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A newsletter from ISSS to the Graduate Coordinators and Academic Advisors.
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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
http://www.oie.gatech.edu/international-student-and-scholar-services
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
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