Fall 2021 | Updates for Alumni and Students on Post-Completion Training
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Immigration and Regulation Updates |
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ISPO Office Closure
OFFICE CLOSURE: ISPO will officially close between Thursday, December 23, 2021 through Sunday, January 2, 2022. We will resume advising services online and in-person starting Monday, January 3, 2022. During ISPO's closure, students are advised to contact the After Hours Emergency Phone Line directed to UC San Diego Campus Police.
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SEVP Announces Formal Adoption of Electronic Signatures on Form I-20
Following months of allowing electronic signatures and transmission of Form I-20s due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, on October 12, 2021, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced that it has formally adopted these practices moving forward.
ISPO is pleased by this announcement as it creates a more efficient and less burdensome request process for our F-1 students. We will therefore continue to issue electronic Form I-20s with digital signatures to our F-1 students via the iPortal.
NOTE: The Department of State, which governs the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, still does not permit the electronic transmission of or ARO signature on Form DS-2019 documents. Therefore, those seeking J-1 status or who are in J-1 status are still required to obtain hard copy DS-2019s when requesting these documents from ISPO.
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Travel Advice for Winter
If you are considering international travel during the Winter, it's important to consider the potential impacts before you depart. Before you go:
Be sure to also have all documentation needed to re-enter the U.S. if you do depart. You can review a checklist of these items on our itravel.ucsd.edu site.
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Having Issues with your SEVP Portal? Submit SEVP Portal Assistance Request in iPortal!
You may submit the SEVP Portal Assistance Request in iPortal.ucsd.edu for any of the following issues:
- Assistance with updating the employer start date information due to start date being 10 days or more in the past*
- Resetting SEVP Portal access due to locked out account OR expired link
- Receiving SEVP Portal account setup email AFTER OPT start date listed on EAD card
- Changing email address associated with SEVP Portal
- Assistance with employer information due to another SEVP Portal not listed above
*If you are trying to enter a start date more than 10 days in the past, the SEVP Portal system won't let you. You can submit the SEVP Portal Assistance Request and ISPO will help you but you still need to enter an employer in SEVP Portal. Since it won't let you put the right start date, put today as the start date and then submit the SEVP Portal Assistance Request to correct the start date.
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OPT Reporting Requirements Reminders |
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STEM OPT Extension Reporting Requirements (Validation Reports)
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For changes to your personal address or phone number, use the SEVP Portal.
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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.
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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.edu, and 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.
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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.
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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.
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Reporting Reminders for Students on Standard 12-Month OPT
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Working Remotely on OPT During COVID-19
According to the Student Exchange & Visitor Program, please note the following:
- Students currently participating in OPT, including STEM OPT, may work remotely within the U.S. or outside the U.S. during COVID-19.
- Students participating in STEM OPT do not need to submit an updated Form I-983 to report remote work.
- Nor should students on OPT update their work address in SEVP Portal to their remote work address. Rather, keep it as your employer's office address.
- Similarly, keep your personal address in SEVP Portal as a U.S. address.
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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
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