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 OPT 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 section.  ISS staff is still planning the virtual CPT workshops with an advisor and more information will be shared through ISSNews when it is available.

OPT & STEM OPT Students
Follow These Simple Steps for Reporting Updates

Reporting related to your personal contact and employment information is a critical part of maintaining status while authorized for either OPT or STEM OPT. Here are instructions for you to follow to ensure that both ISS and the U.S. Government receive the information that they need.

ISS has been notified that the "...Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is conducting a review of SEVIS records for OPT participants and is mailing notices directly to students who have not reported employer information and have exceeded 90 days of unemployment. The notice informs students of their lack of employer/employment information and provides an opportunity for them to update their records either through their DSO or directly through the SEVP Portal. If the student’s SEVIS record is not updated, SEVP will set the record to “terminated” to reflect the lack of employer information and the potential that the student may have violated their status either by failing to timely report OPT employment or by exceeding the permissible period of unemployment while on OPT."

By following the simple steps that ISS has provided, you will be taking the necessary steps to protect your visa status. 

Graduate Student Diversity 360
September 24, 5:30 - 7:30pm

Join an interactive Diversity 360 (D360) session where you can engage with your peers! This session is open to all grad students - if you haven't attended before, you are welcome; if you have attended, but want a refresher, you are welcome too.  Please register here.

D360 is a campus-wide diversity education program for students, faculty and staff developed by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and facilitated currently by OMA and the Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity.

Diversity 360 has been implemented and customized into modules for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff that will assist the campus community in advancing its efforts to be a welcoming, inclusive environment for learning, leading, and innovation.

Based on research from higher education and the corporate sector about cross-cultural competency and on results from university climate surveys, the modules will engage participants in learning to:

• Increase capacity to recognize and engage in dialogue across the breadth of differences;
• Deepen understanding of how affiliations in privileged and marginalized groups impact treatment on campus, campus climate and productivity;
• Deepen awareness of types of microaggressions and how they affect experiences on campus and in the local community; and
• Discover ways to become a change agent and diversity champion with new knowledge, ideas and resources about university policies, programs and best practices

Prior to joining a D360 Zoom session, please watch the D360 pre-session video here.

GRADS: A Welcome Message From International Student Fellowship 

Dear Friends,

International Student Fellowship welcomes all the international students who arrived in Cleveland in the Fall 2020 semester. We all hope you've settled into some steady routine this semester! International Student Fellowship (ISF) is a graduate student organization at CWRU made up of internationals and Americans who strive to provide practical, social, and spiritual support regardless of faith. Fall semester has officially begun and we hoped to usher in the Fall season (and the start of the academic year) by dropping off a welcome bag filled with goodies and masks! Please sign up at the google link if you would like a bag and to meet us. In lieu of our usual in-person gatherings, we meet every Friday via zoom at 7:30 pm EST to share dinner together (virtually of course) and talk about a variety of topics. Feel free to stop by for fun company and to de-stress at the end of the week, or if you want to talk about graduate student life in general. Nothing is too trivial to talk about. We hope to see you there and we wish you an awesome week ahead!

Looking forward to meeting you virtually.

Regards,
ISF Family

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