June 26, 2024

In this issue:

1. Check In with the VISA Office
2. Is Summer Your First Semester?
3. VISA Office Closed July 4 - 5
4. OPT & CPT Workshops
5. Need a New Travel Signature?
6. How to Request a Cap-Gap I-20
7. OISRE Office Information
8. WOW! Wade Oval Wednesdays Are Back!
9. Tremont Food Truck Festival
10. Play Ball! Cleveland Guardians Tickets
11. Pan-American Masters Games
12. Larchmere Porchfest

VISA Office Information

The VISA Office is open 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday, even during Summer!  We are located in Crawford Hall, Suite 215.

On Monday, Thursday, and Friday, we have virtual chat advising available from 11am to 1pm.  Access virtual chat from our website here.

You are also welcome to contact us for an in-person, phone, or virtual appointment.  Please email visa@case.edu to request an appointment or schedule from our website here.

Check In with the VISA Office

If you are a new student starting your program this summer, you must check in online as part of the process to maintain your visa status. Change of educational level students must also complete the online check in.

To Check In:

If you will be on campus this summer to begin your program, please access the Instructions on How to Check In 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

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

Is Summer Your First Semester?

When summer is your first semester on your I-20 or DS-2019, you have to enroll full-time.  There are very few exceptions to full-time registration requirements, and only the VISA Office can determine whether you qualify for one of them.  Always register for full-time and never drop below a full-time courseload without first speaking with an advisor in the VISA Office.   Improper registration could have serious consequences, including termination, for your visa status.

How to Request a Cap-Gap I-20

"Cap-gap" is the term used to refer to the "gap" in F-1 status that occurs in a change of status to H-1B (for cap-subject H-1B petitions), when the student’s OPT or STEM OPT expires before the October 1 H-1B start date.

Click here for more information.

If you were selected in the H-1B lottery AND properly filed for a change of status to H-1B, you may be eligible for the cap-gap extension. To qualify for the H-1B cap-gap extension:

• a petition must be timely filed
• the employment start date of October 1 of the current year must be requested
• a change of status must be requested
• You must be maintaining valid F-1 status

The cap-gap extension automatically extends a student's duration of status (time period during which an F-1 student is legally present) in the United States. If a student is on a period of valid post-completion OPT or STEM OPT at the time the H-1B petition is filed, employment authorization is also extended. For students who complete their period of OPT or STEM OPT and are in their 60 day grace period at the time the H-1B petition is filed, their duration of status will be extended, but not work authorization.

The VISA Office can help you obtain a cap-gap I-20 if you meet all of the above criteria.

Please be aware that the VISA Office is not notified of an H-1B petition being filed.

The VISA Office can generate a cap-gap I-20 if a student's SEVIS record is updated by USCIS.  To initiate the request for your cap-gap I-20:

• Click on this link to log into Terra Dotta and make the request.
• Complete the electronic form and upload all of the necessary materials. The VISA Office must have these items on file in order to process your request.
• Allow 5 business days for your cap gap I-20 to be processed.

If you received a receipt notice or approval notice for the H-1B petition but we find that SEVIS hasn't been updated by USCIS, we will email you about next steps.

OISRE Updates

OISRE Office Information

The Office of International Student Resources & Engagement (OISRE) helps international students adapt to life in the US.  They offer support services and plan events for international students and the campus community.

OISRE is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm  They are open during summer.  They also have drop-in hours on Thursdays from 11 am to 1 pm in Tomlinson Hall, Room 143.

You can reach them at international@case.edu or call 216-368-2517.

WOW! Wade Oval Wednesdays Are Back!

Cleveland's favorite, free summer concert series is BACK on Wade Oval from June 12 to August 14, 5:30-8:30 p.m.!

See the University Circle Inc. website for more information: https://www.universitycircle.org/events/2024/06/12/wow-wade-oval-wednesdays

Pan-American Masters Games - July 12 - 21

If you are staying in Cleveland over the summer, you may witness one of the largest international gatherings in Cleveland's history!  Cleveland is proud to host the 2024 Pan-American Masters Games (PAMG), a flagship event of the International Masters Games Association. The event will bring together more than 10,000 athletes and thousands of spectators from around the world for a multi-sport festival expected to be the largest international gathering in Cleveland’s history. Athletes from over 60 countries and almost all 50 states have registered for the event.  Spectators are free. 

PanAm games in Cleveland July 12-21. Learn more at this link.

Larchmere Porchfest

• Saturday, June 29, 2024
• 1:00 PM  - 10:00 PM

Enjoy live, local music around the Larchmere neighborhood.  Click here for more information


For more summer festivals and events, see the information here:

https://theclevelandbucketlist.com/cleveland-events