From: VISA Office
Date: March 23, 2022
Subject: ISS News, March 23, 2022: Nominate Students for ISAC, Holi, Beware of Housing Scams, Save the Date for Graduate Student Appreciation Week, Workshops & Panels, Healthy Minds Study, Good Vibes, and More


IS

March 23, 2022

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in this issue:

  1. OPT & CPT Workshops
  2. Tax Information for 2021 Filing Year
  3. Features
  4. Campus Happenings
  5. Good Vibes Only
  6. OPT & STEM OPT- Simple Steps for Proper Reporting
  7. Beware of Housing and Rental Scams
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ISS Staff is available to students, without an appointment, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during advising hours:

11am to 1pm- through virtual advising available online

1pm to 3pm- through in-person advising in the office

There are no advising hours on Wednesday.

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If you need to speak with an advisor outside of our advising hours, please send an email to international@case.edu to schedule an appointment. Please provide your full, legal name and a brief description of the nature of your appointment when you contact us.

OPT and CPT workshop branding telling students that workshops are available online

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.

opt wordle

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. Follow these simple steps to ensure that your visa status is protected!

housing rental scam alert- flyer

Beware of Housing and Rental Scams


As you begin preparing for summertime and, perhaps, living off campus, ISS wants to remind you to be very careful searching for apartments online! Keep in mind that if someone is pressuring you to send money without a signed lease, rushing you to move in before you see the apartment, or promising ridiculously low rent, that is likely a scam. (More ways to spot a rental scam.)
 
ISS reminds you -- never give your bank account information, Social Security number, or other identifying information to someone you have never met in person. Use an app like PayPal, which protects your information, and use the "payment to a business" option to ensure payment protection on your transaction. If someone pressures you to give them your information, it is most likely a scam.
 
If you think you are the victim of a scam, please contact international@case.edu or CWRU Public Safety for assistance.

Tax Information for 2021 Filing Year

people staring at a big taxes sign

Tax Deadline in April: 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, which you are legally required to file to the Internal Revenue Service.  ISS has arranged free access to Sprintax for your federal tax filing needs.

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 1.
  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 will be prepared by 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 logo

Sprintax Offers Tax Webinars to Prepare for Tax Filing Season 2021

ISS partners with the tax experts at Sprintax who offer tax filing services to international students that are considered non-resident aliens for tax purposes. 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:  The informational webinars will cover the same topics on each occasion:
  • An overview of tax for nonresident students and scholars
  • Who must file a 2021 US tax return
  • What income forms students may receive
  • Forms that need to be completed and sent to the IRS
  • Terms like FICA, ITIN, and Form 1098-T
  • What happens if students don’t file or misfile
  • State tax returns
  • Sprintax overview
Sprintax also released a new blog, How to Prepare for the 2021 US Tax season, which you are welcome to view.

Features

isac flyer

EVENT

CWRU Holi Celebration 2022

Friday, April 1
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Freiberger Field Behind Tink, Tomlinson Hall, Room 143 , United States
Link
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Jion our our annual event on Freiberger Field that features lots of colored powder, Indian street food, water games, badminton, cricket, music, and traditions associated with Holi! *subject to Covid protocols

More info: https://case.edu/international/events/holi

Holi is known as the “festival of colors” and celebrates the arrival of spring after a long winter. It is also a time for building relationships through play and laughter. Although primarily celebrated in India and Nepal, Holi is observed in many other countries throughout Southeast Asia and around the world.

The festival is celebrated by throwing colored powders and water at others. The colors used are culturally symbolic:

Red - union & purity
Pink - friendliness & happiness
Purple - devotion to self & spirit
Blue - power & passion
Green - vitality & rebirth
Yellow - sincerity & piety
Orange - strength & courage
Originally, the colors were made from Neem, Kumkum, Haldi and Bilva—medicinal herbs which were simultaneously used in the playful festival as a means of preventing springtime ailments.

Today, many popular US events have been inspired by Holi's colorful festivities including the Color Run 5K and the Festival of Colors Music Tour.
RSVP
Cleveland Bucket List Flyer

Campus Happenings

ukrainian flag

CWRU faculty panel to discuss “Russia's War in Ukraine After One Month”

 
An expert panel of Case Western Reserve University faculty will present an analysis of Russia’s war in Ukraine one month after the invasion, with questions and answers to follow. The panel discussion will take place Thursday, March 24, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Tinkham Veale University Center Ballroom A.

The panel will include:

  • Professor of Political Science Kelly McMann will open with an assessment of Russian and international pressures to end the war in Ukraine.
  • Professor of Economics David Clingingsmith will provide an economic perspective on the sanctions against Russia and the war more broadly.
  • Professor of Economics Roman Sheremeta will discuss resistance in Ukraine, drawing on both his scholarly work and experience as a Ukrainian citizen and academic leader in Ukraine.
  • Professor of History Ken Ledford will ground the current conflict in the history of guerilla resistance in the Ukraine.
health minds network logo

Participate in the Healthy Minds Study

University Health and Counseling Services is excited to partner with Healthy Minds to send out a mental health and well-being survey to all graduate and undergraduate students.

The Healthy Minds Study (HMS) is a national online survey assessing students mental health and service utilization on college campuses. The anonymous and confidential information from this survey will be used to help us learn more about what services are currently used, needed or could help improve "supports" for CWRU students.

The survey is open now and until April 18. All Case Western Reserve University undergraduate, graduate and professional students are encouraged to participate. On Monday, March 21, all students received an email from healthyminds-CWRU@umich.edu to their case.edu email account with a unique link to participate.

Students who participate in the study will be entered into a raffle for weighted blankets. In addition, all students who participate in the study will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes for 1 of 2 $500 prizes or 1 of 10 $100 prizes. The drawing will be conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the summer of 2022.

students at a conference table meeting

Check Out a Career Workshop Series Designed for Humanities Students

The Humanities@Work program is wrapping up its series of career preparedness workshops for Case Western Reserve University humanities students with:

Whether you are a graduating senior, a junior, or a rising sophomore, this workshop offers skills needed to thrive in today's job market.

Food and refreshments will be served at this in-person workshop, so register in advance. If you have any dietary restrictions, email the event organizers.

GSAW flyer
GSAW flyer for CIA
paint the night flyer

Paint the Night! 

Free yourself from your stress and paint it away! Join us at 7pm-9pm for Paint the Night. A paint kit will be sent directly to you and you will be able to join us live on Thursday 4/7 to create your own masterpiece! You must provide your email and address for the sign ups! Registration closes March 23th. Register on Campus Groups! 

Good Vibes Only

During this very challenging time, ISS staff wants you to know that we are thinking about you- hoping you are safe, healthy, staying positive- and sending out good vibes!

In this section, we are including some things that we hope will make you laugh and smile, help you relax, be entertaining, give you something to do, etc.

This is a good vibes only section!

chemist performing experiment

25 Chemistry Experiments in 15 Minutes