ISS Staff Returning to Campus

Staff in the Center for International Affairs are looking forward to seeing new and returning students on campus this Fall! International Student Services understands that campus life will certainly be different from students’ typical experiences and I write to you today to tell you about the adjustments ISS has made to office procedures. These changes, approved by the university’s Office of Resiliency, allow staff to remain available to serve students while prioritizing the health and safety of the campus community.

Staff will return to the office in a limited capacity on August 24 and be available for:

• virtual advising hours through our chat box on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 11am to 3pm.
  
  Virtual advising is the best option for quick questions.

• virtual appointments, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5pm.
  
  Email international@case.edu to request an appointment and provide your full, legal name and a brief description of the nature of your appointment.
  
  Please note, we generally require 24 hours’ notice and do not schedule same-day appointments due to the volume of requests that we receive.

• in-person appointments for picking up or dropping off documents only on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, 10am to 3pm.
  
  ISS expects students with appointments for picking up or dropping off documents to arrive at the office promptly. Staff members will be masked and students must be as well; staff will not meet with students who are not properly wearing masks and abiding by safety precautions. Upon arriving, students should call 216.368.2517 to check in. A staff member will meet with them in the lobby to exchange documents.
  
  Students who are picking up documents will receive specific instructions when their documents are ready for pick-up and can schedule their appointments here.
  
  Students who are dropping off documents will need to contact ISS at international@case.edu and make specific arrangements. There may be certain exceptions that do not require emailing international@case.edu to make specific arrangements, and in those instances, instructions about how to drop off documents will be included in an existing request process. Unless otherwise noted, students should not expect same-day service for processing documents that they are dropping off at the office.
  
  Appointments will be managed by all members in the Center for International Affairs so students should not expect to meet with an ISS staff member who can answer specific questions. Students are welcome to use the virtual chat during advising hours, email, or set up a virtual appointment to further discuss their situations with ISS staff.

For students’ convenience, ISS:

• will offer the option of electronic I-20s whenever a new one needs to be issued to you. After it is created, this I-20 will be immediately available and accessible anywhere, anytime through your Terra Dotta (visas.case.edu) account. Students will still have the option to request a physical document to receive through either FedEx or a pick-up/drop-off appointment if they would prefer that. Please remember that these appointments are not for advising purposes.
  
  At this time, the Department of State has not authorized the issuance of electronic DS-2019s.

• has standardized requests for employment verification through Terra Dotta.

• is developing virtual OPT and CPT workshops hosted by ISS advisors. More information will be available later in the semester. Online workshops will continue to be an option and information about OPT and CPT is always available on our website.

Check In with ISS

If you are beginning a program at CWRU this semester or received a check-in message from ISS, you need to check in online as part of the process to maintain your visa status.

If you will be on campus this semester to begin your program, please access the Instructions on How to Check In with ISS and complete the process.  Please note that you: 

• check in online AFTER you arrive in the US with your valid I-20 or DS-2019
• can check in up to 30 days before the program start date listed on your I-20 or DS-2019
• must check in by the start date listed on your I-20 or DS-2019. If there is a delay, please notify us immediately

We cannot process any on-campus employment or Social Security Number paperwork until you have been checked in.

If you will not be coming to the United States this fall, and are either attending courses remotely from abroad or deferring your admission to a future semester, report your plans using this form. DO NOT check in using the instructions above.  

Once you submit the form, your information will be logged and an ISS advisor will work with you later in the Fall to ensure that steps are taken so that you can begin your studies on campus in the future. You do not need to take any other action besides submitting the form and replying to any follow-up emails we send to you later.

ISS will begin reaching out to students after we have completed mandatory reporting requirements for all students who arrive for Fall 2020.  This process will take several weeks to complete after classes begin on August 24.

Chat with ISS Staff Online During Advising Hours
We Are Here All Summer

Virtual Advising is available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., EST.

If you have a question or concern that you need to address during that time frame, reach out to an advisor through the chat box. The chat box (it looks just like the picture) will be available on our website.

Beware of Scams

ISS wants to make sure that international students are aware of these scams and know how to protect themselves.  Visit our website for more information.

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