Announcements for the week of April 1-8, 2010

IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS? IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY HAS ANSWERS!

Once again, we are hosting an immigration attorney, Steve Springer with David Ware and Associates, to come to campus and provide information to the public (students and others) regarding immigration options after graduating from UAHuntsville. The attorney will provide information regarding the options available to individuals wishing to work or immigrate to the U.S., which is NOT the area of expertise of the ISSO. Please plan to attend this presentation to educate yourself about general immigration laws.

WHEN: Monday, April 12th @ 2:15pm
WHERE: Shelby Center room 109

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND SCHOLAR OFFICE CLOSED APRIL 8TH-
Thursday, April 8th the office will be closed as the advisors will be attending a professional conference in Birmingham. Students can drop off or pick up documents in UC 118 (Charger Central) but no advising will be available.

OFF-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT
Any F-1 student interested in pursuing employment off-campus must obtain work permission from immigration prior to working. Off-campus employment includes internships, Cooperative Education or other practical training (CPT and OPT). Our office offers the employment workshops to help ensure you understand the options available. Students MUST attend a workshop before an advisor will meet with you to discuss your individual questions. Email visahelp@uah.edu to reserve a space in a workshop (space is limited to 10 students).

ALL workshops will be held in the UC room 132 (small room on the back hallway of the UC BEHIND the lobby)
April 9, 3:00-4:30 (Friday)
April 21, 9:30-11:00am (Wednesday)
April 30, 3:00-4:30 (Friday)
May 10, 1:30-3:00 (Monday)

MAKING PLANS TO TRAVEL AFTER FINAL EXAMS?
Once again the International Student Advisors will be geared up to prepare students for international travel. Please know that we are making some changes to our "travel authorization" process in order to be more flexible and efficient. More details in next week's email... Until then, please do not drop off requests for signatures related to travel after the spring semester.

VISA APPLICATION PROCESS IS CHANGING-
The State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs is rolling out a new online application process for nonimmigrant visas aimed at reducing processing time. The new nonimmigrant visa application, DS-160, combines three forms into one online platform. Once an applicant submits the document online, consular officers can screen it before the visa interview and ask the candidate to fill in any missing information. Applicants must complete the form in English, but they can view as pop-ups foreign translations of the questions. The bureau expects that DS-160 will be used at every overseas visa-issuing post by the end of April. So far, DS-160 is available in 11 foreign languages, and five more translations are ready to be added and six translations are in the works.

The government issued more than 6.6 million nonimmigrant visas at Foreign Service posts in 2008, up 1.2 million from 2005. The number of temporary visitors in the United States dropped from 6.6 million in 2008 to 5.8 million in 2009. This is the bureau's first step to building the Consular Electronic Application Center, a Web-based system that eventually will host online applications for immigration visas and passports. The new system cuts down on paperwork: Applicants only need to print out a confirmation sheet with a bar code that allows consular officers to locate the candidate's case in the department's database.