Immigration News April 2021

Not Graduating in Spring 2021?

If you applied for graduation this Spring, but find that you will not be eligible for graduation, notify the ISSO before May 15, 2021 and request an extension of your I-20. Failure to notify the ISSO in time may result in being ineligible for an extension and loss of your F-1 status. Submit your complete program extension request to ISSODocuments@utdallas.edu as soon as you know you will not graduate.

If you have already applied for Optional Practical Training and you find that you will not graduate this semester, you must notify the ISSO as soon as possible. Failure to notify the ISSO before your program end date on your I-20 could negatively affect your F-1 status.

Fall will be Face-to-Face

UT Dallas plans to resume face-to-face classes in fall 2021. For the past year, classes have been offered in online formats and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has provided temporary enrollment requirements that allow F-1 students to meet enrollment requirements with online classes. While we do not yet know whether DHS will continue to allow F-1 students to enroll in more than the usual amount of online classes, UT Dallas’ return to in-person modalities means that F-1 students will likely not be able to meet full-time enrollment requirements with solely online classes in the fall. Current students outside of the Dallas area should plan to return to Dallas for the fall semester. As soon as the ISSO receives more information from DHS about your enrollment requirements for immigration purposes, we will share it by email.

Summer Enrollment Requirements

Enrolling in summer classes is optional unless you meet any one or more of the criteria below:

• It is your first semester at UT Dallas, or your first semester in F-1 status (Example: After being approved for a change of status to F-1), or your first semester with an I-20 for your current degree program (Example: After receiving a change of level I-20).
• It is your final semester at UT Dallas in F-1 or J-1 status (Example: You have filed for graduation for the summer semester). File for graduation by the Graduation Application deadline.

For more information visit the International Student Enrollment webpage. 

Get Support Wherever You Are

Now you can get student support even if you are outside of Texas or the United States. The UT Dallas Student Counseling Center is launching a new initiative, the My Student Support Program, to provide services to students living outside the Dallas area. Students are able to access self-directed digital content in addition to connecting with clinical professionals who are experienced in helping students cope with the unique challenges they face. Remember, services like these are completely confidential. If you want more information about how your information is protected, contact counselingcenter@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.

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.

Taxes

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

STEM Validation Reports Reminder

All students on STEM OPT must submit a validation report every 6 months. The validation report due dates are exactly 6, 12, 18, and 24 months from your STEM OPT start date. The validation report due dates are not based on your employment start date and are not affected by changing jobs. For each validation report, you must submit the STEM OPT Reporting eForm in iComet and you must fill in all of your employment details, even if your information has not changed. For the 12 and 24 month validation reports, you must also submit your I-983 with the appropriate evaluation completed on Page 5.

Current processing times are approximately 14 business days (not calendar days), so plan ahead. You must submit your STEM validation report no later than 10 days after the due date. After you submit it, the ISSO is allowed additional time to report that information in SEVIS. While your request is being processed, you will continue to receive email notices from SEVP letting you know your validation needs to be processed.

Don’t “Volunteer” without Work Authorization!

The types of employment allowed under the F-1 visa are limited by specific requirements. Before engaging in any type of work (paid or unpaid), 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 and safeguard your status.

Condemning Racist Violence and Harassment

President Benson shared a message with the university Condemning Racist Violence and Harassment. The ISSO stands with Dr. Benson in condemning the violence, racism, and discrimination that members of the Asian and Pacific Islander community are facing as abhorrent. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Violence against one of us is violence against us all and we all deserve the right to live, learn and work in peace and prosperity.

The ISSO and UTD community are committed to an educational environment that is welcoming, respectful and inclusive of all members of the university community. We celebrate the individuality that each of you bring to our campus community.

If you experience or witness such activity, please report it to our Office of Institutional Compliance, Equity, and Title IX Initiatives through the ethics and compliance hotline. Additionally, the Department of State has produced a very informative Know Your Rights publication that outlines your rights while living and working in the United States, and how to anonymously report a hate crime.

Protests and Demonstrations

Members of the UTD community are advised to use good judgement and caution when deciding how to participate in political activism or activities. Any non U.S. citizen who engages in any activity “a purpose of which is the opposition to, or the control or overthrow of, the Government of the United States by force, violence, or other unlawful means” may be deportable. Know your rights and limitations, and only engage in lawful protest or demonstrations.

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 Community Health Promotion page. If you are uncertain about the source of communications you receive, please validate legitimacy. You also may email the UT Dallas Information Security Office.

New I-539 and Vacated Public Charge Rule

USCIS has updated the Form I-539. Starting April 19, 2021, USCIS will only accept the 03/10/21 edition. Until then, you can also use the 10/15/19 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form. The new form is a result of a series of court decisions, ultimately vacating the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule. Applicants no longer have to provide information required by this rule, such as information about public benefits they have received. USCIS continues to apply the public charge inadmissibility statute, including consideration of the statutory minimum factors in the totality of the circumstances, in accordance with the 1999 Interim Field Guidance, which was in place before the Public Charge Final Rule was implemented on Feb. 24, 2020.

Advising Services

ISSO Live Chats

The ISSO advisors will be available to chat online during regular advising hours. To chat, visit ISSO advising 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 and Tuesdays 10 to 11:45 a.m. and 3 to 4:45 p.m. CST
• Wednesdays 6 to 7:45 p.m. CST
• Thursdays 10 to 11:45 a.m. and 3 to 4:45 p.m. CST
• Fridays 3 to 4:45 p.m. 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.

Advising appointments are available up to 7 days in advance. Appointments more than 7 days in the future will show as “unavailable.” If you do not see any available appointments, try checking back again the next day.

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 9 am – 3 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.