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Marisa Atencio Gwen Fernandes Director, ISSS Assistant Director, ISSS Manages J Scholar Program Manages F Student Program Katie Tudini Charlie Hammons Senior Int’l Student Advisor Int’l Student Advisor Manages J Student and Exchange Advisor J Student Intern Program Meg Popick Jeevan Devassy Int’l Student Advisor Int’l Student Advisor Leadership and Programming SEVIS Coordinator Emily Dolezal Brittny Malbrue Int’l Student Advisor Int’l Student Coordinator Communications ISSS Team Student Newsletter In this Issue Changes and Updates 1 Reminders & Common Requests 2 Other Considerations 3 Program Department Newsletter Spring 2013 A newsletter from ISSS to tGraduate Coordinators and Academic Advisors I-20 Request E-form As we continue our transition to a fully paperless office, we are working to introduce an E-form to replace the paper-based Draft I-20 request and mirror the existing J student DS-2019 request process in many ways. For Fall 2013, all departmental I-20 requests will be completed electronically through iStart.gatech.edu. These requests will be applicable to initial, trans- fer and change of status students. Information about the E-form, including a tutorial and FAQ, will be available in March through the Graduate Admissions office. InTECHnational News is an email newsletter sent to all international students twice a month from ISSS. The newsletter allows the ISSS to communicate with students and departments regarding immigration law/policy updates, reminders, and upcoming programs or events. We expect to introduce a variety of changes to the InTECHnational News as well as introduce new mediums of communication in the coming year. If you currently do not receive the newsletter, please contact Emily Dolezal at [email protected] http://www.oie.gatech.edu/international-student-and-scholar-services

ISSS Program Department Newsletter

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A newsletter from ISSS to the Graduate Coordinators and Academic Advisors.

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Page 1: ISSS Program Department Newsletter

Marisa Atencio Gwen Fernandes

Director, ISSS Assistant Director, ISSS

Manages J Scholar Program Manages F Student Program

Katie Tudini Charlie Hammons

Senior Int’l Student Advisor Int’l Student Advisor

Manages J Student and Exchange Advisor

J Student Intern Program

Meg Popick Jeevan Devassy

Int’l Student Advisor Int’l Student Advisor

Leadership and Programming SEVIS Coordinator

Emily Dolezal Brittny Malbrue

Int’l Student Advisor Int’l Student Coordinator

Communications

ISSS Team

Student Newsletter

In this Issue

Changes and Updates 1

Reminders &

Common Requests

2

Other Considerations

3

Program Department Newsletter

Spring 2013

A newsletter from ISSS to

tGraduate Coordinators and

Academic Advisors

I-20 Request E-form

As we continue our transition to a

fully paperless office, we are

working to introduce an E-form to

replace the paper-based Draft I-20

request and mirror the existing J

student DS-2019 request process

in many ways. For Fall 2013, all

departmental I-20 requests will be

completed electronically through

iStart.gatech.edu. These requests

will be applicable to initial, trans-

fer and change of status students.

Information about the E-form,

including a tutorial and FAQ, will

be available in March through the

Graduate Admissions office.

InTECHnational News is an email newsletter sent to all international students twice a month from ISSS. The newsletter allows

the ISSS to communicate with students and departments regarding immigration law/policy updates, reminders, and upcoming

programs or events. We expect to introduce a variety of changes to the InTECHnational News as well as introduce new mediums

of communication in the coming year. If you currently do not receive the newsletter, please contact Emily Dolezal at

[email protected]

http://www.oie.gatech.edu/international-student-and-scholar-services

Page 2: ISSS Program Department Newsletter

Reminders and Common Requests

Reduced Course Load (RCL)

Immigration laws provide very limited exceptions to

the full-time (12 credits) enrollment for international

students. While academic/medical problems do hap-

pen, students must submit a Reduced Course Load

request and an ISSS advisor must authorize the RCL

in SEVIS before the student can drop below 12 cred-

its. At this point in the semester, a student can only

submit an RCL for either academic difficulties or for

a medical RCL. Request can be made via

istart.gatech.edu

Off Campus Employment

International students considering off campus work

experience are encouraged to consider the immigra-

tion benefit(s) for which they are eligible. F1 stu-

dents may be eligible for either Curricular Practical

Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training

(OPT). J1 student off-campus work authorization is

known as Academic Training (AT). Students must

have the appropriate authorization before they begin

any employment off campus. For more information,

please direct students to our website:

oie.gatech.edu/employment-and-training

CPT Requests

F1 students can begin applying for CPT after

they have spoken with an advisor in the

Division of Professional Practice (DOPP),

or for degrees that require internships, their academic

advisor. If DOPP or the academic advisor approves

their Co-op or Internship employment, it will be

passed on to OIE to authorize the employment on

their I-20.

OPT Applications

Optional Practical Training (OPT) gives F-1 students

an opportunity to gain work experience in the U.S.

before and/or after completion of a degree. It is lim-

ited to a total of 12 months for each higher degree

level in a job directly related to the student's field of

study. Students must be enrolled full time for a mini-

mum of 2 academic semesters to be eligible to work

off-campus. Unlike CPT, OPT does not require that

the employment be a required internship or practi-

cum. ISSS has detailed information and tutorials on

our website, at oie2.gatech.edu/OPT

Change of Degree Levels

Students changing degree levels must submit a re-

quest in iStart before the registration period ends, and

their BANNER record must reflect admission to the

new degree program. Students have a limited period

of time to be issued a new degree level I-20 or DS-

2019 and will be in violation of their visa status if the

degree they are pursuing is different than the degree

listed on their Form I-20 or DS-2019.

I-20 or DS-2019 Program Extensions

Students who will not complete their program by the

end date on their I-20 or DS-2019 must request a

program extension in iStart prior to the end date.

They should be directed to log into istart.gatech.edu

and submit the request. They should also speak with

an advisor/grad coordinator prior to making the re-

quest, so that the advisor/grad coordinator knows to

expect an e-mail requesting the submission of the

student’s information and funding. To be in compli-

ance with immigration laws and avoid a violation of

their F-1/J-1 status, students must have requested

and been issued their new immigration form before

the expiration date on their current I-20 or DS-2019.

Scanning I-20 or DS-2019 forms

I-20s/DS-2019s are legal immigration documents and

should not be reproduced through a fax or scan to an

incoming or current student. If a student is requesting

information about their immigration document, the

program department can direct the student to log into

iStart to review their profile information. The campus

codes for the purpose of paying a SEVIS I-901 fee

can be found at oie.gatech.edu/pre-arrival/transfer

http://www.oie.gatech.edu/international-student-and-scholar-services

Page 3: ISSS Program Department Newsletter

August 2013 Check-In

We are beginning preparations for Fall 2013 international

student check-in. In August, all new F and J International stu-

dents will use iStart to complete their check-in with the OIE.

New student check-in support is scheduled from August 7th to

21st. Students will scan their immigration documents and com-

plete a check-in form within iStart that provides the ISSS infor-

mation needed to activate the I-20 or DS-2019 SEVIS record

and remove the OIE registration hold. More detail about the fall

check-in will be shared before the end of the Spring semester.

J Student Intern

Starting in January 2013, Tech added the J Student Intern category

to the other J Exchange Visitor student and scholar categories al-

ready being utilized. You may be contacted by students interested

in coming to Tech to participate in an internship or practical re-

search experience that will fulfill educational objectives for his or

her current degree program at his or her home institution. Once a

student has identified a GT faculty member interested in supervis-

ing their internship, the Hiring Manager in the sponsoring depart-

ment will need to initiate the J Student Intern request in iStart. For

more information about the J Student Intern, visit

oie.gatech.edu/Studentintern

Other Considerations

http://www.oie.gatech.edu/international-student-and-scholar-services

ISSS Liaisons to Program Departments Administrators ISSS Advisor Program Department ISSS Contact

Gwen Fernandes ISYE, ECON, Public Policy, Math [email protected] , x5-6734

Charlie Hammons College of Computing, MGT, Textile Engineering [email protected], x4-9165

Meg Popick College of Sciences( except Math), CEE [email protected], x5-2598

Katie Tudini ECE [email protected], x4-9166

Jeevan Devassy AE, LCC, INTA, BME [email protected], x5-6708

Emily Dolezal ME, MSE, HTS, ARCH, ChBE [email protected], x5-0735