Welcome To ISS Orientation
International Student Services
Purpose of Presentation
Introduce you to your international student services
office, ISS.
Provide critical information to help you maintain your
legal status.
Complete your mandatory check-in procedure with
SEVIS.
The Role of ISS
ADVICE: Advise on immigration and other governmental
regulations.
SUPPORT: Organize orientation and continued assistance.
PROGRAMMING: Offer opportunities for campus and
community involvement.
ADVOCACY: Represent and voice your interests, needs and
concerns.
Who Is An International Student?
 A person on the F-1 or J-1
student visas.
 Their purpose in the U.S. is to be
a full-time degree seeking
student.
 They are require to comply with
F-1 or J-1 nonimmigrant visa
regulations.
For More F & J Visa Information
 Consult with ISS:
In person: Red Gym, Room 217
By e-mail: iss@studentlife.wisc.edu
Via the web: http://iss.wisc.edu
By phone: 608.262.2044
 Read Access ISS, our electronic newsletter
 Government websites: www.ice.gov and www.uscis.gov
Important Note
ISS is here to help, but you are ultimately responsible
for your status.
Please do not hesitate to ask us for help at any time.
SEVIS
The Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a
secure internet-based system, run by the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS).
SEVIS allows schools to:
 Provide certain authorizations to students.
 Convey required information to the U.S. federal
government.
 Parts of SEVIS information can be seen by U.S. Embassies
and Consulates, the school you are attending, and other
U.S. federal agencies.
Maintain Your Status
 Enroll full time.
 Accept employment only as authorized.
 Maintain valid documents:
 Passport must be valid at all times.
 I-20 or DS-2019 must be valid and up-to-date
at all times.
 Update your address changes in MyUW.
Fulltime Enrollment
You must enroll fulltime during fall and spring semesters:
 Undergraduates: 12 credits
 Graduates & Professionals: 8 credits
 6 credits for graduates with a 33.3% Teaching Assistantships (TA) /
Project Assistantships (PA)
 4 credits for graduates with a 50% TA/PA
 3 credits for dissertators
 Please also check department requirements
 Research Assistantships (RA) are considered employment starting July 1st,
2013. RA’s will need to enroll for 8 credits. *More information to come
soon.*
Summer Enrollment
 Fulltime enrollment is required if your first term is summer:
 ESL Students = 6 credits
 Undergraduates = 6 credits
 Graduates = 4 credits.
 Graduates with assistantship of any type = 2 credits.
 After your initial semester, summer enrollment is usually
optional.
 Graduate & professional students should consult with their
departments as enrollment may be required by them.
On-line Courses
• You may take on-line courses, but only one
course (maximum of 3 credits) per semester
may count towards your fulltime enrollment
requirement.
• During your final semester of study, even if it
is summer, you must enroll at UW-Madison
for credits.
Reducing Your Course Load
 There are very few acceptable reasons you may be
authorized to enroll below fulltime.
 You MUST first obtain approval from ISS before reducing your
course load in order to maintain your legal status.
 ISS approvals are reported to the federal government via
SEVIS.
Acceptable Reasons
 Academic or language difficulty- Available for only one semester of the
entire degree program.
 Final term of study – Available when you do not need a fulltime load to
complete your degree requirements.
 Medical problem- You can be authorized to take a
reduced load for a maximum of one year.
 Coursework completed - Graduate students pursuing their thesis or
dissertation can be authorized to reduce their course load once required
courses are completed.
On-Campus Employment
F-1 Status
• No additional work permission
is needed.
• Includes TA, PA, & RA
• Cannot exceed over 20 hrs/wk
during fall & spring semesters.
• Can work over 20 hrs/week
during vacation periods
(winter, spring & summer
breaks).
J-1 Status
• Can work with written
sponsor permission letter.
• Cannot exceed over 20
hrs/wk during fall & spring
semesters.
• Can work over 20 hrs/week
during vacation periods
(winter, spring & summer
breaks).
Off-campus Employment
• Position MUST be related to major(s).
• Generally available after maintaining visa status for
one academic year.
• Information is available on the ISS website and in
the ISS office.
• As you have just arrived, we will not cover offcampus work regulations today.
The Social Security Number
• Only students with employment are eligible to
apply for a Social Security Number (SSN).
• Everyone needs a letter from ISS in order to apply
for an SSN.
 F-1 students: Bring a job offer letter to ISS.
 J-1 students: If the UW-Madison is your sponsor, apply
for on-campus work permission at ISS. If not, you must
request work permission from your sponsor listed on
your DS-2019.
Report Your Addresses
• Federal regulations require you to report address changes
within 10 days of moving.
• Report address changes through your MyUW:
• Home Address must list permanent address abroad.
• Mailing Address must list current residence in U.S.
• Emergency Address is not required, but strongly
recommended.
• All addresses must be a physical street address. No P.O. Box
addresses allowed.
• Your Visa Check-In today is not complete until you
Update your addresses in MyUW.
Keep Valid and Accurate Documents
• Your I-20 or DS-2019 cannot expire during your studies. If you
need additional time to complete your degree, start the renewal
process at the beginning of the semester your document will
expire.
• Report to ISS any changes on your I-20 or DS-2019 :





Field of Study (Major)
Degree Level
Financial Support
Name
Dependent Statuses
…continue
• Your Passport cannot expire in the U.S. Contact your home
country embassy or consulate in the U.S. to renew your
passport at least 6 months before it expires.
I-20
I-20 Expiration Date is shown in
item # 5 following the phrase,
“…and complete studies not
later than _______.”
Requesting an I-20 extension
even ONE DAY AFTER the
expiration date is too late and
you would no longer be in legal
visa status.
DS-2019
DS-2019 Expiration
Date is shown in item
# 3 following the
phrase, “Form Covers
Period From:_______
and To:_________.”
Your Visa May Expire While in U.S.
It is okay for your F-1 or J-1 visa in your passport to expire while
you are in the U.S.
The visa must only be valid when crossing the border to enter into
the U.S.
Since the F or J visa can expire
without consequence while
you are in the U.S., it is not
possible to renew your visa
while inside the United States.
Get Your I-94 Card
(Arrival by Air or Sea)
• Go to https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/request.html
• The following information is required to retrieve your
Admission (I-94) number. Enter the information as it appears
on the passport you used to enter the U.S.:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Family name
First name
Birth date(MM/DD/YYYY)
Passport number
Country of Issuance
Date of Entry (stamped inside your passport, and
Class of admission (F1 or J1).
I-94 Arrival/Departure Card
(Land Entry Only)
Grace Periods
The grace period is the additional time permitted in the
visa status after completing the academic program.
•F-1 students have a 60-day grace period to legally
remain in the U.S. to pack, travel, apply for OPT or
another academic program, or change visa status.
•J-1 students have a 30-day grace period.
•If you if you withdraw from the university, with ISS
permission you may be granted a 15-day grace period.
Maintain Your Student Status
• Enroll Fulltime during the academic year at the school listed on
your I-20 or DS-2019. Obtain ISS authorization before reducing
your course load.
• Keep your I-20 or DS-2019 valid and extend it with ISS before it
expires.
• Renew your Passport with your home country consulate before it
expires.
• Work only as authorized.
• Abide by the law. Conviction of a crime that leads to UW
disciplinary action could jeopardize your status.
• Depart the U.S. within your grace period.
Travel Endorsement
To re-enter the U.S. you need:
• Valid passport
• Valid visa stamp
• A travel endorsement (less than 6 months)
• Financial support documents
Lower right
corner of
DS-2019
Page 3 of I-20
Tips For Your Travel:
• Check if you need visas for the countries you are visiting, or
transiting through, especially if you are not going home.
• Check the expiry date of your visa. If you do need a new one,
allow sufficient time to obtain it. Visa applications can take a
month or longer due to security and background checks.
• Expect travel delays.
Dependents
• F-2 and J-2 dependents are the spouse and children
(under 21 years of age) of the F-1 and J-1 student.
• F-2 and J-2 dependents are required to report changes in
U.S. and foreign addresses within 10 days of moving using
the AR-11 form. Available online at www.uscis.gov.
Dependents
F-2 Study Eligibility:
F-2 spouses may not
engage in full-time or
degree-related study
F-2 children may study at the
elementary and secondary
school levels (no college
prep courses)
F-2 Work Eligibility:
F-2 dependents are not
permitted to work at all
J-2 Study Eligibility:
J-2 spouses are allowed to study
J-2 children may study at any level
until they reach 21 years of age
J-2 Work Eligibility:
J-2 spouses may apply through the
USCIS to obtain temporary work
authorization
General Advice
• Make and keep copies of all your visa status
documents:
 I-20 or DS-2019
 I-94 arrival/departure information or card
 F-1 or J-1 visa stamp
 Passport (photo & expiry pages)
• Do not carry around your documents unless
needed.
• Keep originals in a safe place and copies in
separate location.
Pay Your Tuition
Are you getting funded from your government or a
third party for your education? If so, stop by the
Bursar’s office at 333 Campus Mall or visit their
website www.wisc.edu/bursar to set up your
account properly and to learn how to pay tuition.
UW E-mail Policy
• All students must activate their university Net ID and their UW
“@wisc.edu” email account.
• The UW email account is the University’s preferred means of
communication with all students.
• Students are responsible for all information sent to them via
their UW email account.
• If you choose to forward your UW emails to an outside email
provider, you are still responsible for all information and
attachments sent to you that may be lost through filters and
spam settings.
Rules & Regulations Pop Quiz
Where is the ISS office located?
What are the ISS office hours?
True or False?
It is okay for your visa to expire in the
U.S.
How many credits do you need to enroll
for during fall and spring semesters to
maintain your F-1 or J-1 status?
What do you need to get from ISS when
you travel outside of the country?
How long does it take for this service?
What are three of the things you need to
do to maintain your legal status?
Mandatory Visa Status
Check-In Process
Please take out copies of your visa status documents
or the orange ISS Receipt.
Steps to Complete Your Visa Check-In:
1.
Create a GREEN (F-1) or YELLOW (J-1) personal folder for ISS.
2.
Complete the BLUE “Check-In” form.
3.
Place the ORANGE ISS Receipt into your file. (If you did not get
your documents scanned, you must get them scanned at ISS to obtain the ORANGE
ISS Receipt for your file.)
4.
You MUST submit your folder to an ISS staff today.
5.
You MUST update your addresses in MyUW after orientation.
ISS is required by the U.S. government to collect this
information.
Step 1: Create Your ISS Folder
F-1 Students Use Green Folder
J-1 Students Use Yellow Folder
• On the folder tab, write your:
• FAMILY NAME, First Name
• UW Student ID Number (if you know it)
• Write expiry date of I-20/DS-2019 on front left side of folder
Step 2: Complete BLUE Check-In Form
Did you attend another U.S. institution last semester? (ESL,
high school, another college/university, etc)
• If so, check the “YES” box. You are a “transfer student” for visa
purposes.
• Please write the name of the educational institution you previously
attended.
• ISS will update your SEVIS record and issue you a new I-20. ISS will
email you to come pick it up.
Step 3: Place Documents into Folder
•
•
Completed BLUE “Check In” form
ORANGE ISS Receipt verifying that your documents
were scanned:
 I-20 or DS-2019
 Passport identity and expiry page
 F-1 or J-1 Visa stamp (excluding Canadians)
 I-94 card
Step 4: Submit Your Folder
• You must hand in your folder today to an ISS staff.
• If you forgot your orange ISS Receipt, please bring it into
the ISS office during our office hours.
• If you need to get your documents scanned, please visit
ISS during our office hours.
Step 5: Update Your Addresses
• Don’t forget to update your HOME and MAILING
addresses in your MyUW after orientation.
WE CANNOT REGISTER YOUR SEVIS RECORD UNTIL
THIS IS DONE.
Our Service
Our goal is to help you transition successfully to life in the U.S.
and at UW-Madison. We aim to help cultivate, advance and
interconnect your academic, personal, social and professional
development goals. We look forward to working with you
throughout your studies!
Help us help you:
 Please bring your current visa status documents when you
visit ISS (Passport & I-20 or DS-2019).
 Please do not wait until the last minute; document
requests and authorizations may take up to 2 weeks to
process.
Orientation Final Announcements
 Residence Hall Linens
 CellularLD
 ISS Orientation link (PowerPoints, International
Student Handbook, International Student Guide,
YouTube videos)
 MFIS – Capitol Reception is January 26 1-3 pm
 Caution to New Students http://tinyurl.com/adbry7e.
 New International Student Welcome Reception
Welcome to
UW-Madison!