The mission of the Office of International Services is to provide services to enhance and facilitate the stay of international staff and students at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

OIS serves as the liaison between faculty and staff and the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Department of Labor, and other national offices and organizations. OIS advises international students and scholars on immigration issues and assist in their adjustment to the US culture and UTHSCSA community.

Current Bulletins

June 2009

Problems with credit card payments for the SEVIS fee

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is having problems with processing SEVIS fee credit card payments from certain countries. Because of this, SEVP will no longer accept credit card payments from the countries involved. Once a payment is submitted, a message will be sent to the student, exchange visitor or someone in their behalf, if the credit card payment is being accepted from their country or not. Payments can still be made by certified check, money order, or western union transfer.

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April 2009

New U.S.-VISIT Procedures

All non-U.S. citizens entering the U.S. must follow the new US-VISIT procedure effective January 18, 2009.
The procedure requires noncitizens to be photographed and fingerprinted in order to check appropriate databases. Visa-issuing posts start this process by collecting a traveler’s biometrics. When the traveler arrives to the U.S., the same biometrics is collected to verify the traveler’s identity. 

Additionally, the following people must provide biometrics upon entry or re-entry to the U.S.: lawful permanent residents of the United States, people seeking admission or immigrant visas and people seeking admission as refugees or asylees.  

For Canadian citizens:
- Those applying for admission to the U.S. under a B-1 or B-2 nonimmigrant classification for business or pleasure are not required to enroll in US-VISIT.
- Those applying for admission in the following classifications: F, J and TN must enroll in US-VISIT.

For land border Port of Entry:
- Lawful permanent residents will provide biometrics only if referred to a second inspection.
- All other non-U.S. citizens will experience US-VISIT procedures during secondary inspection.

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March 2009

FBI Name Check Backlogs Elimination

USCIS announced on March 4, 2009 that the backlog of the FBI name check pending for more than six months has been eliminated. Sixteen months ago over 349,000 name checks were pending. As of February 28, 2009 all pending requests that had been at USCIS for over six months were resolved by the FBI’s National Name Check Program (NNCP).

Throughout 2008, the FBI processed all name checks that had been pending prioritizing the requests based on the time they were pending for. The remaining requests are expected to be completed within 30 days to three months.

 

Release of 2009 Poverty Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released updated poverty guidelines.  This information is important for many immigration procedures. The policy for The Department of Homeland Security and USCIS is that people immigrating to the U.S., changing their immigration status in the U.S. or coming on a non-immigrant visa are required to meet the poverty guidelines income requirements above 125%.

For more detailed information, contact OIS.

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February 2009

Mexico Travel Alert

There has been a recent increase in violence through Mexico. The greatest increase has occurred near the U.S. border in cities like Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez. Travelers are advised to use the following precautions:

1. Visit only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours and avoid dangerous areas throughout the city.
2. Leave a travel itinerary with a family member or a friend not traveling with them and avoid travelling alone.
3. Cooperate fully with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways.
4. During demonstrations or law enforcement operations, travelers are advised to remain in their homes or hotels, avoid large crowds, and avoid downtown and surrounding areas.

For more detailed information visit our “Important Announcements” link to find the travel alert released by the U.S. Department of State.

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January 2009

Prospective F, M, and J visitors and I-901 SEVIS Fee

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is currently experiencing problems with the SEVIS fee payment system.  If you are an F, M, or J visitor who must pay the I-901 SEVIS fee, you may encounter problems verifying that the payment was successfully updated.  Until this problem is corrected, be advised to ONLY MAKE 1 PAYMENT TO AVOID OVERPAYING.  If a confirmation page does not appear within 2 minutes of payment, do not resubmit the payment.  Instead, email fmjfee.wevis@dhs.gov to receive a payment confirmation via email.

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December 2008

Changes in completion of the DS-3035 J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application Form

J-1 exchange visitors that are subject to Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act need to receive a waiver of the foreign residence requirement in order to be eligible for other nonimmigrant and immigrant visas. The process starts by filling out form DS-3035 and submitting it along with the processing fee to the lock-box address. Currently, applicants have the option of typing the form online or downloading it to complete it manually.
In order to make the process more efficient, starting February 1, 2009 the only option available will be to fill out the form online. This new process will enhance the waiver process and help maintain the established timelines for processing the applications. The form can be found at the following website: http://travel.state.gov

 

Electronic System for Travel Authorization Required for Visa Waiver Program

Nationals and citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries will be required to obtain a travel authorization before initiating travel to the United States under the VWP beginning January 12, 2009.   Travelers need to apply for the authorization using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), a free Internet program found at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.  ESTA is available in 16 languages and contains a help section to assist with the application process. 

NOTE:  There are nonauthorized web sites which charge money for assisting travelers with ESTA, however ESTA is a free program and use of a nonauthorized site will not expedite an approved authorization

 

Automatic extension of employment authorization documentation for Salvadoran temporary protected status beneficiaries

USCIS has decided to automatically extend the validity of EADs issued to Salvadorian nationals until September 9, 2009. Since a large number of applications are submitted, in order to prevent a gap in employment authorization for qualified re-registrants, DHS will automatically extend the validity of EADs for Salvadoran TPS beneficiaries until September 9, 2009.
The following are the eligibility requirements:

1. Be a national of El Salvador
2. Have applied for and received an EAD under the designation of El Salvador for TPS
3. Have not had TPS withdrawn or denied

The extension is limited to EADs issued on Form I-766 Employment Authorization Document bearing an expiration date of March 9, 2009. These EADS must also bear the notation “A-12” or “C-19” on the face of the card under “Category”.

Applications for re-registration that are received by USCIS on or before December 30, 2008 may be processed prior to the EAD expiration date of March 9, 2009.
Those applications that are received after December 30, 2008 may take considerably longer to process.

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November 2008

Re-Registration Period Extended for TPS Honduran and Nicaraguan Nationals

The re-registration period for nationals of Nicaragua and Honduras who have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has been extended through December 30, 2008.
In addition, USCIS has automatically extended the validity of Employment Authorization Documents for eligible TPS beneficiaries for 6 months through July 5, 2009.

Nicaraguan and Honduran TPS beneficiaries are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The extension of TPS is effective January 6, 2009 and will remain in effect through July 5, 2010.
In order to re-register, the following documents must be submitted: the Application for Temporary Status (Form I-821) without the application fee and the Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765). A separate biometric fee or a fee waiver request must be submitted by re-registrants 14-years of age or older. If the applicant is only seeking to re-register for TPS and is not seeking the extension of the employment authorization, then the Form I-765 must be submitted without the fee for data gathering purposes only.

 

More information can be obtained from the USCIS National Customer Service Center toll-free number 1-800-375-5283.

 

Third Country National (TCN’s) Policies Change in Mexico

During the first week of November 2008, US consular services in Mexico announced important changes to policies regarding nonimmigrant visa issuance to third country nationals (TCN’s-foreign nationals who are not citizens or residents of Mexico).  
These changes include:

• All ten posts in Mexico (Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, and Tijuana) will now accept nonimmigrant visa applications from TCN’s.
• No TCN’s can change visa category at Mexican posts (ex:   cannot change from F-1 to H1B).
•  TCN’s can only renew a visa type that was originally issued in the home country or at a border post in Canada or Mexico.  Also, any initial stamp for a particular category cannot be made in Mexico for TCN’s.
• To make an appointment in Mexico, the new website is www.usvisa-mexico.com

Note:  Unfortunately, the website allows anyone to make an appointment but persons ineligible to be issued a visa in Mexico will be denied upon arrival to the consular appointment.  

 

President Bush Discusses the Visa Waiver Program

In a recent public appearence, President Bush announced that the United States VWP will be extended to the following countries: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and South Korea. In about a month, citizens of these seven countries will have the privilege of visa-free travel to the United States for business or tourism for 90 days.

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October 2008

Period of admission and extension of stay for TN Nonimmigrants

On October 16,2008 the Department of Homeland Security published the final rule extension of stay for Canadian and Mexican citizens entering the United States as professionals under the TN visa classification.
This new change:
1. Increases the maximum allowable period of admission from one year to three years.
2. Allows eligible TN nonimmigrants to be granted an extension of stay in up to three-year increments.
3. Grants the same benefits to TD nonimmigrants--the spouses and unmarried children of TN nonimmigrants.

 

Instructions for EAD applications pending over 90 days

Based on the Federal Rules and Regulations, CIS has to approve EAD applications within ninety (90) days from the date of CIS receipt of the application. But many EAD applications are pending more than 90 days at the present time. In order to solve this problem, CIS recommends the following steps:

Step 1: Call CIS National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800 375-5283 and record the time and date of the call and the name and number of the representative:

1. Explain to the representative that your EAD has been pending more than 90 days and ask for a "service request." You should receive a response to your service request within a week.
2. Ask the representative to request “an interim card” for you. You should receive an EAD or response within a week.

Step 2: If you choose to visit a local CIS office, schedule an INFOPASS appointment to visit that office at http://www.infopass.uscis.gov. During the appointment, ask to apply for an interim EAD. The CIS notes that CIS local offices no longer issue interim EADs, but the local office can review your case and determine eligibility. The local office will then forward your request to the appropriate CIS Service Center. You should receive an EAD or response within a week.

Step 3: If you have tried both Step 1 and Step 2 and have still not received your EAD or an interim card, CIS asks that you e-mail cisombudsman.publicaffairs@dhs.gov the details of your efforts. Include the date and time of your call to the NCSC and the name of the representative. If you visited a CIS office, provide that information. The CIS promises to "look into your case and review how we may be of assistance."

For all other case inquiries, you should submit Form 7001 to CIS.

 

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