Copy
View this email in your browser
June 15th, 2020 
 

Fall 2020 Classes
 

The University of Alabama and the UA System have announced their clear plans to resume in-person study for the Fall Semester 2020.

On June 10, 2020, the UA System released its Comprehensive Health and Safety Plan for all university campuses. The plan, which was approved by the Board of Trustees, provides an overview of phased returns at the three campuses and includes details on health protocols, featuring the Stay Safe Together Platform with a Healthcheck assessment tool, an exposure notification app and event passport. The full report is available on the System website.

The University of Alabama will release campus-specific plans in the next few days on https://healthinfo.ua.edu/.

New Hours for Virtual Advising

If you have immigration questions, our staff is holding virtual advising Monday - Friday from 11am-4:45pm.
When seeking advising via Zoom, students and scholars will be connected with one of the UA ISSS Staff.  If there are multiple students and scholars in the queue, you will be placed directly into a waiting room.
Please note, virtual advising is meant for shorter inquiries, and in order to serve all students and scholars, we ask that advising be limited to 5 minutes. 

 
ISSS is available to help you!!!

UA is currently operating under limited business operations. During this time, the UA International Student & Scholar Services office is not open to the public.  ISSS Staff is working remotely from home.

At this time, ISSS staff access to office phones is limited, however, we are able to receive and access voicemails from our computers.

If you call the main office line at 205-348-5402, please leave a voice mail if you would like someone to respond to you.

We also strongly recommend that all inquiries be submitted to international@ua.edu.

Whether by voicemail or email, please be sure to include your name and CWID (if known) with your inquiry.
 

Specific Inquiries and Requests

For students and scholars who have specific requests for information, advisement, or virtual appointments, please direct your inquiries to UA ISSS Staff as follows:

 
 

Tuition to Remain Level for UA Students

Tuition for both in- and out-of-state students at The University of Alabama will remain the same for the upcoming academic year.

The University’s board of trustees approved freezing tuition for undergraduate and graduate programs for the 2020-2021 academic year.

For more information, please consult: https://www.ua.edu/news/2020/06/tuition-to-remain-level-for-ua-students/

Did you Finish your Studies in Spring?
 
At the end of your studies, student visa holders have a Grace Period.  We talk about the Grace Period and your options here: http://international.ua.edu/isss/currentstudents/final-semester-checklist/#graceperiod.
 
F-1 STUDENTS
F-1 students have a 60-day grace period after the last day of your final semester.  Within this 60-day period you have the following options:
  1. Apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which will give you one year of work authorization in the U.S. to get experience in a job or internship related to your degree.
  2. Request a new I-20 (I-20/DS-2019 Request Form) if you will continue at UA in a new degree program.
  3. Transfer your SEVIS record to a new school (I-20/DS-2019 Transfer-Out Request Form).
  4. Apply with USCIS to change status to another visa category.
  5. Depart the U.S. – Once you leave the U.S. (including trips to Canada and Mexico) after completing your studies you are not eligible to re-enter the United States with your current I-20. The grace period is meant for travel within the states and preparation to depart the U.S.
 
J-1 STUDENTS
J-1 students have a 30-day grace period after the last day of your final semester. Within this 30-day period you have the following options:
  1. Apply for Academic Training.
  2. Request a new DS-2019 (I-20/DS-2019 Request Form) if you will continue at UA in a new degree program.
  3. Transfer your SEVIS record to a new school (I-20/DS-2019 Transfer-Out Request Form) to begin a new program.
  4. Apply with USCIS to change status to another visa category.
  5. Depart the U.S. Please note that once you leave the U.S. (including trips to Canada and Mexico) after completing your studies you are not eligible to re-enter the U.S. with your current DS-2019. The grace period is meant for travel within the U.S. and preparation to depart the U.S.
Apply for OPT NOW
if you are completing your program in May or August 2020

 
As we follow preventive health strategies related to COVID-19, ISSS operations have now moved online. OPT and CPT applications will still be processed as usual, only not in person during this time. This message is directed to students who will complete their program of study in spring 2020 AND students who will graduate in summer 2020 but not enrolled in any credit hours in summer 2020.
 
To apply for OPT and CPT, please scan all of the documents in one (1) single PDF file to international@ua.edu or trang.t.nguyen@ua.edu  . Due to the limitation of our database, please limit your file size to 4MB or less. To ensure quick processing, only scan an application when all forms are completed and properly signed. Electronic signatures are acceptable on certain forms. We highly recommend that Form I-765 (for OPT applications) still contain “wet” signature.
 
Lists of documents required could be found here for OPT applications, and here for CPT applications.
 
If you have any questions about the applications or process, “walk-in” virtually from 11:00 PM – 4:45 PM Monday-Friday using this Zoom link https://uasystem.zoom.us/my/uainternationalservices or contact Trang N'Guyen by email (ttnguyen13@ua.edu)

 

 
 

COVID-19 Information 
 
To stay up to date on all COVID-19 updates, be sure to regularly check out http://international.ua.edu/isss/coronavirus-information/.

For information on medical care, visit http://international.ua.edu/isss/coronavirus-information/#shc
 
 

UA Healthcare Plan TeleHealth 

If you are enrolled in The University of Alabama's healthcare plan, you are also able to use the 24/7 tele-doc (a doctor through the phone) for doctor access and counseling support, which is fully covered. If you are not on the UA Plan, you can use these services for a fee. To find out more information, please visit: https://shc.sa.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2019/07/2019-2020-Student-Health-Insurance-Summary-Brochure.pdf
 

 



 


June 14th, 2020



June 24th, 2020

June 24th, 2020

July 2nd, 2020

June 30th, 2020



July 4th,2020


July 7th, 2020  


July 19th, 2020


July 29th, 2020 



July 29th, 2020
 Academic Calendar


 


Last Day to Drop a Course with a Grade of "W" for Summer 1


Last Day to Withdraw from the Term for Summer 1

Classes End for Summer 1

Classes Begin for Summer 2

Last Day to Add a Course or Drop a Course Without a Grade of "W" for Summer 2

Classes Dismissed - Independence Day (UA offices closed)

Last Day to Drop a Course with a Grade of "W" for Summer Full Term

Last Day to Drop a Course with a Grade of "W" for Summer 2

Last Day to Withdraw from the Summer Full/Summer 2 Terms


Classes End

 
These dates are valid as of 05/22/2020
Please double check https://registrar.ua.edu/academiccalendar/ for any changes/updates.
Copyright © 2020 International Student & Scholar Services, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.