Spring 2020 | Vol 5 | Updates from the International Students & Programs Office @ UC San Diego .
Hello Campus Partners,
 
As new federal and state regulations are released to the public, ISPO strives to provide information on how these will impact current processes, international students, and campus partners. See important announcements below.
Fall 2020 SEVP Guidance Regarding COVID-19
On July 6, 2020, the Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) released  temporary procedural adaptations regarding COVID-19 and Fall 2020 . On July 7, 2020, SEVP released an  FAQ to the Fall 2020 Guidance . The International Students & Programs Office (ISPO) recognizes that this has been an immensely unsettling and uncertain week for all of our students and campus partners. Over these last several days, ISPO has met with campus partners at every level to collaborate on solutions, advocate for, and to support our international students in continuing to pursue their educational and personal goals through these trying times. This week, we are reminded of UC San Diego's resilience as a campus and take comfort in your kind words and support to the ISPO team, but more importantly, to our international student community. The collaborative and fighting spirits of faculty, staff and students will continue to inspire the work that we do.
 
In this newsletter, we wish to share advocacy efforts being undertaken, additional updates to our Coronavirus FAQs page, important questions we are still answering, campus resources and support, and invite you to join us in an upcoming live webinar on Monday, July 13th at 10 AM PST.
Updates to ISPO's Coronavirus FAQs Page
 
ISPO has been working diligently to update our  Coronavirus Information for International Students FAQs   page in light of the Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) guidance that was released on July 6th. As you will see in our FAQs, many of the answers are still unknown or are being discussed and resolved collaboratively with campus partners. This is intentional to let students and campus partners know we are aware of this concern and are working towards providing more guidance. We hope the new information presented here will be helpful to you as we navigate through these uncertain times

Here are the Top 10 FAQs: 
 
  1. How does the SEVP Guidance for Fall 2020 affect my F-1 status? 
  2. What types of courses meet the requirement to study inside of the U.S. this fall?
  3. If I am not able to enter the U.S. for the Fall, can I still start my program remotely?  
  4.  If I plan to study in the U.S., do I have to self-quarantine for 14 days? How does this impact Housing? 
  5. How does the SEVP guidance or Fall 2020 affect newly admitted Undergraduate and Graduate F-1 Students?  
  6. How does the SEVP guidance or Fall 2020 affect newly admitted Undergraduate and Graduate J-1 Students?  
  7. I plan to enroll in less than 12 units in the Fall 2020 term. If I am eligible for a Reduced Course Load, does one of my remaining courses have to be an in-person or hybrid class to remain in the U.S.?
  8. Do graduate research or independent itudy courses meet the in-person course requirement to study inside the U.S. this Fall?
  9. I'm planning to graduate in the Summer. Can I apply for OPT? 
  10. I am a newly admitted student for Summer/Fall 2020 and want to take my classes in person this fall if I can get my visa in time. Will ISPO still be sending me my I-20 or DS-2019 document?

Tips on Reviewing Guidance and Updates
 
We urge students and campus partners to be flexible and create contingencies for what lies ahead. Ensure you are reviewing updates from ISPO regarding the July 6th  temporary procedural adaptations regarding COVID-19 and Fall 2020  and July 7th   FAQ to the Fall 2020 Guidance  which are very much subject to change. There is an expectation that we will receive additional guidance or amendments to the July 6th SEVP Guidance for the Fall 2020 announcement.    

What is UC San Diego doing to advocate for our international students?

ISPO continues to regularly update our Immigration Policy Advocacy Efforts page to keep a list of these efforts by the university. Many advocacy efforts are underway to engage with the Administration and Congress to advocate on behalf of the international student community.


In addition, there is pending litigation by  State of California  and  University of California .
DEPARTMENT WEBINAR: Register Now!
ISPO continues to work collaboratively with campus leadership and partners and will update our Coronavirus Information for International Student FAQ pages with information as it becomes available. We appreciate our campus partners' continued support in directing students to ISPO's website. If after reviewing ISPO's website you still have questions, we invite you to join us for the following webinar: 
Campus Partners Live Webinar:
Fall 2020 SEVP Guidance Regarding COVID-19 
We want to hear from you! Join us on
Monday, July 13th at 10:00 AM PST
Webinars for New and Continuing International Students

On July 10th, ISPO sent updates to students in an email detailing the information above. In response to the high volume of inquiries we are receiving from our international students at this time, ISPO has schedule student webinars to address questions and concerns for students and their families.

WHY AM I RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER?  As a campus partner, your collaboration is important to us in supporting our international student community. The information sent in this Newsletter is available on ISPO's website, iStudents.ucsd.edu.  You have the right to unsubscribe from receiving updates from our office at anytime. You can do this by emailing  istudents@ucsd.edu  .