Tuesday, January 4, 2011

International Student Responsibilities

Greetings New & Returning International Students!

The Office of International Education (OIE) reminds you of some important responsibilities you have as international students in the United States.  Read this message carefully.  Details on all of the following issues are available on the OIE web site.  Please note that our Spring 2011 Calendar is posted with upcoming OIE events.

A. MAINTAINING LEGAL IMMIGRATION STATUS

Understand your immigration status and know what you may do, what you may not do, and what you are REQUIRED to do while in the U.S.  Know which documents you need to have, how to keep them current, and when and why they may need to be updated. All of this information can be found by clicking here.

Allow sufficient time for requests for signatures or documents from OIE, other campus offices, the Department of Homeland Security or other organizations.  OIE requires 3 business days to process requests for signatures and 5 business days for new documents.

B. ENROLLMENT

F-1 and J-1 students are required to be enrolled full-time each semester in order to maintain status.  If you are considering dropping below full-time, you must consult with your OIE advisor first in order to determine if you are eligible for a reduced course load authorization.  Failure to do so will result in the loss of your legal status.  If eligible, you will need to provide a completed Reduced Course Load authorization form to OIE.  Please note that by withdrawing from courses, you may not be eligible for an extension in the future.  Always consult with an OIE advisor before withdrawing from a course.

C. CHANGE OF ADDRESS

You must update your living address information with the HUB student information online within 10 days of moving to a new address.  This may be done through the Student Information Online (SIO).

*For all international students, the PERMANENT ADDRESS fields must be completed with an address in your home country (NOT a U.S. address).  International students living off campus must provide their U.S. residential address in the OFF-CAMPUS RESIDENCE fields.

Please log on to SIO and confirm that your information is current.   

There are limits to the type and the amount of employment you may have while in the U.S.  F-1 and J-1 students may work on campus for Carnegie Mellon University part-time (20 hours or fewer per week) while classes are in session and full-time during official school breaks or annual vacations.  J-1 students need a letter from their program sponsor before beginning on campus employment.

All F-1 and J-1 students must visit OIE and receive authorization before beginning ANY type off-campus employment.  For details on off-campus employment options, click here.  Since some types of work authorization can take months to receive, plan ahead!

E. TRAVEL ISSUES

Know before you go!  If you are traveling internationally and will need to return to the U.S. to resume your studies, be sure to have all documents necessary to re-enter the U.S.  If you are traveling to a country that is not your home country, you must contact that country's embassy or consulate to find out what documentation is required to go there.  For more detailed information, please click here. 

All international students in the U.S. are required to file a tax return with the Internal Revenue Service by mid-April of every year whether or not they earned income in the U.S.  In late February and March, OIE will send email updates and offer information sessions and volunteer assistance with your tax returns.  Take advantage of these services when they are offered.

G. CONTACT OIE

If you have questions or situations not covered by our website or office handouts, contact our office by phone at 412-268-5231 or email at oie@andrew.cmu.edu.  For more complex questions or problems, schedule an appointment with an advisor by calling 412-268-5231.  For emergency situations, call or visit the office - DO NOT SEND EMAIL.  Please be sure to address correspondence to the appropriate advisor:

DEB PRVANOVIC, Advisor to CIT

CARLY SHANE, Advisor to Heinz, SCS (All but ETC and HCI)

JENNIFER MCNABB, Advisor to CFA, Tepper, MCS, H&SS, ETC and HCI (in the School of Computer Science)

We wish you all the best during your time at Carnegie Mellon.  Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,