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212.772.4864 ▪ fax 212.650.3147 ▪ intlss@hunter.cuny.edu
695 Park Avenue, Room 1109 East, New York, New York 10065
LATEST HEADLINES
UPCOMING DEADLINE!!! Public Service Scholar Program
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/pssp/students/how-to-apply
PSSP is a one-year, 12-credit program for Hunter college juniors and seniors interested in exploring public service as a career.
Deadline: February 8
For more information regarding upcoming deadlines of scholarship opportunities, please click here.
ATTENTION GRADUATES!!! Timely Optional Practical Training (OPT) Application
Please be advised that if spring 2012 is your last semester (final examinations end on May 24 2012) and you plan to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) it is highly recommended that you apply as early as February 24, 2012, within the next few weeks. If you file for OPT later than a month before the last final it may reduce the amount of time that you are allowed to work in the United States. To apply for OPT you must have first filed a Degree Audit Application Form (DAAF) with the Office of the Registrar.
You may contact either Iris Aroyewun-Birchwood at iris.aroyewun@hunter.cuny.edu or Xavier Remigio at xremigio@hunter.cuny.edu to make appointment to start processing your OPT application.
Optional Practical Training forms :
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentservices/is/repository/files/OptionalPracticalTraining.pdf
Undergraduate Internship Opportunity
The Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI )is offering an internship to those who would like to apply. For details, click HERE.
Mayor Bloomberg emphasizes the importance of attracting international STEM students
For more information on this topic, visit the following website:
How to save Money on Textbooks
We understand that textbooks are often expensive and that to find a good deal you need to shop around. To help you do that, CUNY has created a "How to $ave Money on Textbooks" flyer, which you can access via the link below. The flyer contains tips and links for comparison shopping. Please feel free to share your experiences with us in finding good deals. We wish you the greatest success for this coming semester.
http://www.cuny.edu/about/resources/student/textbook-savings.html
Explore Information Technology with Gartner!
We are pleased to provide you FREE access to Gartner technology-related research and advice, available 24/7 through the CUNY portal. Gartner is a global leader in providing current research for the information technology (IT) industry. As a CUNY student, you have access to Gartner's research reports on IT-related issues and real world case studies. If you are taking classes in IT or related subjects, are interested in IT generally, or are considering a career in IT, we hope you will avail yourselves of these free services.
http://portal.cuny.edu/cms/id/cuny/documents/informationpage/gartner_poster.pdf
Change of Address
Please Note that Effective immediately, F, M and J Students of CUNY DO NOT need to use the AR-11 Form. Their address change must be reported to the International Students Office within ten (10) days of their move and also to the Registrar's Office located in room 217 Hunter North.
DV Lottery Scam
The DV lottery scammers are out there. "I won! However, due to the courage of my great grandparents, I don't need it". As the DV lottery is now announced electronically when one is selected, scammers are already taking advantage. DOS has a "DV Fraud" warning on its website which can be reviewed. The Fraudulent emails may have State Department seals and may look legitimate, but sending money to an address claiming to be the American Consulate in London is not an option. The only benefit to sending $880.00 to an address listed as the American Consulate in London will be to assist the UK balance of payments. Be careful!
On a related note, on February 4, 2011 the Federal Trade Commission (TFC) announced that it had closed down "Immigration Centers and Immigration Forms and Publication Inc." which had set up a website which mimics officials US government sites and then steers individuals to deceptive telemarketing operations for forms, and "process" payments of $200 -$2500.00.
Internet and Social Media Consistency
An AILA's lawyer meeting in February covered trends in Consular Processing. Of interest was a common observation that the government is using the internet - mainly social network sites such as Facebook, Linkedln, Renren OKrut, etc. - as a tool to combat perceived fraud. A few months ago, this Memo noted a similar phenomenon coming from a specific fraud detection division branch of ICE located in Tacoma, Washington. The take home point seems to be that student - and really all applicants - should be aware of what information about them exists on the internet. Out of date and/ or inaccurate (or even accurate) online information may cause unnecessary application delays.
Do not be a victim of immigration scams
Notarios, notary publics and immigration consultants may NOT represent you before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS). While in many other countries the word "Notario" means that the individual is an attorney, this is not true in the United States and they may not provide the same services that an attorney or accredited representative does.
Notarios, Notary Publics may NOT:
a. Give legal advice on what immigration benefit you may apply for or what to say in an immigration interview
b. Hold him or her out as qualified in legal matters or in immigration and naturalization procedures
If you are seeking help with immigration questions, you should be very careful before paying money to a non-attorney. Please use the following guidelines when selecting an individual to represent you:
How to Prevent Becoming a Victim:
- DO NOT sign blank applications, petitions or other papers.
- DO NOT sign documents that you do not understand.
- DO NOT sign documents that contain false statements or inaccurate information.
- DO NOT let anyone keep your original documents.
- DO NOT make payments to a representative without getting a receipt.
- DO NOT pay more than a nominal fee to non-attorneys or make payments on the internet.
- DO obtain all copies of documents prepared or submitted for you.
- DO verify an attorney's or accredited representative's eligibility to represent you.
- DO report any representative's unlawful activity to USCIS, state Bar Associations and/or State Officers of Attorneys General.
For more information on free or low-cost immigration advice or help, call the New York Immigration Hotline at (800) 566-7636 or (212) 419-3737. For an Attorney referral, call the New York City Bar Association at (212) 626-7373.
New Appointment Service for Visa Applicants in Canada
For more information, see: http://www.consular.canada.usembassy.gov/
SEVIS II is Coming!
Towards the beginning of the spring 2013 semester or later, the U.S. Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is rolling out Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS) II, a new system to manage International students and Exchange Visitors. This system will provide greater control and information to students and help to reduce paperwork.
A key element in this process is data migration and error checking. When data is moved to the new system it must be verified for accuracy and standardized. This also means all our information must be consistent; we need your help to ensure this process goes as smoothly as possible. For example, if the name on your passport is different from the one on your F-1 SEVIS I-20 or SEVIS J-1 Exchange Visitor document , the DS2019 form, visa or other official documents, please contact us immediately so we can resolve the issue. Please check back often for updates on SEVIS II.
CUNY Ambassadors Program
The CUNY Ambassadors Program offers students the opportunity to become part of a dynamic group of student advocates. Students will meet with other CUNY students to further their advocacy skills and political acumen through training and advocacy experiences. If you would like to get involved, become an Advocate or just find out more information, go to the CUNY Leadership Academy website located at, http://www.cla.cuny.edu/events.htm
CUNY/311 Project
Both F-1 and J-1 students are eligible to work for the CUNY 311 project as On Campus Employment. F-1 and J-1 New Hires will be processed through E-Verify to verify the identity and employment eligibility of the hired employee.
F-1 or J-1 visa holders can be offered employment before they receive work authorization, but are not allowed to work until work authorization is granted. In most cases, work authorization is granted by the Designated School Official (DSO), International Student Advisors Office, or authorized officer, including an Alternate Responsible Officer.
F-1/ J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa holders are permitted to work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week while school is in session and full-time during the school breaks, such as winter sessions or summer sessions.
In order to be hired and work for the Research Foundation, an F-1 and J-1 student must provide the documents: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentservices/is/employment#employment-eligibility-verification-of
Hunter College International students in following declared majors (undergraduate level programs ) or in the following disciplines ( graduate level studies ) are encouraged to apply: Accounting, Anthropology, Community Health Education, Computer Sciences, Counseling, Economics, Educational Psychology, English, Foreign Languages, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics & Applied Math, Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL), Urban Affairs, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Women Studies.
Applications are available in Career Development Services (805 East). For more information visit the following web site: http://web.cuny.edu/jobs/student-jobs/jobs/311-proj.html
Guide for International Students
The International Students Office has created a new interactive guide for International Students. This should help to answer many questions about studying and living in New York City. You can view the guide here.
Subscribe to our New International Students Listserv
The International Students Office has created a brand new listserv to keep you up to date with the most current information regarding immigration and official school notices. This listserv will enable the office to send e-mails to all international students who subscribe to the service. Subscribing is very simple and it only takes one minute! To subscribe, all you need to do is send an e-mail to: international-l-request@hunter.listserv.cuny.edu with the following message in the body of the e-mail SUBSCRIBE INTERNATIONAL-L "your name" The subject of the e-mail should be SUBSCRIBE.
Example:
Email to: international-l-request@hunter.listserv.cuny.edu
Subject: SUBSCRIBE
Body of e-mail: SUBSCRIBE INTERNATIONAL-L John Smith
Make sure you take advantage of this great opportunity to be updated regarding all immigration and official school information as we are informed about them.
Citizenship Applications and Information Available
United States citizenship applications are available in the International Students Office (ISO). For your convenience, the ISO also has the redesigned (new) naturalization test guide, which outlines the type of information you will be expected to know when you take the naturalization test.
Internship Meetings: Prepare for Summer Internships now!
