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Immigration Advisory

Oct. 23, 2020

Please read this information as a guide to help you with your remote studies and to maintain valid immigration status.

Contents:

  1. International Programs Town Hall – recording
  2. Plan ahead! OPT processing times at 90-100 days
  3. On campus employment
  4. Do you have an International Programs hold?
  5. Free speech in the US

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  1. International Programs Town Hall – recording

The Office of International Programs hosted a Town Hall on Monday, Oct. 19, following WSU’s decision on Oct. 15 to continue remote instruction for spring 2021 semester. The recording is available here.

Please note that the ICE Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has not yet issued guidance for international students for spring term.

  1. Plan ahead! OPT processing times at 90-100 days

Are you graduating in December 2020 and interested in participating in a post-completion internship in your field in the United States? If so, then you may want to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), a benefit of your F-1 status that allows you to work off campus after you graduate as long as you work in a field related to your major.

This benefit is requested through USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) and they are currently taking approximately 90-100 days to review requests. So if you are interested, do not wait to apply! In addition, you do not need a job offer to apply. Therefore, there is no reason to wait if you know you wish to pursue OPT.

The application process starts in mypassport:

  1. Log in to wsu.edu.
  2. Under F-1 student services tab, choose Optional Practical Training application.
  3. Watch the online tutorial for more information.
  4. After uploading the requested documents hit “submit.”
  5. We will contact you in about 5 business days to mail your OPT packet so you can submit it to USCIS.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact your local International Student Advisor.

  1. On Campus Employment

As a reminder – if you are an F-1 student, you are eligible to work on campus without ISSS authorization. However, you are limited by immigration regulations to only 20 hours per week of employment.

J-1 students can also work on campus up to 20 hours per week but DO NEED approval from ISSS to work on campus BEFORE they can begin working. So if you are a J-1 student, please speak with an International Student Advisor about your limitations.

Please keep these limitations in mind and be careful not to go over 20 hours. You can potentially lose your F-1/J-1 status.

Additionally, if you are transferring from another WSU campus please remember that your SEVIS record must be transferred to the new campus BEFORE you can begin work there.

  1. Do you have an International Programs hold?

All international students in F-1 and J-1 status should have an INTL Programs Drop Hold for spring 2021. This hold will NOT prevent you from registering for your spring classes. It is there only to ensure that you do not mistakenly drop below full-time status when you drop or withdraw from courses. Therefore, this hold only keeps you from dropping or withdrawing courses on your own. All drop/withdraw requests need to go through ISSS first. Graduate students: These requests need to be made through the graduate school.

If you have the INTL Programs hold (not the drop hold), this will prevent you from registering for your spring 2021 classes. This hold was placed on your account because you did not complete the ISSS international orientation offered throughout the fall semester.

You can speak with an advisor to learn how to have the hold removed. We have open advising hours Monday through Friday, 1-3 p.m. Please email ip.intlservices@wsu.edu to set up an appointment.

  1. Free speech in the US

U.S. elections are coming up on Nov. 3. Washington State University and the WSU Office of International Programs wants to remind the international community that the university itself is a place for free speech. Free speech means that in the United States, at a university like WSU, you may have faculty, staff or other students express varying opinions about issues and that disagreement is acceptable. We encourage you to explore freedom of speech in the U.S. by reading about it here: https://freespeech.wsu.edu/. This is part of the experience of studying in the United States. If you have questions or concerns about the elections, please e-mail us at ip.intlservices@wsu.edu.

If you have any questions about the above announcements, please contact International Student and Scholar Services.

WSU Pullman students contact +1 509-335-4508 or ip.intlservices@wsu.edu

WSU Vancouver students contact Caitlyn Schock at +1 360-546-9514 or van.dso@wsu.edu

WSU Spokane students contact Kristie Brink at +1 509-358-7963 or kkclark@wsu.edu

WSU Everett students contact Anna McLeod at +1 425-405-1727 or anna.mcleod2@wsu.edu

WSU Tri-Cities students contact Karina Barajas at +1 509-372-7358 or karina.barajas@wsu.edu