From May 27 to May 31, our office will be closed.  May 27, Tulane University is closed in observance of Memorial Day.  May 28- May 31, the entire OISS team will be attending the NAFSA Annual Conference.  As the most important annual event for international educators, this conference will provide our team with vital updates and ideas that will help us to better serve our international community.  As a bonus, we’re using this opportunity to update the carpet at 6901 Willow. 

If you have any timely requests, such as an OPT, CPT, or Academic Training application or a program extension, please be sure to get complete application to your OISS advisor no later than Friday, May 17 to allow for 3 to 5 business days for processing.  If not, we may not be able to complete your request before the conference. 

During this time, we’ll be monitoring our email for true immigration emergencies, but please be sure to expect a delay in our response.  We’ll still be there if you really need us. 

Thank you for your cooperation,

The OISS Team

Updated Policy: Accrual of Unlawful Presence - F and J Nonimmigrants

Office of International Students and Scholars
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USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) has proposed a change in immigration regulations governing whether an individual in F or J status has accrued “unlawful presence” in the United States.

F-1 and J-1 students/scholars and their dependents who have violated their status will start accruing days of “unlawful presence” as of August 9. Examples of a status violation are as follows: not studying full-time, working without authorization, remaining in the U.S. beyond the grace period (60 days for F visa holders, 30 days for J visa holders).

If an individual accrues more than 180 days of unlawful presence, they could be subject to an admission bar that would prevent their return to the U.S. for 3 or 10 years, depending on the number of days of unlawful presence.

You can read the USCIS Policy Memo and the response from NAFSA (Association of International Educators) here: http://www.nafsa.org/Content.aspx?id=58700.

F-1 and J-1 students and their dependents who have maintained and continue to maintain their nonimmigrant status should not be affected by the new policy.

Please refer to following links for guidance on maintaining your status:

If you believe that you may have violated your status or you have questions about your status, please contact the OISS immediately.

NOTE: This policy change has not yet gone into effect. The new policy will be published on August 9, 2018. We do not know at this time whether the unlawful presence policy will be exactly the same as the proposed policy published in May. We will provide further information as it becomes available.