Welcome New Global Spartans!
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For the Spring 2019 semester, ISSS cordially welcomes over 300 new international students to the Global Spartan community! Currently, SJSU has approximately 3,200 enrolled international students with an additional 2,500 students on post-OPT and STEM-OPT.
During the last 10 years, our international student community has grown exponentially and has made SJSU a truly vibrant, diverse cultural melting pot with international students from over 100 countries!
WELCOME TO SJSU!!
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Full-Time Enrollment & Reduced Course Load Requests
In order to successfully maintain your F-1 student status, you need to ensure that you are satisfying your minimum enrollment requirements. For undergraduate students, this means that you must be enrolled in at least 12 units. For graduate students, this means you must be enrolled in at least 9 units.
Please keep in mind that there are very limited exceptions to the full-time enrollment rule. For more information on this, please view our
table for reduced course loads. Typically, students are only able to be authorized for a reduced course load if it is their last semester or have a severe medical issue impeding them from attending their classes. RCLs are not meant for students to "take a break" from their full-time schedules or as a contingency plan should the courses you desire to enroll in are not available.
RCL Deadlines
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12. ISSS will
not accept RCL requests beyond this date. February 12 is also the add deadline for new courses so please be aware of this as well.
If you are applying for spring 2019 CPT and you will be filing a reduced course load, you will need to submit your spring 2019 RCL request along with your CPT application during advising hours.
New Appointment & Walk-In Advising Schedule
On January 28, 2019, ISSS began offering the opportunity for students to schedule appointments with advisors in addition to our walk-in advising schedule. For more detailed information on how to schedule an appointment; which advising scenarios are appropriate for appointments; and duration of appointments, please review the following
handout.
Weekly Appointment Schedule:
Students must schedule an appointment in order to meet with an advisor.
Appointments should be limited to a duration of
20 minutes or less per session.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
9-11 am 9-11 am 9-11 am 9-11 am No Appointments
New Walk-In Advising Schedule:
No appointment necessary.
Students will be seen by an advisor on a first-come, first-served basis.
Walk-in advising should be limited to a duration of
10 minutes per session.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
2-4 pm 2-4 pm 2-4 pm 2-4 pm 2-4 pm
Tax Workshops coming soon!
Please stay abreast of your emails and periodically check our website for more information about tax workshops. In the meantime, you can review our
tax information section on our website.
F-1 Employment Updates
New F-1 Employment Tutorials Available Online
In an effort to provide more convenient options for our burgeoning international student community, ISSS now offers online CPT, post-completion OPT, & STEM-OPT tutorials. Students MUST view the employment tutorials prior to submitting their CPT/OPT applications to ISSS.
Previously, ISSS offered weekly in-person F-1 Employment Info Sessions. Please click on the following links to access the tutorials:
CPT Application Submission Deadlines
Beginning this semester, ISSS will implement a deadline on CPT application submissions.
The deadline for CPT application submissions for the Spring 2019 semester will be Friday, March 15.
CPT applications WILL NOT be accepted after March 15 so please plan accordingly!
Academic Year CPT Start & End Dates for 2019
The possible CPT authorization dates for 2019 are as follows:
- Spring 2019: December 20, 2018 to May 22, 2019
- Summer 2019: May 23, 2019 to August 16, 2019
- Fall 2019: August 19, 2019 to December 18, 2019
Please visit our
website for more information
Volunteering or Unpaid Employment?
There is a difference! Please see our
handout on the difference between volunteering and unpaid employment. We strongly recommend that you obtain authorization for any unpaid internship/employment opportunity.
Informed Delivery
Recently, we have noticed that several students have been losing their EAD cards in the mail. Please ensure that you provided an accurate address on your I-765, or if you are intending on having the EAD card sent to an "in care of" (another person's) address, make sure they are still residing at this particular address. Moreover, you need to ensure that your name or in care of recipient's name is listed clearly on the mailbox.
A great way to obtain confirmation that your EAD card is arriving soon is to sign up for the Post Office's
Informed Delivery service. This is a free service and will enable you to receive a gray-scale image of your letter containing your EAD card along with the anticipated delivery date prior to receiving it.
DO NOT start work until you receive your EAD card.
#TalkToUs
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INTERNATIONAL COFFEE HOUR
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Unfortunately, many F-1 and J-1 international students have been common targets for scams. Scams are fraudulent or deceptive services that try to acquire money or personal information from you illegally.If you feel that you have been a victim of a scam, please contact the police immediately.
The latest scam involves impostors posing as representatives of the Social Security Administration who threaten to discontinue your social security benefits unless you provide them personal information. Please visit the
SSA website for guidance on this particular scam.
Please do not acquiesce to their demands as most government agencies will not call you should they need to communicate with you. In the event that they need to contact you, they will most likely send you written correspondence via post. Providing such information can result in severe financial loss or identity theft. If you feel you've been a victim of this particular scam, please file a police report immediately with UPD. Scams can include (but are not limited to):
Social Security Scams
Banking scams
IRS impostor scams
USCIS impostor scams
911 impostor scams
Investment scams
Charity scams
Pyramid schemes
Lottery and sweepstakes scams
Telephone scams
Please visit the following website:
usa.gov to obtain the most recent and complete list of scams. You should always be cautious and never give out your social security number, passport number, or bank account information to an unverified source or organization. Please also make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date and you consistently change your passwords.
If you are unsure whether you are being targeted for a scam, you can also talk to us any time about this very important subject and we could help.
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Please apply
here by February 11
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Strategies for Landing a Job in the U.S.
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DROP-IN CAREER ADVISING SPRING 2019
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EVERY FRIDAY AT ISSS STARTING ON FEBRUARY 22
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International Support Group
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Please click
here
for the Writing Center's workshop hours
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This year we are celebrating the
Year of the Pig. In Chinese culture, the pig represents wealth and good fortune. Lunar New Year is not only celebrated in China, but in many other Asian countries such as Korea (Seollal), Vietnam (Tet), Singapore, and Thailand.
The Lunar New Year begins on
February 5 with the first new moon of the lunar calendar, and ends with the first full moon of the lunar calendar which ends 15 days later. In China, this culminates in the popular
Lantern Festival
. The U.S. adheres to the solar calendar, or the earth's 365-day revolution around the sun. The Ancient Romans, specifically during the reign of Julius Caesar, began using the solar calendar or "
Julian Calendar
" in 45 BC.
Finally, after one last modification from the Catholic Church in the 16th century, Western countries now follow the Gregorian Calendar.
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ISSS Office Hours & Employment Tutorials
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Office Hours
Monday - Friday
9 am - 4 pm
- Answers to general inquiries
- Submit service requests
- Document drop-off/pick-up.
Walk-In Advising
MONDAY-FRIDAY : 2
- 4 pm
Advising Appointments (New)
MONDAY-THURSDAY
: 9-11 am
- One-on-one advising for more complex advising matters
- Advising sessions are limited to 20 minutes or less
- Please call or email us to reserve an appointment
- Contact ISSS 24 hours in advance for cancellations
- View instructions here about how to schedule an appointment
F-1 Employment & Change of Status Tutorials
F-1 Employment Tutorials
Change of Status Info Session
TBD*
*Coming soon!
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OFFICE CLOSURES
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None in February
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