Office of International Affairs

IA

International Student and Scholar Services

INTERNATIONAL LINE NEWSLETTER

February 2012

BRIAN RIDGE TAKES OVER AS NEW ISSS COUNSELOR Brian Ridge has recently assumed the position of international student counselor with the International Student and Scholar Services section of the Office of International Affairs. Brian comes to Texas Tech University from the Seattle area where he earned his Masters degree in Student Development Administration from Seattle University. Prior to receiving his Masters degree, he lived in Korea for several years as an ESL teacher and as an exchange student at Yonsei University. While in Korea, he was able to travel to Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Because of his experiences overseas as a student, teacher, and traveler, Brian has a real passion for international education and looks forward to helping international students at Texas Tech achieve their goals. When he is not working, Brian enjoys reading, traveling, watching movies, and playing board games.

BICYCLE RIDERS VIOLATING TRAFFIC LAWS ARE BEING TICKETED BY TTU POLICE It has been noticed by ISSS staff personnel that the Texas Tech University Police are issuing citations to bicycle riders for failure to stop at STOP signs on campus. Please be advised that all bicycle riders are required to stop at all such designated areas. Not stopping is not only a violation of the law, but it can result in serious bodily injury and even death if a cyclist is ever hit by an automobile. Please obey all State of Texas bicycle traffic laws!

LETTER FROM OIA NO LONGER NEEDED TO APPLY FOR A TEXAS DRIVER LICENSE International students no longer need a special letter from the Office of International Affairs in order to apply for a driver license with the Department of Public Safety in the State of Texas. Students are only required to bring to the DPS all of their current immigration documents and verification that they are registered as a student at Texas Tech University or that they are on OPT. Also, there is no longer a 6-month requirement of lawful status.

VITA FEDERAL INCOME TAX RETURN STUDENT HELP SESSIONS WILL BE IN MARCH AND APRIL Volunteers in Tax Assistance (VITA) program personnel have announced that students can be helped with their taxes by going to the CCAV Building located at 5601 Avenue Q on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., starting from March 7, 2012 (except March 14) leading up to April 11, 2012. Income tax sessions will not be held at the Texas Tech International Cultural Center. VITA volunteers will devote all their time on Wednesday evenings to F-1 and J-1 international students attending colleges and universities in the Lubbock and West Texas area. Texas Tech international student employees can also use CINTAX to prepare their returns. For TTU students who live in other areas of the United States, it is recommended that you go to the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/ to learn more about international student tax filing obligations and procedures. Students may also want to review IRS Publication 519. Texas Tech ISSS counselors are not trained, nor are they authorized to provide any tax assistance to international students. You can also look up VITA sites (free volunteer income tax assistance) in the area where you live or you may prefer to use a paid accountant to prepare your tax return. The deadline for filing your 2011 Federal Income Tax Return is Tuesday, April 17, 2012.

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GOOD NEIGHBOR SCHOLARSHIP FOR THE 2012-2013 ACADEMIC YEAR The GNS program for international students from Latin America and the Western Hemisphere provides for fulltuition waivers (fees are not included) for citizens born in the western hemisphere. The student must have been at least a five-year current resident of a politically independent nation in the western hemisphere (excluding Cuba and the United States); the student cannot be a dual U.S. citizen or have an application pending for U.S. permanent residency; the student must be unconditionally admitted to Texas Tech University; he/she must maintain full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic progress; the student should intend to return to the country of origin upon successful completion of the academic program. Deadline for this application is 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 29, 2012. Awards are for the following academic year beginning with the Fall 2012 Semester and continuing through the Spring 2013 Semester and the Summer I & II Sessions. Applications are available at the OIA and can be submitted there to the GSN program officer. Or, click here and download the application. Complete the application, sign it, and provide any supporting information as required. The application must be brought to the OIA and submitted to Michael Murphy, Texas Tech University, Good Neighbor Scholarship Program Officer.

PLEASE SIGN-IN AND STAY IN THE RECEPTION AREA UNTIL YOU ARE SUMMONED BY A COUNSELOR Everybody, please do not wander back into the hallways of the International Student and Scholars Services and Study Abroad sections while you are waiting for a counselor. The reason is that there may be discussions going on of a private and personal nature between a counselor and a student, and it may be inappropriate for a third party to be in the area. Please wait until you are summoned by a counselor and directed to follow the counselor into his or her office. Feel free to have a cup of coffee in the reception area and wait to be called. Thank you!

IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY TO SPEAK AT ICC David Swaim, an attorney from the law firm of Tidwell, Swaim & Associates in Dallas, will present an immigration law seminar for international students and scholars at the International Cultural Center Auditorium on Thursday, February 23, 2012 beginning at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Swaim will speak on topics, particularly regarding applying for H-1b status and eventual permanent residency. If you have other issues to discuss privately, you may be able to meet him before or after the talk. Please note that Mr. Swaim is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. (Note: See Page 3, Free Public Interest Immigration Seminar)

ISSS COUNSELORS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THREE DAYS BECAUSE OF SEVIS REGISTRATION International student counselors will not be available on Thursday, Friday, and Monday, February 9, 10, and 13, 2012, respectively. Counselors will be involved with registering F-1 students on SEVIS as required by Department of Homeland Security and SEVIS regulations. We will only see students in emergency situations. Please note that February 3, 2012 is the twelfth class day by which all international students must be enrolled in the required number of hours. Make certain that your enrollment is complete and that all tuition and fees have been paid.

APPLYING FOR PRACTICAL TRAINING Students who are graduating and completing their F-1 program in May of 2012 should apply for optional practical training within 90 days of graduation. We strongly suggest submitting your I-765 through the ISSS no later than the last nine days of February 2012. OPT Workshops at the OIA will be available on Thursdays (3:00-4:15 p.m.) and on Fridays (10:00-11:15 a.m.). Students who are applying for curricular practical training should request work authorization from the ISSS about 7-10 days before the start of CPT. To be eligible for CPT, a student should have been in F-1 status for one year and have a body of knowledge in the major field of about 18 hours.

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(Note: This message is provided by TTU Red to Black.) Red to Black, an outreach of the Personal Financial Planning division, is a student organization that provides free and confidential financial coaching and seminars for students. We provide information on a variety of financial planning topics, including: budgeting, paying off debt, establishing credit, saving money, selecting employee benefits, and investment education. Red to Black is staffed by Personal Financial Planning students, several of whom are international students. If you would like to speak with a financial coach or have a presenter come to your organizations next meeting, please call us at 7429781 or send an email to redtoblack@ttu.edu. For more information visit our website: www.r2b.ttu.edu.

FORM I-515A FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE MISSING A REQUIRED TRAVEL DOCUMENT The Form I-515A for incomplete inspection is issued to F-1 students for a temporary admission to the United States for 30 days. This is done because the student upon reentry into the U.S. fails to produce all required documents, most notably a current I-20 that is signed for reentry by a Designated School Official (DSO). The student is required to contact his international student counselor (DSO) who will then update all the information on and sign the I-20 for reentry. Any other requested documents on the I-515A, including the I-20, are then sent to the SEVP office in Washington, D.C. for completion of inspection. This must be done in 30 days time or the student will be terminated on SEVIS and will have to immediately depart the United States; or, he/she will have to file for reinstatement of his F-1 status, in which case the student will not have work authorization until reinstated. We encourage all students to get their I-20 signed at the Office of International Affairs just prior to departing the United States for a temporary absence. Please remember that the port of entry officials can deny you reentry and put you on the next flight out (at your cost) and send you home! For all I-515A issues, see an ISSS counselor.

SEVIS EVENT NOTIFICATIONS MUST BE DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER Everybody, please remember that all SEVIS notifications for extension of program, 12-month post-completion OPT application, and 17-month STEM extension application must be done in a timely manner. If the end date on your I-20 passes, then the program cannot be extended on SEVIS. There will be no click-on buttons in the system afterwards which will allow an international student counselor to make these changes. The same is true if the 60 days after you complete your F-1 program passes, then you cannot apply for post-completion OPT. Also, if you do not apply for the 17-month extension within 90 days before the post-completion OPT ends, then you will not be able to continue working on practical training. It is important that students be vigilant and be aware of these dates on their record, as their immigration status can dramatically be affected if they forget.

FREE PUBLIC INTEREST IMMIGRATION SEMINAR FOR THE TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY The International Law Society at the TTU School of Law will sponsor an immigration law seminar given by Prof. David Strange of the TTU School of Law entitled, U.S. Immigration Procedures and Current Issues Pertaining to Immigration. It will be held in the School of Law Lanier Auditorium on February 29, 2012 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

THANK YOU, MAAROOF! The staff at the OIA would like to thank Maaroof Shahriar, a doctoral student from Bangladesh, for his support of international programs over the years and for assisting the ISSS during Spring 2012 International Student Checkin. Maaroof will receive his Ph.D. degree in May in petroleum engineering. We wish you the best, Maaroof!