ISS Listserv
APR 17, 2008
ISS LISTSERV MENU: OPT update / SUAB Movie / H1-B Quota Lottery / La Calle Ocho / NDSU student survey
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International Students and Scholars (ISS) will hold an informational session tonight to address changes in the OPT process.
Tonight April 17th 6:00pm - 7:00pm Location: Willard Hall 010……basement!
Please attend if you want to hear more details on OPT. Additional details will be listed on the ISS web-site next week.
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OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING (OPT) UPDATE!!!
On April 3rd, 2008, The Department of Homeland Security announced the publication of an Interim Final Rule that makes significant changes to Post-Completion Optional Practical Training for international students. The summary of the announcement are:
- Allow F-1 international students who earn degrees in certain Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields to apply for an additional 17 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT), giving them a total of 29 months.
- Allow students who are engaged in OPT and who have properly filed and been selected for an H1-B petition with an October 1st start date to remain in U.S. and continue working during the "cap gap" (the period between the end of OPT and the beginning of the fiscal year - October 1, 2008)
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SUAB MOVIE:
This week I’m Not There is showing for the SUAB Movie. The movie begins at 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm on Friday, April 18th and Saturday, April 19th, in the Student Union Little Theater. Admission is $2. Check out the SUAB website for more info! http://union.okstate.edu/suab/movies.htm
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H-1B ADVANCED DEGREE QUOTA LOTTERY HAS BEEN COMPLETED
U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had conducted the random lottery to select 20,000 petitions to be processed under the advanced degree H-1B quota. USCIS announced that "petitioners whose properly filed petitions have been selected for full adjudication should receive a receipt notice dated no later than June 2, 2008" and "the total adjudication process is expected to take approximately eight to ten weeks." For any petition that included a request for premium processing, the 15-day premium processing period began on April 14. Apparently some petitions have been "wait-listed" in case any of the 20,000 selected through the lottery are denied or withdrawn. This means that petitioners who requested an advanced degree quota H-1B and utilized premium processing should know soon if they're among the lucky "winners" of the lottery.
For several strategic reasons, we encouraged all of our clients to utilize premium processing and most agreed to do so. This was smart, since those who requested PP will know very soon whether they have been selected, and if not, and in a STEM area, can request the 17 month extension of OPT, or exercise other options. For those who did not opt for PP, their OPT may expire before they know if they made the “cut.” Therefore, persons with OPT which expires soon and who are eligible for the 17 month extension, or who wish to know quickly whether they should exercise other options, should encourage their employer or attorney to file Form I 907 for Premium Processing as soon as possible. If the petition is not selected for the quota, the premium fee and form should be returned to the petitioner employer. The I-907 may be filed online at uscis.gov.
We'll be alerting clients as soon as we receive approval or receipt notices. Good luck to all! We'll let you know as soon as we receive more news about the regular quota selection process.
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LA CALLE OCHO
The 8th Street Latin Festival will bring a typical day of festivities and celebration in Latin America to the heart of Oklahoma in downtown Stillwater this Saturday April 19, 2008.
A day full of street dancing, live music, performances and food; a free and open event to everyone!
Renowned Guitarist Edgar Cruz @ 2:30pm
Dance Lessons for the family @ 4:00pm
Drumming and Performances 5:30pm
Food, Inflatable games and DJ Music throughout the day and
Live Music by the renowned Son Venezuela Orchestra at 7pm
Family Friendly, all are welcome!!
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NDSU STUDENT NEEDS HELP WITH INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY
My name is Agnes N. Lyonga, a graduate student in the School of Education at North Dakota State University. I am conducting a research project to determine food safety issues, concerns, perceptions, and the cultural influences on food safety behaviors of international college students.
It should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire about food safety behaviors and culture. By completing this survey, you will be eligible for a random drawing to win a $ 50 gift card from a major retailer (Target, Wal-Mart) of your choice.
You are invited to participate in this research project. Your participation is entirely your choice, and you may change your mind or quit participating at any time, with no penalty to you. However, your assistance with filling out this survey would be of great importance to this study. Your opinions are very important and will help in making this research project a success.
If you decide to participate, please click on the link to advance to the survey questions:
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/gdc/Surveys/gdc1638/welcome.htm
You must be 18 years of age or older to participate. Your identity will not be revealed in the research results or at any time throughout the research. Your information will be combined with information from other students taking part in the study to be used in summary form and to make group comparisons. You will not be identified in the written materials.
If you have any questions or comments, please call or email us as soon as possible. You can reach me at phone number 701-231-7085, or email:
Agnes.Ngalelyonga@ndsu.edu or my advisor, Dr Eighmy at 701-231- 5775
(email: Myron.Eighmy@ndsu.edu) and Dr Garden-Robinson at 701-231-7187
(email: Julie.Garden-Robinson@ndsu.edu).
If you have questions about the rights of human participants in research, or to report a problem, contact the NDSU IRB Office, 701-231-8908, or ndsu.irb@ndsu.edu. If you wish to receive a copy of the summarized results, contact Dr Eighmy and Dr Garden-Robinson, at North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105.
Thank you for your participation in this research, Agnes N. Lyonga, Researcher