December 10, 2018

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Travel Signature

Important Travel Reminders: If you are planning on travelling outside the U.S. over the Winter Break on F or J visa status, please make sure you have a valid travel signature on your F-1/F-2 I-20 or J-1/J-2 DS-2019. Also, please be sure that your passport is valid. When you enter the U.S. in nonimmigrant status, your period of stay is reflected on your Form I-94 and may be limited to the expiration date of your passport, even if your visa or USCIS Approval Notice expires at a later date. Please be sure to send a copy of your new I-94 (and visa if applicable) to International Student & Scholar Services at international@ua.edu each time you return to the U.S. To print a copy of your I-94 document visit www.cbp.gov/i94.

Will Spring be your Final Semester?
Submit Last Semester Memo

Are you nearing graduation? If so, please review the Final Semester Checklist page to make sure you will have a smooth transition into life after Alabama.

If you are in your final semester you may enroll in less than 12 credit hours of classes if you require less than full-time enrollment to graduate. This exception is only for the final semester of study. Just remember that you must submit the less-than-full-time authorization form found here.

Registration and Online Course Limit Reminders
F-1 and J-1 students are required to maintain a full-time course load during fall and spring semesters. Full time enrollment generally means Graduate students must enroll for at least 9 credits and Undergraduate students must enroll for at least 12 credits every semester. Full details on enrollment requirements and exceptions can be found here.

Only 1 on-line class (i.e. 3 credit hours) per semester may count towards a “full course of study.” For example, an undergraduate student is required to register for 12 credits per semester to maintain full time status. Of the 12 required hours only 3 credit hours may be on-line. Any additional hours above the 12 required hours for an undergraduate student may be either regular campus classes or on-line.

If you are planning to take any classes at another institution as a transient student during the spring semester, you must first enroll at The University of Alabama in a total of 12 credit hours as an undergraduate student or 9 credit hours as a graduate student to be validated as a full-time student in SEVIS. Once the full-time requirement is met at UA, you can request and print out a Letter of Transiency via myBama to be able to take classes at another institution. A tutorial for requesting a transient letter can be found on University Registrar office’s website.

If you are in your final semester and need to be enrolled less than full time, you must submit the less than full time authorization form found here.

On-Campus Employment Reminders

Students on F-1 and J-1 student visas, here are a few quick reminders about what employment is allowed under the student visa.

On-Campus Employment is allowed up to a maximum of 20 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters. On-Campus Employment means that the employment takes place on the UA campus and also serves UA students, faculty, and staff. Employment can be for a UA department or for an employer such as Bama Dining which is located on the UA Campus.
On-Campus Employment may exceed 20 hours per week during official university breaks (Summer break, Winter break, and Spring break). This means that students can work more than 20 hours per week on-campus after exam week. For the winter break, the dates an F-1 or J-1 student can work in excess of 20 hours per week are December 15, 2018 through January 8, 2019.

To be clear, as an international student visa holder, there are a number of restrictions against employment. Some common employment that is NOT ALLOWED without special authorization by ISSS and the Department of Homeland Security:

Freelancing for non-UA entities;
Tutoring for anyone other than UA for pay;
Gig economy jobs such as driving for UBER, LYFT or delivery for SHIPT or other online companies (these are jobs, and count as employment, even if you are not an employee in the traditional sense);
Waiting tables at a restaurant off-campus, even if only for tips.

http://international.ua.edu/isss/currentstudents/student-employment/
If you have any doubts or questions about whether or not something counts as on-campus work or not, please see an advisor in International Student & Scholar Services.

December 2018 Graduates

F-1 STUDENT DEADLINE: If you graduate or complete your studies on 12/15/2018 your 60-day grace period ends on February 13, 2019.
J-1 STUDENT DEADLINE: If you graduate or complete your studies on 12/15/2018 your 30-day grace period ends on January 14, 2019.

Special note to thesis master and PhD students who will graduate in Spring 2019:

If your graduation ceremony is in May 2019, but you are not required to enroll in any credit hours in Spring 2019, your completion date/ I-20 end date would also be 12/15/2018. You should apply for OPT or take action on your immigration status by 02/13/2018.

J-1 students who are not required to enroll in Spring 2019, but will graduate in May 2019, you should take action by 01/14/2019 or by the end date of your DS-2019, whichever comes earlier .

Please see details on minimum registration hours and I-20/DS-2019 Completion Date on ISSS website here

OPT / Academic Training

The earliest date to file for OPT for F-1 students graduating in December of 2018 was 9/16/2018. The last date to apply for OPT is February 13, 2019. F-1 students graduating in December are eligible to file their OPT application now.

USCIS takes 3- 5 months to process OPT applications. Therefore, ISSS highly recommend students who plan to work in the U.S. after graduation apply for OPT as early as possible. To be considered timely filed, OPT application must be received by USCIS by February 13, 2019.

Students who wish to apply for OPT or Academic Training must gather their documents and secure an appointment with an ISSS advisor. OPT Packet can be found on the ISSS website here. The Academic Training Packet is here

OPT, CPT, and AT processing appointments are held every Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Please schedule an appointment by calling 205-348-5402, emailing international@ua.edu or going online http://sarsweb.ua-net.ua.edu/eSARS/CINTL_IS/eSARS.asp

Have you completed your OPT/CPT Blackboard Training?

All F-1 international students beginning their studies at The University of Alabama in Fall 2018 are required to complete two (2) training courses on OPT and CPT work authorization. If you are an F-1 student and Fall 2018 is your first term of study, you have been enrolled in both courses. You may access both by logging into your Blackboard. Both courses should be listed under “My Courses” section in Blackboard. Deadline to complete the training and the quizzes is January 08, 2019.

Remember: you will not be eligible to apply for OPT or CPT if you do not complete the training.

The upcoming winter break will be a great time to knock down this task. Upon completing the training, you will learn how to obtain work authorization if you have an internship, or if plan to work in the U.S after graduation.

Any questions about the training could be sent to international@ua.edu

IPAC Applications

Have you ever thought about helping new international students adjust to their new life in America? Would you like to share what you have learned about UA with new international students? If so, then IPAC may be just right for you.
IPAC is the International Peer Advisory Council, made up of foreign and domestic undergraduate and graduate students at UA. IPAC helps with international student orientation, as well as International Coffee Hours, and other ISSS sponsored events.
Check out our website to learn more and apply to join IPAC:
http://international.ua.edu/programs-activities/ipac/

Academic Calendar

December 10-14, 2018: Final Exams.
December 20th, 2018 - January 8th, 2019: Winter Break.
January 9th, 2019: Classes begin.
January 16th, 2019: Last day to add a class / Last day to drop a class without a 'W".