Fall 2020 | Weekly updates for International Students @ UC San Diego
Avoid Termination: Set up your SEVP Portal Account!
On August 28, 2020, SEVP sent a broadcast message to SEVP-certified schools notifying DSOs that SEVP will be mailing notices to OPT Students that do not have any employer information listed in SEVP Portal and have exceeded 90 days of unemployment. Without this information, students could be viewed as having failed to obtain employment and potentially be considered out of status for exceeding permissible periods of unemployment while participating in OPT.

The notice, which will be sent by U.S. mail to the student, informs students of their lack of employer/employment information and provides an opportunity for them to update their records either through their DSO or directly through the SEVP Portal. If the student’s SEVIS record is not updated, SEVP will set the record to “terminated” to reflect the lack of employer information and the potential that the student may have violated their status either by failing to timely report OPT employment or by exceeding the permissible period of unemployment while on OPT.

Take Action! Avoid Termination!
If you received this notice or are approved for OPT and have NOT set up your SEVP Portal Account or have not reported your employment, your SEVIS record is at risk of immediate termination. Further, student records that are terminated are NOT eligible to continue employment. To avoid this, ensure your SEVP Portal Account is set up!

Email iEmployment@ucsd.edu if you have received this notice or have issues setting up your SEVP Portal Account.
The SEVP Portal is continuing to experience ongoing technical issues preventing students from setting up their SEVP Portal account, accessing their SEVP Portal account, entering a personal or employer address, or seeing their STEM OPT validation reports updated, among other issues. We are unable to resolve these issues on our end, but here is what you can do about them:

  • Keep Trying: To gain access to the SEVP Portal, we recommend trying the “Reset Password” button on the SEVP Portal login page every few days until you can get in.

  • Submit iPortal Request: In the meantime, if you need to report your employment and are experiencing issues with the SEVP Portal, submit the SEVP Portal Assistance Request at iportal.ucsd.edu. Note: STEM OPT students should still ONLY use the Updated I-20/DS-2019 Request form to report employment changes.

  • STEM OPT students only: If you submitted your F-1 STEM OPT Reporting Form on-time, and you have received the confirmation email that we have reported your validation but your SEVP Portal still shows that your validation report is past due, this is due to a technical issue within SEVP Portal. Since SEVIS is the official record and the SEVP Portal is just a student portal, as long as your reporting was done on SEVIS, you have met your reporting requirement.

Email iEmployment@ucsd.edu if you continue to experience issues related to your SEVP Portal.
Recently Approved for a Change of Status to H1B?
If you have an approval for a change of status to H-1B, your SEVIS record should have been completed. Please submit the Termination/Completion of Status Reporting form in iPortal to verify. If the application for H-1B was filed based on consular processing, we may need to request a data fix to put your SEVIS record back to active. Please send an email to iemployment@ucsd.edu and attach a copy of your H-1B approval notice showing consular approval.
Traveling Internationally? Check Your Travel Signature!
ISPO encourages international students to refrain from international travel when possible. The COVID-19 situation is dynamic, with rapidly expanding international travel bans occurring with little notice. Please also note that there are also travel restrictions due to the global pandemic. Read additional immigration news and information here.

Once you have been approved for OPT, note that the travel signature on the second page of your most recently issued Form I-20 is only valid for 6 months (not 1 year). Check the 2nd page of your Form I-20 and ensure that you have a valid travel signature at the time of re-entry into the U.S. To learn more, visit iTravel.ucsd.edu...

U.S. DOL and DHS Publish New Interim
Final Rules on the H-1B Classification 
On October 7, 2020, the U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL) and Homeland Security (DHS) issued interim final rules (DOL, DHS) regarding the H-1B classification, and on Oct. 8th DOL made public the new prevailing wage rates in it OES database, which are considerably higher than previous wage rates. The DOL rulemaking focused on prevailing wage rates, and the DHS rulemaking focused on tightening regulatory definitions and procedures. While these are interim final rules with a 30-day public comment period, the DOL rule is effective immediately, and the DHS rule effective 12/7/2020. Learn more here.... 
OPT Reporting Requirements Reminders
STAY INFORMED: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been scrutinizing the F-1 OPT program for fraudulent employers and fraudulent use of the program through a DHS law enforcement operation called, “Operation Optical Illusion”. Review the types of employment that may be reported for OPT purposes. If you are unpaid or volunteering, review information here for what qualifies as volunteering or unpaid. Contact iemployment@ucsd.edu with any concerns or questions.  
Reporting Reminders for Students on Standard 12-Month OPT
 
Keep employment, personal address, and phone number up to date at all times using the  SEVP Portal . If you experience a change in any of these areas, log into the SEVP Portal to update your information within 10 calendar days of the change. You do not need to report these changes to ISPO, only to the SEVP Portal. If you are unable to report your employment to the SEVP Portal, submit the SEVP Portal Assistance Request at iportal.ucsd.edu.
 
If you are unable to add an employer within 10 calendar days of the start date, enter the next day as your employment start date in the SEVP Portal. Then submit the iPortal, “SEVP Portal Assistance Request”. ISPO will then be able to enter your correct employment start date in SEVIS and it will reflect in your SEVP Portal within 48 hours.

If you would like your I-20 to reflect your changes, request an updated I-20 from ISPO by submitting the Updated I-20/DS-2019 Request at iportal.ucsd.edu.
STEM OPT Extension Reporting Requirements (Validation Reports)
 
  • For changes to your personal address or phone number, use the SEVP Portal

  • For changes to your employment information, use the Updated I-20/DS-2019 Request at iportal.ucsd.edu, and an ISPO advisor will update your record for you.   

  • To fulfill your validation report requirement that is due every 6 months while on STEM OPT, use the F-1 STEM OPT Reporting Form at iportal.ucsd.eduand an ISPO advisor will validate your record for you. The F-1 STEM OPT Reporting form must be submitted within 10 days of the validation report due date.  

  • If you experience a change in your employment information at the same time that you have a validation report due, then you must submit BOTH the Updated I-20/DS-2019 Request and the F-1 STEM OPT Reporting Form on iPortal.  


ISPO Office Hours: Virtual Advising

While ISPO's Office (Student Center B) is closed to the public for in-person service through Summer 2020, we continue to provide all advising services through virtual Zoom advising! Visit iContact.ucsd.edu for various ways to contact an ISPO Advisor!
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 from receiving updates from our office at anytime. 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