iStudents Newsletter: Weekly updates from ISPO

Fall 2020 | Week 10 | Weekly updates for International Students @ UC San Diego

Health Alert: New Stay at Home Order and the Impact on Students

San Diego County and California public health officials implemented a Regional Stay at Home Order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 cases.

For Students Off-Campus: The order instructs San Diegans to stay at home as much as possible and to stop mixing between households that can lead to COVID-19 spread. It allows access to critical services and allows outdoor activities to preserve Californians’ physical and mental health.
For Students On-Campus: Tritons are encouraged to stay in their personal residences whenever possible.

Though the positivity rate on campus is lower than in the greater San Diego area, it is important that everyone adheres to the Stay at Home Order and continues practicing precautionary measures such as social distancing, wearing face coverings when interacting with others, avoiding nonessential outings and being tested regularly.

Immigration & Campus Policy Updates

Positively Impacting International Students

Good news! Below are a few immigration and campus policy updates that impact you as an international student:

U.S. Court Rules in Favor of OPT: A recent court case that threatened international students' opportunity to work in the U.S. after graduation on Optional Practical Training (OPT) is over, with the court ruling that the case did not provide sufficient justification to restrict or eliminate OPT. Read more here.

U.S. Court Blocks Two Federal Department Rules: A court ruling blocked both interim final rules of the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security stating the agencies did not have just cause to promulgate the rules without notice and comment. The rules were intended to deter U.S. employers from employing candidates on certain visas and to restrict the eligibility for those who could apply for certain working visas.

Non-Resident Student Tuition (NRST) Waiver for Graduate Students Extended: UC San Diego will exclude Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021 and Spring 2021 from the calculation of the 3-year eligibility for post-candidacy waiver of NRST. Any students who have been matriculating in any of the four affected quarters who are eligible for, and may need, an extension of either of these benefits will receive them. For more information, contact your Department's Graduate Advisor.

New Pass/ Non-Pass (P/NP) Option: UC San Diego is offering a one-time only option to petition to retroactively change grading options to pass/ not pass in Fall 2020 classes for undergraduate students. Please contact your College Advisors if you have any questions.

ISPO Services - Fall 2020

Cancellation of In-Person Appointments and Document Pick-Ups Until Further Notice

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, ISPO has cancelled all in-person appointments and document pick-up services until further notice. Students who wish to receive their documents in a timely and secure manner should choose Express Shipping and provide an Order Number within their document delivery preference for each request in iPortal. Choosing standard shipping does not guarantee secure delivery or speed of delivery.

ISPO Office Closures for Winter Break

ISPO will be closed from Thursday, December 24, 2020 through January 3, 2021. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, January 4, 2021. Please visit iContact.ucsd.edu for business and closure hours and emergency contact information.

OPT Applications Open in iPortal for Winter 2021 Graduates

Is Winter 2021 your final quarter at UC San Diego? International students who are eligible to apply for OPT may begin submitting their OPT I-20 Requests in the iPortal on Thursday, December 10, 2020. ISPO will continue to process requests within 10 business days and reminds students that the earliest USCIS can receive their complete OPT Application is on Sunday, December 20, 2020. Note: ISPO will be closed from Thursday, December 24, 2020 – January 3, 2021. Students planning on submitting their OPT Applications to USCIS prior to ISPO's closure should note:

Processing Time: Note that ISPO's processing time for OPT I-20 Requests is 10 business days. Though there are no guarantees, ISPO will do our best to process pending OPT I-20 Requests that also reflect college/department approval in iPortal by 4PM PST on Tuesday, December 15. To expedite the process, students should also follow up directly with their college or department to approve their OPT Requests in iPortal so that it is routed to ISPO before December 15th. Students with OPT I-20 requests submitted prior to December 15th but still pending with college/department should expect to receive their OPT I-20 after ISPO reopens on January 4, 2021.
Express Shipping (eShip Global): Since ISPO has cancelled all in-person appointments and document pick-up services until further notice, students who wish to receive their documents in a timely and secure manner should choose Express Shipping and provide an Order Number within their OPT I-20 Request in iPortal. Choosing standard shipping does not guarantee secure delivery or speed of delivery.
Earliest Date USCIS Can Receive OPT Applications: The earliest USCIS can receive your complete OPT Application is 90 days prior to the program end date listed on your OPT I-20. For students enrolled in Winter 2021 with their last date of enrollment as March 20, 2021, the earliest USCIS can receive your application is Sunday, December 20, 2020. Students who submit earlier than the 90th day will receive a denial from USCIS.
Physical Location: Current USCIS regulations require that students be physically present in the U.S. at the time of applying for OPT. Ensure you are physically present in the U.S. at the time of submitting your OPT Application.

For questions, visit OPT.ucsd.edu or email iEmployment@ucsd.edu

Travel and Re-Entry Reminders

Reference our Week 9 iStudents Newsletter for things to consider if traveling Internationally for Winter Break. For more information, visit iTravel.ucsd.edu for information on documents to carry to seek re-entry into the U.S. Also visit ReturnToLearn.ucsd.edu for health requirements to return to campus.

Stay Connected with Fellow Tritons | iPrograms and iEvents

Sign up for these programs happening now! Stay connected with ISPO and other Tritons by taking a look at our events calendar at iEvents.ucsd.edu

Winter Break Connection Program

Due to the popularity in the Fall Break Connection Program, this year we will also be matching students who would like to connect with other students over the winter break! We will match each student with two other students for a total of three students (in the spirit of Three's Company at UC San Diego). We hope that by connecting students, it might make the break feel a little less lonely and help us feel a little more together.

ISPO Chats

Friday, December 11 at 8am PST

Think of ISPO Chats as your monthly office hour with ISPO Leadership. ISPO deeply values the student voice and we want to hear from you. ISPO Chats is an informal time for you to share about your experience as an international student at UC San Diego as well as questions to ISPO staff. We hope that by hosting these monthly office hours, we can hear your concerns, advocate on your behalf and invest in our international student community.

As we continue to shift our services to accommodate the needs of our students, this schedule may fluctuate and is subject to change. ISPO's most current advising hours can be found at iContact.ucsd.edu.

Virtual Zoom Walk-in Advising

ISPO has expanded virtual advising hours to accommodate different time zones for the fall quarter. See the exact advising times/hours on our website.

Online Contact Form

Send ISPO an email through our Online Contact Form. These inquiries are directed to specific advisors depending on nature of the request.

Download the Official UC San Diego Mobile App!

GET THE LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES FROM ISPO AND UC SAN DIEGO ON THE APP! ISPO Alerts--a new tool for receiving important updates for international students--will be available later this Fall term so don't miss out! Available for iPhone and Android. Visit mobile.ucsd.edu for more information on how to download the app.

WHY AM I RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER? All international students studying at UC San Diego are automatically subscribed to the iStudents Newsletter to ensure they receive proper immigration updates from our office. The information sent in this Newsletter is available on ISPO's website, iStudents.ucsd.edu, or may direct students to other external resources. You have the right to unsubscribe at any time from receiving updates from our office. You can do this by emailing istudents@ucsd.edu. Note, all international students at UC San Diego are responsible for staying up to date with immigration regulations that may affect them. To learn more, visit our website at iStudents.ucsd.edu