.

Summer 2025 CPT & Travel

If you are working on a CPT internship during Summer 2025, you must be physically present in the U.S. for majority of the duration of CPT authorization period as listed on page 2 of your I-20. Even if you have been approved for a primarily remote internship experience, you are only eligible to work on a CPT internship anywhere from within the United States. Generally, F-1 work authorizations like CPT should not be worked remotely if you are physically outside of the U.S.  You can read more about the regulatory reasons for this limitation on our Travel during CPT/OPT/STEM newsletter. If you have a summer CPT and plan to travel for Summer 2025 semester, you may need to adjust your travel plans to meet your status requirements of being physically present in the US for the duration of the summer CPT internship.

H-1B Cap Gap

Employers must complete an electronic registration process as a part of the H-1B petition process. Registration opened in March. H-1B electronic 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 paper receipt notice sent by mail can be used for Cap Gap Extension benefits.

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.

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. You can also check us out on Facebook  Instagram, and LinkedIn. Watch the Comet Calendar for upcoming workshops and events!