Immigration News June 2021

Time Sensitive Reminders for F-1 Students

Summer Enrollment and Graduation Requirements

If summer is your first semester in F-1 status or your final semester, you must be enrolled full time or have an exception for full time enrollment by Census Day (June 9, 2021). If not, you are jeopardizing your F-1 status. For more information about summer enrollment requirements, visit the International Student Enrollment webpage.  For more information about how to apply for graduation visit the Registrar Office.

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 2021 and who will continue or begin another degree program in the Summer or Fall 2021 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 2021 semester and are interested in applying for OPT, the last date to submit your OPT application to USCIS is Wednesday, July 14. 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 takes 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.

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. We offer virtual workshops for OPT and CPT in iComet, and we are making plans to resume some in-person workshops on-campus. Watch the Comet Calendar for upcoming events!

Welcome Desk Services

You are welcome to call the ISSO for assistance, but keep in mind that the people you see at ISSO welcome desks/ who answer any incoming calls are not immigration advisors. They are staff and student workers that can help you with general inquires. The types of assistance you can expect to receive from our welcome desk include: information on how to navigate through our iComet portal or our website, information on advising services, information on estimated processing times, information on how to collect your original documents, and information on how you can submit requests to our office.

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.

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 check its legitimacy. If you have any questions about a potential contact or scam, call the UT Dallas Police at 972-883-2222.