International Students Can Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

As of Monday, March 29, all residents of Ohio ages 16 and older can receive the vaccine.

International students at Case Western Reserve University are considered residents of Ohio. That means, all international students at CWRU are now able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

CWRU is working with officials in Cleveland and elsewhere to determine whether we will be able to distribute additional doses for students at our campus site. As soon as we have details, we will inform the campus community. International students will be eligible for these opportunities, as long as they meet the other criteria set by the City of Cleveland.

For now, we encourage everyone who is eligible -- including international students -- to schedule an appointment wherever they can obtain a dose. Students should visit the State of Ohio Department of Health’s website (https://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov/) to find and schedule an appointment to be vaccinated.

If you have any questions or concerns about the vaccine, please visit the university’s COVID-19 website for more information: https://case.edu/covid19/health-safety/vaccinations

OPT & CPT Workshops

ISS is offering Optional Practical Training (OPT) and CPT Workshops to go over in detail the application process, student responsibilities, and other important considerations.

Being well informed before applying for either authorization is extremely important and applying early is critical!

USCIS is publishing that it takes 3-5 months to process submitted OPT applications. Plan to complete a required OPT workshop as early as possible to be best prepared. Remember, you do not need to have a job offer to apply for OPT!

You do need to have a job offer before applying for CPT authorization and you are not eligible to begin your experience until you have proper authorization in place. It can take several days to become authorized.

Virtual workshops led by an advisor have been scheduled and information about required registration, attendance, and the application process can be found on our website under the OPT and CPT sections.

Tax Deadline Extended to May: Forms & Sprintax Availablity

Sprintax is a tax-return-preparation software program designed primarily for international students and other educational visa holders. It can help you prepare your U.S. federal income tax return and assist you in preparing Form 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ.  In a recent blog post, Sprintax staff explain the IRS' tax filing deadline extension to May 17.

You may access Sprintax and begin preparing your tax return by following these steps:

1. Register and follow the simple instructions
2. Complete the online questionnaire
3. Enter Case Western Reserve University’s unique code.  This code was sent to you via email on February 17.
4. Sprintax will prepare your tax return

If Sprintax determines that you are required to file state taxes, you will have the opportunity to prepare those state taxes. You are not required to use Sprintax to file state taxes but, remember, it is your responsibility to comply with the law and properly file all taxes.

If by now, you haven't received your W-2 from CWRU, contact Payroll at payroll@case.edu. If you were authorized to work for another employer, you should contact their payroll department.

For more information regarding the 1098-T, please visit Financial Services website to download the Nonresident Alien 1098-T Request Form.

1042-S forms were prepared in mid-March and sent to students by Payroll. Please contact Payroll if you have questions about the issuance of your 1042-S.

For more information, visit our Information on Filing Taxes page and if you have any questions, the Sprintax team will be happy to help via their 24/7 live chat function or email hello@sprintax.com. ISS staff members cannot advise you on your questions, which is why we partner with the experts at Sprintax.

Sprintax Offers Tax Webinars to Prepare for Tax Filing Season 2020 

ISS partners with Sprintax to provide international students, who are considered non-resident aliens for tax purposes, with expert assistance when filing their US taxes.

The Sprintax team will be hosting a series of free open tax webinars to provide helpful information around non-resident tax filing obligations.

You can find the details and registration links below for each (these are all in EST). 

• Tuesday, April 6, 1pm EST – Register here
• Tuesday, April 13, 1pm EST – Register here
• Tuesday, April 20th, 2pm EDT – Register here
• Wednesday, April 28th, 1.30pm EDT – Register here
• Thursday, May 6th, 12pm EDT – Register here
• Tuesday, May 11th, 2pm EDT – Register here
• Friday, May 14th, 12pm EDT – Register here

The informational webinars will cover the same topics on each occasion:

• An overview of tax for nonresident students and scholars
• Who must file a 2020 US tax return
• What income forms students/scholars may receive
• Forms that need to be completed and sent to the IRS
• We cover terms like FICA, ITIN and Form 1098-T
• What happens if students don’t file, or misfile
• State tax returns
• IRS stimulus payments
• Sprintax overview

Enter the Study Abroad Throwback Photo Contest

Relive your study abroad experience with CWRU by entering the Study Abroad Throwback Photo Contest!

While the pandemic has put study abroad programs on hold the Office of Education Abroad knows students still have lots of great photos from their past study abroad experiences to enter into the contest and win prizes!

The photos submitted will be used to help show what studying abroad is really like and encourage other students to explore the various opportunities available to all majors.

The categories and prizes for each are:

• Overall Winner: $75
• The World is Your Classroom: $75
• Cultural Experience: $50
• Spartans Abroad: $50
• Scenery: $50
• Vintage (for CWRU alumni): $50
• Facebook’s Most Likes: $50

A description of each category, as well as details on how to submit your photos, can be found at case.edu/international/photocontest. All submissions are due by Friday, April 9!

Please do not submit photos from other travel experiences or any previously entered in the Study Abroad Photo Contest.

Easter Get-Together with ISF

ISF invites all international students for the "Easter get-together" on Friday, April 2, 2021, at 7:30 PM.

A fun evening with a Special Easter Dinner and many other activities are waiting for you.

For more information about this event, to get the zoom link, and to register to get a free Easter meal box, email us at isfcleveland@gmail.com

Graduate Student Appreciation Week, April 5 - 9

International Dinner 2021

The International Club is hosting its annual International Dinner through virtually sharing and appreciating different cultures.  Guests are invited to join by either making a cooking video of a traditional/favorite dish, making a 10-second video about personal cultural enjoyments, or simply writing (~5 sentences) about personal cultural enjoyments. Everyone attending the virtual event will fill out a form with their submissions to be eligible for raffle prizes! Submitting a cooking video earns guests 3 raffle tickets and other message formats are worth 1 raffle ticket. 

Raffle prizes include but are not limited to a Nintendo Switch, various gift cards, international snacks, and small decorative items. 

Submissions are due on April 9 by 11:59 pm EST. The dinner is on April 10, 8-10 pm EST, and guests must be in attendance to win the raffle prizes!

Hudson Relays 2021, April 24, Save the Date

Brite Winter

Brite Winter is the premier Cleveland event between New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day and a showcase for Northeastern Ohio’s artists, musicians, and creative culture.

Brite Winter marries fire, participatory art, food, music, and games to build community while helping us embrace the cold winter months.

Learn more about this year's virtual line up for the final event on April 9, 2021!

Cleveland Metroparks Trail Challenge 2021

The Evolution of Dance in Popular Music