To Our International Students:
I contacted you last week about visiting ISS by 3pm on Tuesday, November 24 if you need to collect documentation. After 3pm on Tuesday, November 24, staff will not be available to provide services in-person as the university will close to observe Thanksgiving and then staff members transition to work remotely until January 4, 2021.
As promised, here is a plan for how ISS staff will continue to support you while working remotely, beginning Monday, November 30. As plans evolve, I will continue to provide updates through email and update website content as needed. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email international@case.edu so that we can help.
Advising Hours:
Advising hours will continue to be offered virtually, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 11am to 3pm. An advisor will be available to answer your question using the chatbox here: https://case.edu/international/international-student-services/f-1-students/maintaining-status. Please be patient if you have to wait to connect with an advisor; there may be times when we are trying to work with multiple students.
Appointments:
All appointments will be virtual, just as they have been throughout the Fall. Please request an appointment by emailing international@case.edu and include a brief description of what you would like to discuss. A staff member will respond by email to schedule the appointment and you will have the option to meet via Zoom or phone. Please note we generally require 24 hours’ notice and do not schedule same-day appointments. This is so that we can be best prepared to help you.
Travel Signatures:
ISS will continue providing a new document to anyone who needs a travel signature; I-20s currently in your possession will not be signed for travel. This new document will have a fresh travel signature on it. The request form for I-20 Reprints and DS-2109 Reprints is here and should be used to request a travel signature. Submit your request to be reviewed by an ISS staff member and you will be notified by email when your new document is ready. That notification will also contain information about how to receive your new document.
Extension Requests:
The request form for an Extension is located on our website here. We encourage you to start working on your requests now with a goal of submitting them by the beginning of December. While the process for an extension request has not changed, we want to be sure that we are able to communicate with students and faculty if there are questions and process your request in accordance with federal regulations.
Mail:
If you have used ISS’ mailing address to receive mail and it is waiting for you at ISS now, make an appointment to collect it by Tuesday, November 24 or you can submit a non-refundable FedEx Request.
If your mail has not yet arrived, a staff member will check campus mail on a weekly basis and notify students of anything that arrives for them. Students will then be provided with instructions about how to have their mail sent to them by FedEx. Students will not have the option to go to campus to collect their mail.
If any of these procedures should change, ISS will let students know as soon as possible.
OPT Applications:
ISS will continue to process OPT applications for students who complete the required workshop and are otherwise eligible for OPT. For information about OPT, visit our website.
If you are planning to apply for OPT this semester and are planning to use ISS’ address, we strongly urge you to reconsider and use another address at which you can receive your mail. There could be delays in ISS receiving mail and delays in ISS notifying you about received mail. Using another address will minimize any inconvenience in you receiving your mail from ISS.
If you have already submitted your application to USCIS and used ISS’ mailing address, you should update your mailing address with USCIS immediately so that you can receive your materials elsewhere. You can change your address using the USCIS tool here:
- Click Continue
- Click Yes
- Selecting I765
- Selecting I765 - based on a request by a qualified F-1 academic student
- Entering your receipt number
- Entering the zip code you used when you filed
- Click Add
- Entering all of your personal information in the fields below.
- Click box to electronically sign
- Click Submit
I know this is a lengthy email - I am sorry. I hope the information is helpful.
Best Regards,
Marielena Maggio, M.A.
Director, International Student Services, PDSO & ARO