Summer 2020| Vol 2 |
Updates from the International Students & Programs Office @ UC San Diego
|
|
Campus Announcement:
Supporting Newly-Admitted Fall 2020 International Graduate Students
|
|
|
Dear Colleagues,
Earlier this month, the Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which oversees the F-1 student program, provided updated guidance via the
‘Frequently Asked Questions for SEVP Stakeholders about COVID-19’
. In this updated guidance, SEVP continues to allow universities to extend the same policies from Spring 2020 through Summer 2020. A new section for ‘Developing Issues’ also acknowledges that there is still no guidance for Fall 2020 term, but SEVP is actively working to post information soon. With careful review of the current regulations and given the fluidity of the current guidance, we hope the following will provide additional information to support the decision-making process for the upcoming Fall term.
|
|
Ability to Enroll Full-Time in Remote Courses
Newly admitted students with an Initial I-20 may begin their programs remotely and apply for a Form I-20 with a Fall 2020 program start date. If students can schedule a visa interview in their home country before the Fall term begins, their program start date should indicate the correct date in which they plan to begin their program of study. All international students will be expected to maintain a minimum of 12 units throughout Fall 2020, regardless of whether they are taking classes remotely or not.
|
|
Eligibility for Practical Training Employment
International students in F-1 status are eligible for three types of employment authorization: 1) Curricular Practical Training (CPT), 2) Optional Practical Training (OPT), and 3) on-campus employment including remote work environments. Under normal circumstances, students issued an Initial I-20 from UC San Diego with a Summer or Fall 2020 start date should physically arrive at UC San Diego and maintain their status so ISPO can "activate" their Form I-20s. Students in ACTIVE status must enroll for a minimum of one academic year (3 quarters) on the same SEVIS ID Number, to be eligible for practical training (work authorization). This is known as the one academic year requirement. Given the current travel restrictions, U.S. Embassy and Consulate closures, and the current state of the pandemic, international students may or may not be able to physically arrive on campus to meet requirements for ISPO to activate their Form I-20s. Students who do not have an Active I-20 will not begin accruing time towards the one academic year requirement.
While guidance from SEVP regarding the fall 2020 quarter has yet to be released, here is guidance for the following scenarios:
Scenario 1
SEVP will allow the
“activation”
of SEVIS records of fall 2020 new admit students who are enrolled full-time in remote coursework, but are unable to enter the U.S. In this scenario, the one academic year may start from FA20.
Note there are exceptions for graduate students to participate in CPT prior to completing the one-year requirement.
- Eligibility for CPT: Students who hold an active I-20, despite physical location, may be eligible for CPT if they meet Eligibility Requirements. U.S. employers are required for CPT; either the employer has an office outside the U.S., or the employer can assess student engagement and attainment of learning objectives electronically.
- Eligibility for OPT: At this time, students must be physically present in the U.S. at the time they apply for OPT. Because of regulatory flexibility, remote work and working fewer than 20 hours a week is permitted for the duration of COVID-19 emergency.
- Eligibility for On-Campus Employment: Departments may continue to hire students for “on-campus” remote work. However, F-1and J-1 students outside of the U.S for the fall term and planning to work for UC San Diego remotely must consider multiple compliance considerations. In terms of U.S. immigration status, it is possible to work remotely for UC San Diego without being in the U.S. in F-1 or J-1 status. However, there are tax, payroll, and non-U.S. labor law implications. Students will need to communicate with their hiring department to discuss their plans to work remotely from abroad. Students, who do not have a Social Security number and are unable to obtain one, should refer to the following guidance. HR contacts can submit a question to the Rapid Response Center (RRC) if they have questions about hiring international students. All HR contacts have been trained on entering students in UCPath and can answer specific questions about hiring international students.
Scenario 2
SEVP will not allow the “activation” of SEVIS records of students unable to enter the U.S., despite being enrolled full-time in remote coursework. They may require the institution to defer the program start date of the record to a later term to reflect the date they physically arrive and start their program of study in the U.S. In this scenario, the one academic year may start from the term the student is able to arrive in the U.S. to resume coursework.
- Eligibility for CPT: Students will only be eligible for CPT if they meet Eligibility Requirements and have an Active I-20. U.S. Employers are required for CPT; either the employer has an office outside the U.S. or the employer can assess student engagement and attainment of learning objectives electronically.
- Eligibility for OPT: At this time, students must be physically present in the U.S. at the time they apply for OPT. Because of regulatory flexibility, remote work and working fewer than 20 hours a week is permitted for the duration of COVID-19 emergency.
- Eligibility for On-Campus Employment: Departments may continue to hire students for “on-campus” remote work. However, F-1and J-1 students outside of the U.S for the fall term and planning to work for UC San Diego remotely must consider multiple compliance considerations. In terms of U.S. immigration status, it is possible to work remotely for UC San Diego without being in the U.S. in F-1 or J-1 status. However, there are tax, payroll, and non-U.S. labor law implications. Students will need to communicate with their hiring department to discuss their plans to work remotely from abroad. Students, who do not have a Social Security number and are unable to obtain one, should refer to the following guidance. HR contacts can submit a question to the Rapid Response Center (RRC) if they have questions about hiring international students. All HR contacts have been trained on entering students in UCPath and can answer specific questions about hiring international students.
|
|
Deferring Admissions
We understand that students may want to consider deferring their admission to a later term because of visa and travel restrictions and the uncertainty regarding COVID-19. All requests for deferring admission to a later quarter must be directed to the
graduate program
to which the student was admitted. If the deferral is approved, remind students to review the I-20/DS-2019 procedures to
update the program start date on the I-20/DS-2019
.
|
|
Communication and Resources for Graduate Students
This information will be sent to newly admitted international graduate students tomorrow,
Wednesday, July 1
st
.
Along with their messaging, ISPO, in partnership with Graduate Division and Housing, will be hosting a
Live Webinar on Friday, July 17th at 4:30 PM
for graduate students to address questions or concerns related to beginning their Fall 2020 programs.
|
|
Questions or Concerns?
The International Students & Programs Office (ISPO) continues to monitor government agency listservs and announcements that may impact the ability of international students to arrive, travel, enroll, and work. We will continue to share information via ISPO News email announcements,
Immigration Policy Updates Resource Page
, and
Frequently Asked Questions Page
.
International Students & Programs Office
iStudent.ucsd.edu
Graduate Division
grad.ucsd.edu
|
|
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
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
