WARNING! Scams targeting international students are becoming increasingly common. Every year, students lose thousands of dollars to scammers who contact them, pretending to represent US govt officials, under false threat of penalty, imprisonment, or deportation. USCIS will NEVER call you or ask you to transfer money over the phone or email. Scammers will often tell you not to contact anyone, the aim being to isolate and intimidate you. If you receive a threatening call or message from someone claiming to be a government or law enforcement official, you should:

• Guard your personal and financial information.
• Attempt to collect contact information from the caller -- ask for notice in writing, imply you need to speak with your attorney (even if you do not have one)
• End the conversation immediately if threats and intimidation persist.
• If you believe are being scammed or have been scammed, please contact OIS immediately
  

Some common scams and misleading offers to be aware of include:

• Government impersonators: Look out for scammers posing as USCIS officials. USCIS will only contact you through official government channels and will not contact you through your personal social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.).
• Misleading offers of support: Look out for individuals who attempt to contact you online or through your social media accounts to offer to be your supporter or connect you to a supporter in exchange for a fee or your biographic information, such as your passport number or date of birth.
• Scam websites: Some websites claim to be affiliated with USCIS and offer step-by-step guidance on completing a USCIS application, petition, or request.
• Payments by phone or email: USCIS will never ask you to transfer money to an individual. They do not accept Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, or gift cards as payment for immigration fees. In addition, they will never ask you to pay fees to a person on the phone or by email.
• Any situation where you're being told not to contact your friends, family, school officials is almost certainly illegitimate. Never hesitate to reach out to OIS if you are contacted by someone purporting to be a government agent or member of law enforcement

Additional information/links:

Avoid Scams Resource Center

Common scams

Reporting Immigration Scams

Fall 2023 Liaison Information Report on Scams Targeting Chinese Students

Morgan Parker

Morgan Parker is the newest International Student Advisor at Fordham's Office of International Services (OIS), based at the Lincoln Center campus. Morgan brings expertise in educational program management and data analytics. With a professional background in sports and education, Morgan holds an MBA from the University of New Mexico and a B.A. in Psychology from Saint Louis University's Madrid Campus. In her free time, Morgan enjoys exploring New York's diverse culinary scene and participating in community sports events.

Imran Patwary

Imran is joining Fordham's OIS as a DSO/ISA based at Rose Hill, but he will serve student populations at both campuses. Imran comes to Fordham from St. John's University where he served at the Office of International Education (Outbound Programs). Imran has an MA and a BA in English from Queens College, CUNY. He has also worked as an Embedded Tutor for First-year Writing courses at Queens College. Imran looks forward to advising international students at Fordham and making their transition to Fordham and the U.S. a little smoother.

It is important to be aware that, as a nonresident in the US, you’re legally required to file a tax

return if you received US income during 2023 by the April 15th 2024 deadline. And even if you didn’t work or receive income in the US, you’re still obliged to file a Form 8843 with the IRS.

Fordham University has arranged access to Sprintax for you. Sprintax will guide you through

the tax preparation process, arrange the necessary documents and check if you’re due a tax

refund. Sprintax was used by over 200,000 international students, scholars and nonresidents last year, and the average Federal refund received by eligible students was over $1,017.84.

All you need to do is:

• Register and follow the simple instructions
• Complete the online questionnaire
• Enter your unique code: FORDH500F23 in the box on the ‘Review your order’ page
• Sprintax will prepare your tax return

Once you complete the preparation process in the Sprintax software, you may need to print,

sign and mail your documents to the IRS. Depending on your circumstances, you may be able

to E-file your Federal tax return. However, this will depend on certain eligibility criteria. You can learn more about eligibility in this Sprintax blog

If you have a state filing requirement, you must also mail this to the tax authorities. Finally, if you only need to file Form 8843, this will also need to be mailed to the IRS.

If you have any questions, the Sprintax team will be happy to help via their 24/7 Live Chat.

Sprintax will also be offering a series of webinars which can be found here.

Please note that we at OIS are not tax experts and any questions related to tax filing should be sent directly to Sprintax.

While Fordham does issue 1042-S to international students and vendors, not everyone is entitled to receive one and there are specific circumstances that govern the generating of a 1042-S.

Payroll

In order for a student/employee to receive a 1042-S from the Payroll Department, the following criteria must be met:

• International student or employee must interview with Diana Ferrante to determine their tax status (they need to e-mail internationalapplicantinfo@fordham.edu to set up an appointment and download forms)
• A valid Social Security Number is required to be input in to Banner Payroll
• A treaty must be in place between the US and the host country in order to receive treaty benefits
• Student/Employee must have earned income at Fordham and be on Fordham payroll. This does not include scholarships/fellowships.

Athletes

In order for an athlete to receive a 1042-S from Controllers Department, the following criteria must be met:

• International student athlete must interview with Diana Ferrante to determine their tax status (they need to e-mail internationalapplicantinfo@fordham.edu to set up an appointment and download forms)
• A valid Social Security Number or Tax ID number is required in order to receive treaty benefits
  
• A treaty must be in place between the US and the host country
  
• A scholarship that covers room and board. It is only the room and board portion (not tuition) that generates the 1042-S

All other international students not covered by the above do NOT receive a 1042-S from Fordham. Any questions regarding 1042-S should be directed to the email address above.

Please note that you do not need any letter or document from the OIS to invite a family member as a B-2 visitor. If you wish to have family members/friends visit you in the United States for a short time on a B-2 visitor visa, you may provide them with a personal invitation letter. You can access a template for a sample invitation letter here: https://www.fordham.edu/info/21336/resources_and_links/8861/invitation_letter

OPT: Optional Practical Training

If you are completing your studies in May 2024 and you wish to apply for OPT, you can apply beginning 90 days before your program end date. The latest you can apply is 60 days after your program completion date (application must be received by USCIS by the 60th day); however, we recommend applying sooner rather than later in most cases. Your real completion date (reality) is more important than what is written in the completion date in Sec. 5 on your I20. You can read further instructions on applying for OPT here.

CPT: Curricular Practical Training

CPT is issued per semester. If you are currently working under CPT and wish to continue your internship/employment into the next term while still a student, you must apply for a new CPT authorization for that semester. Please be sure to apply for CPT work authorization BEFORE starting work. It is illegal to work prior to obtaining CPT authorization. OIS cannot back-date CPT employment. You can read further instructions on applying for CPT here.

Please look at section 5 of your I-20 (or section 3 of your DS-2019). What is the completion date? If that date is NOT the date that you plan to complete your studies, you must contact OIS immediately. If you believe that you will need more time beyond the date listed on your I-20, contact your academic advisor and alert OIS by submitting a Program Extension Request at least three weeks BEFORE your current I-20 expires. If your completion date is for a future term, and you will complete your studies this term, you must let OIS know this as well. If for any reason the completion date on your I-20 is not accurate, you must inform us so that we can help you maintain your F-1/J-1 status.

Remember that reality is always more important than what is written on your I-20 or DS-2019! You should NEVER try to re-enter the US with an I-20 or DS-2019 just because the date is still valid. If you have already completed your studies, the I-20 is no longer valid regardless of the date. Please note that the graduation date and the completion date are not necessarily the same. The completion date on your I-20/DS-2019 should reflect the date that you intend to complete all degree requirements, not the date of your graduation ceremony.

By keeping your records as accurate as possible, this ensures our office's ability to not only advise you appropriately, but to also ensure that you are keeping in compliance with federal F-1 regulations.

For students on post-completion OPT:

This is a friendly reminder that you must submit your OPT employment information to your SEVP Portal within 10 days of any given change (starting a new job, ending a job, changing jobs, etc). It is important you do this and to remain vigilant of your OPT reporting requirements, as any information that you submit to immigration must be accurate and up-to-date at all times. Failure to do this will otherwise compromise and/or violate your F-1 status.

For more information, please review and follow OPT reporting requirements and instructions on how to report employment through the SEVP Portal. If you have any questions about employment reporting, or have any difficulties with using the SEVP Portal, please contact ois@fordham.edu.

For students on STEM OPT Extension:

This is a friendly reminder that your reporting responsibilities for employment are different from responsibilities on post-completion OPT. The only thing that you are able to change on the SEVP Portal directly is your US address or phone number.

All other employment changes must be reported to OIS via the I-983 Form within 10 days of the given change occurring. For more information, please carefully review all of the guidelines related to STEM OPT reporting procedures listed here: https://www.fordham.edu/info/24658/stem_extension/7263/reporting_requirements_for_stem. If you have any questions or concerns about your status, please contact ois@fordham.edu.

Also, a friendly reminder that while on OPT/STEM OPT it is important that you continue to check your Fordham email address regularly as that is what OIS and SEVP will use to communicate with you regarding immigration matters.

This is a friendly reminder that it is your responsibility to make sure that you are reporting your US home address and employment name and address to OIS via the STEM OPT Employment Validation portal. These validation updates must be done every 6 months from the start date listed on your STEM EAD card. Additionally, as part of your 12 and 24 month validation updates, you have to submit a training evaluation (Page 5 of the Form I-983), signed by your current supervisor. This page should be submitted via the STEM OPT Employment Validation portal, along with your validation information.

You can easily calculate your 6-month marks on STEM OPT. For example, if STEM OPT starts Jan 1, 2024, as listed on your STEM EAD card:

· 6 month is: July 1, 2024

· 12 month is: Jan 1, 2025 (also one year evaluation is due - top of page 5 of I-983)

· 18 month is: July 1, 2025

· 24 month is: December 31, 2025 (also final year evaluation is due - bottom of page 5 of I-983)

It is important to remain vigilant and aware of your reporting times, since this is related to your STEM OPT and immigration matters. You may set alarms on your calendar or schedule to keep track of these reporting times. The SEVP Portal may email you notices as a courtesy within one month of each of your reporting due dates but please note their reporting dates may be incorrect—so please keep track of your reporting dates yourself and act accordingly.

Remember that it is ultimately your responsibility as the student to keep track of and report these validations, and submit the validations and/or evaluations to OIS, as indicated when you submit your initial STEM application to OIS.

For more information regarding your STEM OPT reporting responsibilities, please visit here.

If you are planning to travel outside the US, make sure your travel documents are valid and endorsed. This includes: Valid passport, Valid F1 or J1 visa, Valid I-20/DS-2019 with a valid travel endorsement signature.

Note: I-20 travel signatures are good for 1 year for current students. If you are on OPT, your travel signature is good for 6 months. These times are calculated based on the date of the most recent travel signature.

· If you are on OPT, you should also bring your EAD card and proof of employment. If you have applied for OPT but not yet received your EAD card, you should bring your Approval Notice and/or Receipt Notice.

When you re-enter the US, if you do not have your I-20/DS-2019, or the signature is not valid, you can ask for a Form I-515. Once you are in the US, you must reach out to us immediately so we can fix your I-515.

If you will be going on a cruise, make sure to bring your I-20 with you!

As you know, the I-94 is now an electronic record. The OIS does not require students to submit their I-94 upon returning to the US, but we do recommend that you retrieve your I-94 from www.cbp.gov/i94 whenever you re-enter the country to make sure you were given the proper status. You will NOT be able to retrieve your I-94 while you are outside the US, because the I-94 is an ENTRY document.

You can read more about this as well as request a new travel signature here.

Make sure your address information is up-to-date and correct!

¨ US phone numbers are now required by SEVIS (Federal Law). Make sure you enter your US phone number in my.fordham.edu

¨ Check your I-20 completion date! Please see section on I-20/DS-2019 Completion Information

¨ Enroll Full-Time! All students must enroll full time in classes. This means at least 12 credits/term for undergraduates, and at least 9 credits for graduates.

(Only students in their last term may enroll less than full time.)

¨If you are NOT in your last term, but you will be enrolled less than full time, you must fill out our Deviation from Full Course of Study form, found under the Current Students section of our website (www.fordham.edu/ois)

Global Transition (GT) is a welcome program for new international undergraduate students. It is full of fun, interesting, and helpful activities and sessions, and is a great way for new international students to get to know Fordham, New York, and other Fordham students.

This program is an exciting and unique way for current undergraduate students, both international and domestic, to get involved and get to know other international students as well as the incoming international class.

We have Global Transition Student Coordinators, Global Transition Assistants, Global Transition Logistic Coordinators, and Global Transition Photographer/ Videographers. For more info about these roles, take a look at the GT Team page of our website.

If you would like to be part of the program during GT 2024, applications are now open and can be found below!

Global Transition Team Application for Global Transition Assistants (Multiple Openings per campus), Logistics Coordinator (1 opening per campus), and/or Photographer (1 opening per campus)

Global Transition team members say they have a lot of fun and form some great new friendships during the program. If you want to help international students adjust to life at Fordham, share your experience, and make meaningful friendships, Global Transition is the way to do it! Check out our video from GT Fall 2023 move in day!

Please check https://www.fordham.edu/gt for updates!

Keep an eye out for information regarding OIS' Employment and Attorney Presentations coming later on this spring term

Please view our website here for additional information as well as answers to many questions you may have

Email: ois@fordham.edu
Website: fordham.edu/ois
Phone: 718-817-3145