News & Alert
OISSS Announcements: Travel Signatures/OPT/CPT Reminder, STEM Extension for J-1 Students, Special Student Relief (SSR) & TPS
Announcements from the OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT & SCHOLAR SERVICES (OISSS)
Check Your Travel Signature
If you will be traveling outside the U.S. over summer and you do not have a valid travel signature on page 2 of your I-20 or the lower right corner of your DS-2019, please drop off your current document at OISSS in Page-Robinson Hall, Suite 319, Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm (8:00am-4:00pm summer hours).
Travel signatures are valid for 1 year (6 months on post-completion OPT) and can be used multiple times before they expire. For further information about travel, please visit https://oisss.brown.edu/traveling/what-bring-when-traveling
Can’t make it to OISSS before you leave campus? You can request a travel signature through your OISSS Gateway account (brown.edu/go/oisssgateway). Click on the Requests and Documents tab and submit the “I-20 Reprint/Travel Signature Request” to have a new I-20 with travel signature issued. The new I-20 will be uploaded to your OISSS Gateway account so that you can then print it, sign it and carry it with you when returning to the U.S.
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Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for summer internships:
Do you have off-campus employment in the U.S. this summer? Please review the steps to determine your eligibility for CPT work authorization: http://brown.edu/go/CPT
Optional Practical Training (OPT) for graduating students:
If you are finishing your program this semester and considering employment in the U.S. afterward, please review the steps to apply for OPT work authorization: http://brown.edu/go/OPTapply. You do not need to have a job offer to apply and you can choose an OPT start date as late as July 28, 2022.
We encourage students to apply for OPT as early as possible because it can take USCIS up to 3 months to issue work authorization cards. Waiting for your OPT card impacts your post-graduation travel plans and your ability to start working.
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STEM Extension for J-1 Students
Undergraduate and Master’s students in J-1 status who are studying in certain STEM fields may be eligible for a new extension of Academic Training. Please schedule an appointment with an OISSS advisor if you would like to discuss extension options: brown.edu/go/oisss
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Special Student Relief (SSR) for F-1 Students
“Regulations allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend or alter rules regarding duration of status, full course of study, and employment eligibility, for specific groups of F-1 students from parts of the world that are experiencing emergent circumstances. This collection of benefits is known as "special student relief" (SSR).” For more information and a list of countries currently included, please review the following websites:
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Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may designate a foreign country for TPS when its nationals, currently in the United States, are temporarily unable to return safely due to “ongoing armed conflict (such as civil war), an environmental disaster (such as earthquake or hurricane), or an epidemic, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions” Eligible TPS beneficiaries may apply for work and travel authorization for the designated TPS period.
https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status
Countries designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) - from the USCIS website
Select the country link for additional specific country information
- Burma (Myanmar)
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Somalia
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Ukraine
- Venezuela
- Yemen
TPS for Afghanistan (Release Date 03/16/2022)
For Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Special Student Relief (SSR) related questions please email oisss@brown.edu