Winter 2021 | Vol 2 | International Students & Programs Office @ UC San Diego
Dear Campus Partners,

While the International Students & Programs Office (ISPO) continues to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on travel restrictions and course offerings, we are also hopeful for a safe and welcoming re-opening to campus in Fall 2021. As ISPO prepares to issue visa documents for our Fall 2021 newly-admitted international students, we'd like to take this opportunity to review important information and resources in order to support departments and newly admitted students throughout what we call the “pre-arrival season” over the next several months. 
Fall 2021 International Student Visa Issuance Resources from ISPO 
iPortal

Newly-admitted international graduate students may begin their visa document requests via the iPortal (iportal.ucsd.edu) on Monday, March 1, 2021. Students should wait 24 hours after accepting their offer of admission before attempting to log in. New students should be directed to icontact.ucsd.edu for questions regarding their visa documents.
Funding Requirements

F-1 students must show 9 months (one academic year) of financial support to obtain an I-20. J-1 students must show financial support for the entire duration of their program to obtain a DS-2019. Please refer to the Budget and Costs for International Graduate Students charts for more information.
Early Start Program Requests
 
If your departments plans to run an early start or prep program that requires international participants to arrive prior to August 21, please notify ISPO by completing the Early Start Program Form no later than February 22 to discuss eligibility for an earlier start date to be issued on a student's I-20 or DS-2019. If approved, these students will be directed to a specific I-20/DS-2019 application form in the iPortal to ensure they receive the correct document.
Questions and Resources
 
In order to support our departments, ISPO has a dedicated Campus Partners page with resources for you to help navigate common questions you might get from newly-admitted international students. If you have any case-specific concerns or issues, please feel free to contact our team at iNewStudent@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.