January 31, 2025 Immigration Advisory

1. New student at WSU enrolled in face-to-face classes?
2. Health Fee charge
3. Be aware of weather alerts
4. Tax Information: Coming Soon!  
5. IRS Recovery Rebate Credit and Nonresident Aliens  
6. Reminder – Phone-based multifactor authentication ends March 25

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1. New student at WSU enrolled in face-to-face classes?

Then you need to check in with ISSS so we can register your SEVIS record and verify with the U.S government that you are in status. Here is what you need to do: 

Pullman campus – please log in to myPassport and complete the Orientation Check-In requirements. We will need the following two things to register you: 

• Student Document Check In 
• Emergency Contact  

Not based on the Pullman campus? Please contact your local DSO to arrange a Zoom meeting to do your check in and document review. Information on your local contact can be found at the bottom of this email. 

2. Health Fee charge

The Health Fee is NOT automatically assessed if: 

1. During the fall/spring, a student is taking less than 7 credits, or

2. During the summer, a student is not enrolled. 

So, if any of our students, including Fulbright students, are ABD and not on an assistantship (likely enrolled in 2 credits) or if they are not taking classes during the summer, they would need to opt-in for the Health Fee to be seen at CHS/CAPS. They should still be covered under insurance, though.  

3. Be aware of weather alerts

This time of the year the weather changes rapidly and is extremely cold. With wind gusts it may become unsafe to walk outside for long times. So, it’s important to bundle up with winter appropriate gear and stay inside as much as possible. 

In addition, please make sure to sign up for WSU alert and possible class cancellation due to inclement weather.

Please contact Cougar Health Services to check how to remove the hold(s) if you have any.

4. Tax Help: More Information Coming Soon!

This year, ISSS is working with WSU’s Nonresident Tax Help Group (NoRTH) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to provide free tax help to F-1 and J-1 students. For more details, visit tax help page.

Important: Keep all forms you receive, like W-2, 1042-S, and 1099-INT, etc. You will need them to file your taxes. 

If you have basic tax questions, visit our tax page.

Note: ISSS does not give tax advice or information on tax treaties. For tax help, you can make a Zoom or in-person appointment with NoRTH/VITA or ask a licensed tax professional.

5. IRS Recovery Rebate Credit and Nonresident Aliens

Disclaimer: ISSS does not provide tax advice. Please consult a tax professional for tax related questions. 

At the end of 2024 the IRS announced that they were going to proactively send the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) payment to individuals the IRS believed were eligible for the credit, but who had not previously claimed it.  Unfortunately, there appears to have been an error in this process, and the IRS is erroneously sending the payments to individuals who are not eligible.   

One of the original requirements for the RRC was that the individual must have been a U.S. citizen or resident alien.  Nonresident aliens were not eligible for this credit.  The IRS has not changed the eligibility criteria for this credit. 
  
Despite this, the IRS is sending the credit payment (generally $1,400) to taxpayers who were nonresident aliens in 2021 and filed 2021 1040-NR tax returns.  These taxpayers are not eligible for this credit, even though the IRS is also sending notices that state “…recent tax laws, rulings, or regulations required us to correct your Recovery Rebate Credit”. 

Taxpayers who received the RRC payment in error must return it to the IRS.  The IRS making a mistake in sending the payment does not mean that a taxpayer gets to keep the payment.  Failure to return the payment in a timely fashion can result in the IRS charging additional interest until the payment is returned.   

The options for returning are as follows:

1. They received the check but have not yet cashed it:
   • Write “Void” on the back of the check.  
   • Mail the check to a valid IRS branch location  
   • Include in it a note outlining why they are returning the check.  
      
2. They received the payment as a check and cashed it/they received the payment through direct deposit:

• This will require them to send a personal check, or money order, etc., to their relevant IRS branch location  
• On the check/money order, they’ll have to write “made payable to ‘U.S. Treasury’” and also write ‘2021EIP’, and their taxpayer ID (in this case their social security number, or individual taxpayer identification number/ITIN).  
• Again, give an explanation of the reason for returning the payment.

Make a copy / take a picture of all payment and documents sent to the IRS.
 
In addition to this, if the student filed incorrectly, they would also need to file an amended return for the incorrect tax year.  

Here are some informational blogs which include instructions on how to return these checks and amend tax return if necessary:  

• Nonresident aliens: Your guide to navigating the COVID-19 CARES Act Stimulus Payments.
• Everything a nonresident needs to know about the US Recovery Rebate Credit.

6. Reminder – Phone-based multifactor authentication ends March 25

Information Technology Services (ITS) started sending emails yesterday, Thursday January 30, 2025, to users that are currently only using text message or voice call for multi-factor authentication (MFA) when signing in to WSU services. 

If you receive this email, please be sure to follow the instructions given in the email to update your MFA Options. 

To learn more, you may visit the WSU Insider article explaining this notice.