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Admi%ed Interna-onal Students Thursday, April 23, 2015
Master of Science Programs Agenda Immigra-on Campus Resources NYC Transporta-on Registra-on Requirements Q&A Immigra-on Interna-onal Student Scholars Oﬃce (ISSO) Interna-onal House North 524 Riverside Drive, Suite 200 212-‐854-‐3587 newintlstudent@columbia.edu Things to Consider Before Your Arrival 1. 
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What is F-‐1 status? What is SEVIS? Applying for a visa Arriving at a U.S. Port of Entry Repor-ng your arrival to ac-vate your SEVIS record 5.  Maintaining F-‐1 Status 6.  Returning from a trip abroad during your program ISSO Informa-on You must apply for and obtain a Columbia I-‐20 (Cer-ﬁcate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant F-‐1 Status) which is required as part of an F-‐1 visa applica-on at a U.S. consulate or to transfer your F-‐1 SEVIS record to Columbia from another U.S. university. ISSO Informa-on U.S. immigra-on law does not provide a visa status that permits part-‐-me studies. Interna-onal students on an F-‐1 student visa must be enrolled full-‐-me, deﬁned as 12 credit points at Columbia. I-‐20 (Cer-ﬁca-on of Eligibility for F-‐1 Status) Students admi%ed to a full-me program of study apply to the ISSO for this document at h%p://isso.columbia.edu You will see that a complete applica-on for an I-‐20 consists of an online applica-on PLUS suppor-ng documenta-on consis-ng of -‐ a copy of your le%er of admission -‐ a copy of the iden-ﬁca-on page of your passport -‐ documents showing that you have enough funds available now for the ﬁrst year of your program for the amount indicated on the chart. All of the documenta-on should be scanned as one pdf that you will email to issodocs@columbia.edu Your I-‐20 applica-on will be in a queue with more than 3700 other new interna-onal student applicants campus-‐wide. It may take up to 3-‐4 weeks to process your complete applica-on, depending on how many applica-ons are ahead of yours. I-‐20 (Cer-ﬁca-on of Eligibility for F-‐1 Status) You need the I-‐20 BEFORE you make a VISA appointment. The I-‐20 is required when applying for F-‐1 entry visa from U.S. consulate. The appointment wait -me and the visa processing -me varies for the all the diﬀerent U.S. embassies and consulates, so check for informa-on speciﬁc to the post at which you will apply at h%ps://usvisa-‐info.com/sta-c/niv-‐landing.html You should NOT buy a plane -cket UNTIL you have obtained the F-‐1 entry visa in your passport. When making travel plans, keep in mind that you may not enter the U.S. in F-‐1 status more than 30 days in advance of the September 8, 2015 start of the term. The I-‐20 is required at port of entry for admission in F-‐1 status when arriving in the U.S. Ci-zens of Canada and Bermuda While the F-‐1 Visa is not required for Canadians and Bermudians, you s-ll must submit an applica-on for the I-‐20 Document The I-‐20 must be presented at the port of entry to be admi%ed to the U.S. in F-‐1 status. SEVIS SEVIS – Student & Exchange Visitor Informa-on System Government database that contains informa-on on: -‐ F-‐1 students -‐ J-‐1 exchange students -‐ F-‐2 and J-‐2 dependents Accessible to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Consulates and Universi-es -‐ Collects, maintains and tracks informa-on pertaining to interna-onal students and J-‐1 exchange visitors -‐ F-‐1 and J-‐1 forms are processed through SEVIS Updates are made to your SEVIS record throughout your program, including arrivals and departures, your enrollment status each term and authorized employment. First essen-al update is having your SEVIS record ac-vated by the ISSO aker you report your arrival with the online form. Documenta-on Required at Port of Entry Carry these items with you and not in your luggage: 1.  Passport 2.  I-‐20 3.  Proof of SEVIS payment 4.  Financial documents 5.  Columbia’s acceptance le%er US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Customs and Border Protec-on (CBP) • 
CBP oﬃcer will process your admission to the U.S. • 
Have your passport open to F-‐1 visa page. • 
The oﬃcer should stamp your passport with admission in “F-‐1 status” un-l “D/S”. D/S means “dura-on of status.” • 
Your dura-on of status covers the period of -me needed to complete your program as indicated on your I-‐20—
unless you ﬁnish earlier—plus an addi-onal 60-‐day grace period aker the comple-on date in item 5 of your I-‐20. Electronic I-‐94 Admission Record 1.  A day or two aker arrival check to see that you have been admi%ed correctly in F-‐1 status. 2.  Follow instruc-ons at h%ps://
i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/. SEVIS Arrival Report Form All Columbia Interna-onal students must report their arrival to the ISSO within one week with the online form linked below: h%ps://www1.columbia.edu/sec/cu/isso/new_arrival_check_in.html or -nyurl.com/isso-‐checkin The ISSO uses this informa-on to update and ac-vate your SEVIS record. Very Important! If you do not do this in a -mely manner, your SEVIS record will automa-cally cancel out as a “no show”, meaning someone who entered the U.S. in F-‐1 status with an I-‐20 but did not report to the university. This can cause signiﬁcant problems for all future visits and visa applica7ons. Maintaining F-‐1 Status •  Be enrolled full-me every term (limited excep-ons) •  Work only with authoriza-on! In your ﬁrst academic year in F-‐1 status, you may work on-‐campus up to 20 hours/wk. Aker the ﬁrst year, may be eligible to apply for Prac-cal Training (employment related to your ﬁeld of study). Full-‐-me Enrollment Excep-ons •  Final term excep-on: In your ﬁnal term, you are not required to take more than you need to complete degree requirements. For example, if you are enrolled in a 30-‐credit master’s program and you take 12 credits in each of the ﬁrst 2 terms, in the ﬁnal term you are permi%ed to register for the 6 remaining credits you need to graduate. This excep-on does not require previous approval from the ISSO, but be sure you are fulﬁlling all degree requirements before enrolling for less than full-me. Full-‐-me Enrollment Requirement and Excep-ons First term excep-ons Occasionally, a student may be eligible for a reduced course load because of academic adjustment in the ﬁrst term. Students must seek advisement from their Academic Advisor in conjunc-on with the ISSO to qualify. You must get ISSO approval before dropping below full-me. Full-‐-me Enrollment Requirement and Excep-ons DO NOT DROP BELOW full-‐-me registra-on status unless you have approval from the ISSO based on your academic advisor’s recommenda-on. Returning from a Trip Abroad During your Program YOU NEED TO HAVE: •  A passport valid un-l at least 6 months into the future from the date of return unless your country is waived from that requirement. See Ques7on 2B of h=p://www.ice.gov/sevis/travel/
faq_f2.htm Returning from a Trip Abroad During your Program YOU NEED TO HAVE: •  An unexpired F-‐1 entry visa •  An unexpired I-‐20 (see date on item 5) and a “travel signature” by an ISSO F-‐1 Designated School Oﬃcial (DSO) that is less than a year old. Check the bo%om of page 3 for the date of the signature. Useful Websites Educa-onUSA Pre-‐departure Orienta-ons h=ps://www.educa7onusa.info/students-‐orienta7ons.php DHS (Department of Homeland Security) website for Interna-onal Students studyinthestates.dhs.gov Immigra-on and Customs Enforcement h=p://www.ice.gov/sevis/ Immigra-on and Customs Enforcement h=p://www.ice.gov/sevis/students/ Coming to Columbia: Essen-al Informa-on for New Interna-onal Students h=p://www.columbia.edu/cu/isso/incoming/ Ques-ons about immigra-on? Beneﬁts Writing Center 22 Libraries Student Clubs New York City University Events/ Lectures Dodge Fitness Center Passport to New York Addi-onal Resources Wri-ng Center bit.ly/cuwri-ngcenter 45 minute sessions Workshops & wri-ng groups Clubs Cycling Team Ballroom Dance glee club Peace by Peace Amnesty International ROCK CLIMBING Hiking Tennis Intramural Sports CU UNICEF And many more! bit.ly/cuclubs Fitness Center Full gym | Running track | Pool Fitness classes | Personal training Passport to New York Free entry to over 30 NYC museums and discounts at par7cipa7ng restaurants For more informa-on, go to h%p://
artsini-a-ve.columbia.edu Oﬀ-‐Campus Housing Assistance (OCHA) OCHA manages a database known as the Housing Registry which includes available rooms and apartments in non-‐
Columbia-‐owned buildings and sublets of units in Columbia-‐
managed housing. •  Prospec-ve roommates can also post and search proﬁles on this site. •  In addi-on, OCHA oﬀers one-‐on-‐one housing search counseling and is supported in these eﬀorts by our coopera-ve rela-onships with two New York City real estate/reloca-on agencies. Tips on Apartment Hun-ng in NYC Webinar: May 5th, 2015 at 11:00 am EST Single Ride $2.75 OR Unlimited Bus/
Subway $116.50 -‐ Monthly $31 -‐ Weekly The MTA charges a $1.00 “new card fee” for the purchase of a new MetroCard h=ps://
www.walksofnewyork.com/
blog/new-‐york-‐city-‐transit-‐
apps Signs on Cabs
Yellow Cabs Available all over Manha%an Green Cabs Available above 110th street and in the outer boroughs Drivers are not permi%ed to refuse passengers with more than one stop A taxicab driver is required to drive a passenger to any des-na-on in the ﬁve boroughs From the Airport to Manha%an Take a taxi from the taxi stand outside the terminal ONLY. You must add toll & -p to fares. John F Kennedy $52 ﬂat fare. La Guardia
Metered fare, plus tolls. Newark
Metered fare, plus a $17.50 surcharge and all tolls. From the Airport to Manha%an Shu%le $15–30 7nyurl.com/lgashu=le 7nyurl.com/ewrshu=le 7nyurl.com/jYshu=le Public Transporta-on John F Kennedy -‐ $13.00 Airtrain to Jamaica Sta7on then LIRR to Penn Sta7on. La Guardia -‐ $2.75 Take the M60 Bus to 125th Street and transfer to subway. Newark -‐ $12.50 Airtrain to NJ Transit train to Penn Sta7on. Registra-on Requirements Immuniza-on 1.  Measles, Mumps, & Rubella 2.  Meningococcal Meningi-s health.columbia.edu/about/immuniza7on-‐requirements Contact Informa-on ISSO 212-‐854-‐3587 newintlstudent@columbia.edu Admissions Oﬃce 212-‐854-‐9666 sce-‐apply@columbia.edu Student Life 212-‐854-‐0419 sce-‐studentaﬀairs@columbia.edu Ques-ons?