MONDAY, 03 MARCH 2025

Editor鈥檚 Note: The ISSS Newsletter is distributed monthly. Between monthly newsletters, please follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram to learn more about programs, events, and updates.

Contents:

        1. Next International Coffee Hour: Wednesday, March 5 at 3:00pm!
        2. Upcoming ISSS Programs
        3. May 2025 Graduates: Complete Your Graduation Checklist
        4. Be Aware of Scams
        5. Immigration Document and Travel Reminders
        6. 2024 Income Tax Reminder
        7. Family and Relative English Experience Program 

1. Next International Coffee Hour: Wednesday, March 13 at 3:00pm

Good company! Complimentary refreshments! Come relax at our , 3:00-4:30 pm on Friday, March 10 in the Old Champlain Atrium (Old Champlain, Room 133). March鈥檚 Coffee Hour sponsor is the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the sponsor while mingling with both international and domestic students. There will be games, interactive activities, crafts, and complimentary coffee and snacks!

If you have any questions about International Coffee Hour, contact Annie Smith (dsmith66@binghamton.edu), ISSS Programming Coordinator. All are welcome!

2. Upcoming ISSS Programs

Tuesday, March 18  |  2:00pm - 4:00pm  |  Old Champlain Atrium

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) and the Office of International Education and Global Initiatives (IEGI) are hosting a fun event!  We will provide some popular board games, decks of cards, and light refreshments. Please feel free to bring your favorite games to share. All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to join in the fun--bring your friends and meet some new ones!

Monday, March 24  |  2:00pm - 4:00pm |  East Gym 

Do you love to play Badminton? Would you like to enjoy some pizza with your friends? Join the Office of International Student and Scholar Services and the University Police Department to play Badminton. We are looking for individuals to play during the event! Spectators are also welcome to attend and cheer for the players! Please register to participate on B-Engaged so we can order enough pizza!

3. May 2025 Graduates: Complete Your Graduation Checklist

All students planning to complete their degrees in May 2025 need to complete their Application for Degree (due Thursday, March 20) and the Intent to Participate Form if they wish to participate in the Commencement ceremony. Click here to see the full graduation checklist.

4. Be Aware of Scams

We have received recent reports of international students who have been targeted by scams:

    • Multiple students have reported receiving an email and/or phone call from someone claiming to work for a US government agency and requiring the student to complete an AR-11 Form to avoid imprisonment or removal from the US. These callers are often aggressive and threatening, and they may demand personal information and payment (gift cards, wire transfers, etc.) to resolve the 鈥渋mmigration鈥 matter. Form AR-11 is not required for F-1 and J-1 international students or scholars.
    • Many scams claim to be representatives from the students' home country or from individuals claiming to be US government agency officials. These callers often tell a student that they have violated the law in their home country or a US immigration law and must now pay a large amount of money to avoid being arrested or deported.
    • Students have received phone calls from what appears to be a 绿帽社 phone number but the caller then threatens their immigration status.
    • Students have received an email that appears to be from a 绿帽社 email account indicating an overdue fee and directing students to a self service payment portal. 绿帽社 will never send out emails with a self service payment portal. For more information about this and other email scams targeting 绿帽社 students, see the ITS Phish Tank.
    • International students have been targeted by third parties or agents promising to pay tuition on behalf of a student or their family, but the third party then takes the money and does not pay the bill or pays the bill with stolen credit cards. You should only pay tuition and fees using the options on the Student Accounts website, which includes information on international payment options.
    • Students have received emails appearing to be from a 绿帽社 professor or staff member, asking them to buy gift cards for books or lab equipment. 

The US Department of Homeland Security and other US government agencies will NEVER ask you to transfer money to an individual, pay a fee using security vouchers or gift cards, or provide payment over the phone or online. If you receive an email appearing to be from a university faculty or staff member, check with them by phone, in person, or using their 绿帽社 email to confirm the validity of the message.

Email and phone scams can be very sophisticated. Callers might:

    • Appear to be calling from a US government or 绿帽社 phone number as scammers can 鈥渃lone鈥 a phone number.
    • Provide fake badge numbers or give a 鈥渃laim number.鈥
    • Tell students not to come to ISSS because they claim that ISSS will terminate their immigration record.

Please know that ISSS and the University Police Department are here to help you. If you receive a call like this, you should hang up immediately and call the ISSS during our . Do not provide any financial or identifying information to the caller. We will review your record to assure you that there are no issues, and we can help you in reporting the scam call if you wish to do so. If you receive a call like this outside of business hours, you should contact the University Police Department. The caller may threaten you or tell you that ISSS or UPD will terminate your immigration record if you call. This is not true. ISSS and UPD are here to help you. 

If you receive threatening calls or messages from someone claiming to be a government official or law enforcement official:

    • DO NOT give the caller any personal or financial information. Even if they have some of your information, do not confirm anything or give additional information.
    • DO NOT meet the caller in person.
    • Collect the caller鈥檚 contact information. If the caller will not give you that information or will not let you call them back, hang up.
    • End the conversation immediately if threats and intimidation persist.
    • Contact the ISSS Office and/or the University Police Department.

Please see the ISSS website for additional information about scams impacting international students. 

You can find additional resources online at , , .

5. Immigration Document and Travel Reminders

As you are planning ahead for spring break or summer travel, here are a few reminders from the ISSS office:

    • ISSS recommends that F-1/J-1 students and scholars (and their dependents) carry a printed copy of their I-94 at all times, as documentation of your current status in the US.
    • If you are planning to travel outside the 绿帽社 area, we encourage you to also carry your printed I-20/DS-2019 and your passport with your F-1 or J-1 visa.
    • If your passport will be expiring soon, make sure that you start the renewal process as soon as possible. Your passport must always be valid at least 6 months into the future.
    • If you choose to travel outside the United States, make sure that you have all of the required documents to return to the US, including a valid passport, a valid F-1 or J-1 visa, and an I-20 or DS-2019 with a valid travel signature. If the signature on your I-20 or DS-2019 will be more than 12 months old (6 months for students on OPT or STEM OPT) when you return to the US, you should visit the ISSS office for an updated signature before you leave or online. Review the detailed instructions on our Travel page for more information. Students who are on OPT or STEM OPT should review our OPT Travel page. 

The ISSS Office recommends that you continue to use caution when planning travel outside the United States. Travel restrictions have the potential to affect your ability to return to the United States. If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be disrupted, and you may be forced to remain outside of the US for an indefinite amount of time.

6. 2024 Income Tax Reminder

ALL students in F and J status are required to file tax returns, even if you have earned no income in the United States. If you were physically present in the U.S. in F or J status anytime between January 1 and December 31, 2024, you are required to mail Form 8843 to the Internal Revenue Service (the U.S. tax agency; IRS), even if you had no income.

To complete your tax forms using Sprintax:

      1. Access Sprintax through the portal. Log in and select Sprintax from the Available Links list.
      2. Create an account, or log in using your existing Sprintax account if you have used Sprintax in previous years.
      3. Complete the online questionnaire.
      4. Enter the unique code that was included in the March Newsletter Email, in the box on the 鈥楻eview your order鈥 page. This will ensure you are not charged a fee for your Federal Tax Return.
      5. Sprintax will prepare your tax return.

Once you complete the preparation process in the Sprintax software, you must follow the Sprintax instructions to submit your tax forms to the IRS. If you have any questions, the Sprintax team offers 24/7 live chat support.

Sprintax 2025 General Tax Webinars
Sprintax offers webinars that explain the process by which nonresidents file taxes in the U.S. Be sure to register in advance using the links below:

    • Tuesday, March 11, 2:00pm EDT 鈥
    • Thursday, March 27, 1:00pm EDT 鈥
    • Thursday, April 3, 1:00pm EDT 鈥
    • Thursday, April 10, 2:00pm EDT 鈥
    • Monday, April 14, 11:00am EDT 鈥

Sprintax also offers webinars specifically designed for students who have been approved for CPT or OPT:

    • Thursday, March 27, 12:00pm EDT 鈥

For more information, see a detailed ISSS News Announcement that was sent on Thursday, February 6th.

7. Family and Relatives English Experience (The F.R.E.E. Program)

Weekly on Tuesdays  |  12:30pm - 3:00pm |  Room AB-234 (Academic Building B)

The Family and Relatives English Experience Program helps to connect the Family and Relatives of International BU Students with friendly and casual conversations every week. This is to give non-students an opportunity to connect to other people in similar situations, learn some English, and have a social opportunity while they settle into the USA.

For more information please contact Dr. Beth Clark-Gareca (bclarkgareca@binghamton.edu) or Noel Merritt (nmerritt1@binghamton.edu).

 

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