Nov. 3, 2023 Immigration Advisory

1. Taxes
2. Your country’s flag pin for graduation
3. IMPORTANT! Phone scam alert!
4. ISSS student portal
5. Change your clocks – Daylight Saving Time ends Nov. 5
6. Veterans Day holiday Nov. 10

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1. Taxes

Tax season is soon approaching (January through April), so it’s time to become familiarized with its terms and regulations. Please visit our website to learn more about taxes and what to prepare for. 

2. Your country’s flag pin for graduation

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! In connection with the Graduation Celebration, ISSS will be offering a flag pin to all international students expected to graduate this fall and who complete a Program Completion e-form in myPassport by 5 p.m. Nov. 9. The flag pin will be from your home country.   

Pullman campus students must pick up their pin at Bryan Hall 206 between Nov. 20 and Dec. 1, no exceptions. (Please note the office will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 23-24.) Students outside of Pullman will have their pins mailed if they provide a mailing address. Questions may be directed to ip.intlservices@wsu.edu.    

Thank you and congratulations from all of us in ISSS!    

3. IMPORTANT! Phone scam alert

If someone claiming to be a U.S. government official or law enforcement officer calls threatening you with deportation or any other negative immigration consequences – hang up immediately! This is a sophisticated scam (fraud)! Please see the official website for detailed information.  

USCIS and other government agencies will NEVER contact you over the phone to request payment immediately or to ask for identifying information.  

Recently, students in our area began receiving calls from a phone number that looks like a legitimate government number. When you answer, the person on the phone poses as a USCIS, FBI, IRS, or other government official or law enforcement officer. The scammer or scammers will say that there is a problem with your application or that additional information is required to continue the immigration process. Then, they will often ask for sensitive personal and financial information, demand payment, and threaten you with deportation, arrest, or other negative consequences if you do not comply immediately. 

The scammer will then order victims to make a payment – and will often order them to go to a nearby bank or store and withdraw money or purchase a prepaid card, Steam card, Apple gift card, Google Play gift card voucher, or money order or make some other wire transfer, money exchange, payment, or withdrawal. (Note that the scammers are often able to direct victims to nearby banks or stores by using online maps to study the area in which a victim resides.) Again – if you receive a call like that, hang up immediately! 

If you receive a suspicious email or voice message and are not sure if it is a scam, please contact ISSS at ip.intlservices@wsu.edu. Also, please visit the USCIS Avoid Scam page. 

If you have been a victim of one of these please contact our office and report it to the Federal Trade Commission online.

4. ISSS student portal

The ISSS office has a portal page for our international students. You can find links to our website as well as a permanent Zoom link you can use Monday-Friday, 1-3 p.m. (U.S. Pacific time) to speak with an advisor. We encourage you to take advantage of this great new resource. 

5. Change your clocks – Daylight Saving Time ends Nov. 5

Set your clocks back (those not on your phone) one hour before you go to bed on Saturday, Nov. 4. Daylight Saving Time officially ends this year at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5. This means wwe gain an hour of sleep, so enjoy!

5. Veterans Day holiday Nov. 10

ISSS and most WSU offices will be closed (even virtually) on Friday, Nov. 10, in honor of Veterans Day. This is a national and university holiday so there will be no classes scheduled this day.