Winter 2021 | Week 3 | Weekly updates for International Students @ UC San Diego
Deadlines, Reminders & Updates
Check your TritonLink Holds
& Learn To Resolve Them!

A hold on your student account can delay your financial aid disbursement, payments, transcript request, or other University services. Holds that are not resolved can have serious impacts on your ability to continue your program at UC San Diego. Check for holds on your account. Learn about the different types of student account holds and how to resolve them.  
Know Your Rights: Interacting with U.S. Law Enforcement

The safety and security of our students is a top priority. It is important that you know your rights as a student and how you can be proactive in having a safe and enjoyable program of student at UC San Diego. Learn tips for interacting with U.S. law enforcement and government agencies and understanding your rights..  

Immigration Policy Updates
Biden Administration: 1/20/21 Proclamation on Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to The United States

Among many presidential actions announced within the first day of the new administration, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. released a Proclamation on Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to The United States. Within the proclamation, President Biden declared:  

  • Revocation of Executive Order 13780 of March 6, 2017 (Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States) 
  • Revocation of Proclamation 9645 of September 24, 2017 (Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats) 
  • Revocation of Proclamation 9723 of April 10, 2018 (Maintaining Enhanced Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats) 
  • Revocation of Proclamation 9983 of January 31, 2020 (Improving Enhanced Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats)  

Within the proclamation, President Biden also announced resumption of visa processing and reopening of denied visa applications for those negatively impacted or facing delays imposed by Proclamation 9645 or 9983. While the travel ban has been rescinded, U.S. embassies and consulates around the world are gradually resuming visa services that were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full proclamation here.  

For more information regarding visa services and estimated processing times please visit USEmbassy.gov to find the website of the nearest embassy or consulate near you. 
Biden Administration: 1/21/21 Executive Order on Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel 

The Biden administration issued an Executive Order Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel requiring that masks be worn in airports or on commercial aircraft, trains, maritime vessels, intercity bus services and other forms of public transportation within the U.S., strictly adhering with CDC guidelines. In addition, international travelers should be required to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to traveling to the U.S. and to comply with applicable CDC guidelines pertaining to self-quarantine after entry to the U.S to satisfy the CDC order of January 12, 2021.  

The U.S. will also pursue outreach to Canada and Mexico in order to establish health protocols for land ports of entry within 14 days and similar measures will be taken with respect to public health measures for arrivals at sea ports. Finally, the order directs the Secretaries of State, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services to assess the feasibility of linking COVID-19 vaccinations to International Certificates of Vaccination Prophylaxis (ICVP) and producing electronic versions of same. Read the full executive order here.  
CBP Extends Canada-Mexico Land Entry Restrictions but Students Still Considered Essential Travelers 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection extended through February 21, 2021 the COVID-19 restrictions that allow entry to the United States through land ports of entry along the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders for "essential travel" only. Essential travel still includes "individuals traveling to attend educational institutions".
Social Security Office Updates  

In response to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, starting March 17, 2020, all local Social Security Administration (SSA) offices were closed to the public for in-person servicing (as stated in their ﷟HYPERLINK "https://www.ssa.gov/agency/emergency/"Closings and Emergencies Statement). Certain SSA branches have been available for limited emergency appointments. On January 18, 2021, the local San Diego SSA released a notice to school representatives regarding changes in SSA Jurisdiction for Social Security Card Services. Depending on your current zip code, you will be directed to one of the following offices below. Please visit  Social Security Administration website for more information. 

  • The San Diego Card Center (109 West Ash Street) has been merged with the San Diego Social Security Administration (1333 Front Street). Also, the Card Center phone number (855-400-5613) will no longer be in service. Requestors using mailing address in the following ZIP codes should be referred to contact us at (855) 820-0097 to schedule a visit: 92092; 92093; 92101; 92102; 92103; 92104; 92105; 92106; 92107; 92109; 92110; 92112; 92113; 92116; 92118. 

  • The Kearny Mesa Office (8505 Aero Drive San Diego, CA 92123) will now be handling SSN card requests for the following ZIP codes and can be reached at (866) 331-6397: 92037; 92038; 92039; 92108; 92111; 92117; 92121; 92122; 92123; 92124; 92126; 92131; 92142; 92145; 92168; 92177; 92193; 92196; 92197.
DOL Final Rule

Late last week the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a final rule in the Federal Register entitled "Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States;" this rule amends the previous Interim Final Rule published Oct. 8th, 2020, which ultimately had been blocked by federal courts. The new rule's effective date is March 15th, 2021. As with the interim rule, the final rule will dramatically change the computation of prevailing wage levels in the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) wage survey database for H-1B employees. Read the Department of Labor's News Release for more information.
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
Alumni 101: Securing a Job and Exploring Grad School in China
Wednesday, January 27 at 7 PM PST

Learn valuable tips and strategies from international Triton alumni working in a variety of fields that will help prepare you to identify and explore internship, job and graduate study opportunities in China. We will discuss the benefits of professional networking, gaining valuable work or research experience and how to leverage resources, virtually, to find the best opportunities. A Career Center advisor will join us to answer questions and provide direction about valuable campus resources. 
English in Action Conversation Program

Join the English-in-Action (EIA) conversation program to help you improve your conversational English language skills and exchange cultures with your conversation partner. After you fill out an application, you will be matched with a native English speaker to meet weekly. Volunteers are UCSD students, staff and community members.


Questions? email eia@ucsd.edu
AS Global Human Rights and Freedom Committee Form

UC San Diego is host to diverse communities of students from around the world and not every community or group has the prerogative of having representation in the Associated Students (AS) Assembly. The Global Human Rights and Freedom Committee was created to advocate for such groups and human rights issues related to such groups. Below is a form for students to relay their concerns and for the AS Assembly to hear their voices. If you are in any way affected by a human rights issue outside of the U.S. that you want your AS Assembly representatives to know about, please fill out this form so we can work with you and better represent you in the AS Assembly.
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 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.
International Students & Programs Office | iStudents.ucsd.edu
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