COVID Booster Update

CUNY has announced the end of the COVID vaccine mandate for all students as of May 23, 2023. For you, this will mean that you will not be required to obtain a COVID vaccine in order to begin your in-person classes this Fall although it is encouraged in order to maintain your health and safety. A majority of our students will still be required to show proof of vaccination in order to enter the U.S. Please see this link for those requirements as well as the exceptions allowed by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

 
There are more details about CUNY's announcement at this link as well as this link from CCNY​
 
 
 

 

SEVP COVID guidelines

On May 11, 2023, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) terminated its Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) guidance to coincide with the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency and Public Health Emergency. This means that certain regulations will revert back to their pre-COVID limitations. For more information on what that means for you, please see this link with some frequently answered questions. 

CUNY Announces New Option for International Payments

In an effort to reduce administrative challenges, CUNY now has a new option for international students to make payments in your local currency.
 
Just log into your CUNYfirst Student Center and click on the Make a Payment button, which will take you to Nelnet QuikPAY. Then select View & Pay Accounts from the left-hand menu.  Enter your payment amount in US Dollars and from the Payment Method dropdown box, choose International Payment.  Nelnet will then transfer you to Convera’s platform GlobalPay for Students.
 
You will be presented with several payment options to transfer your funds to Convera. Depending on which country you are making your payment from, GlobalPay for Students allows you to use Providers such as UnionPay and Alipay in China, ICICI in India, Sofort and iDEAL in Europe, and Hana Bank in Korea.
 
Convera will send your payment to CUNY. Upon receipt of your payment, your student account in CUNYfirst is updated.
 
For additional information, please go to the International Payments FAQs.

 

Thank you to all who attended the Immigration Updates Workshop on 3/1/2022. For those who were not able to attend, here is the recording of the session. 

 

 

 

WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCEMENT: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Actions to Attract STEM Talent

The White House provided a fact sheet detailing new DHS actions intended to attract and maintain STEM talent in the US. These include DHS policy manual updates on O-1 visas, creation of the Early Career STEM Research Initiative, changes to SEVP, USCIS policy manual updates, and more.

See the links below for more information.

https://visaserve.com/lawyer/2022/01/21/F-1-Visa/WHITE-HOUSE-ANNOUNCEME…

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/01/21/dhs-expands-opportunities-us-stem-p…

 

Information regarding International Students and the ARP Student Emergency Grant

Can international and/or undocumented students receive funds from the ARP HEERF III Federal Emergency Grant?

Yes. International and undocumented students are eligible for this grant and are encouraged to reach out to their campus Financial Aid Office for eligibility determination.

ARP Student Emergency Grant

ARP FAQs

Hong Kong Special Student Relief Announcement

On May 3, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a Federal Register Notice announcing the suspension of certain regulatory requirements for F-1 nonimmigrant students who are Hong Kong residents and are experiencing severe economic hardship as a result of the current crisis in Hong Kong. This notice redesignates Special Student Relief (SSR) to include eligible students who are in a lawful F-1 status as of Jan. 26, 2023, and extends relief until Feb. 5, 2025.

Additional information about this SSR and when eligible students may apply is available on the F-1 Special Student Relief Fact Sheet at ICE.gov/SEVP and the What is Special Student Relief? infographic in the Study in the States Resource Library

Beware of Scam Calls!

The Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has reached out to inform us that there has recently been a spoofing scam taking place involving individuals using the SEVP Response Center (SRC) phone number (703-603-3400), or a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office phone number (757-441-6533), and claiming to be SRC representatives. The fraudulent callers are asking students to provide their immigration information, such as their Alien Registration Number or Form I-94, “Arrival/Departure Record,” information, or face deportation.

If you are a victim of this spoof call, please report it to the Department of International Student & Scholar Services immediately. We will report it to HSI for an investigation. If you are unsure about the validity of a call from an SEVP official, you can also reach out to us for assistance.   

Things to remember:

  • SEVP officials will NEVER ask you to provide credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers, or to make bitcoin deposits for any purpose.
  • NEVER divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.
  • Report all suspicious calls to the Department of International Student & Scholar Services immediately.​

 

 

Traveling to New York during COVID-19

https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/travel-large-gatherings-and-quarantines#quarantines

https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home

https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/04/doh_covid19_faqs_updated_041720_2.pdf

https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory#restricted-states

 

ATTENTION FALL 2023 NEW STUDENTS

All new International Students are required to report your arrival into the U.S. to our office. Due to COVID-19 all reporting will be done electronically. Students must complete the Student Contact Sheet, and submit copies of their passport, visa, and a printout of the I-94 to oisss@ccny.cuny.edu

Student Contact Sheet

The form I-94 is available by inputting your passport information in the link below.

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home

 

AS INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS YOU ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER FULL TIME

12 CREDITS UNDERGRADUATE

9 CREDITS GRADUATE

7 CREDITS PH.D

Also, in order to maintain matriculation you must be physically present within the United States

Immigration Updates

Immigration tips in times of uncertainty 

For DACA students who have reached our page, please click on this link for information specific to your status.

https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/we-are-one-ccny/dreamers-and-daca

COVID UPDATE

CUNY has announced the end of the COVID vaccine mandate for all students as of May 23, 2023. For you, this will mean that you will not be required to obtain a COVID vaccine in order to begin your in-person classes this Fall although it is encouraged in order to maintain your health and safety. A majority of our students will still be required to show proof of vaccination in order to enter the U.S. Please see this link for those requirements as well as the exceptions allowed by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
 
There are more details about CUNY's announcement at this link as well as this link from CCNY​

CONTACT INFORMATION

Maribel Morua
Director

North Academic
Center Room  1/107
160 Convent Avenue New York, NY 10031

p: 212.650.8106/8107
f: 212.650.5833
e:  oisss@ccny.cuny.edu