International students and scholars may encounter a difficult situation in which OISSS will advise them to consult with an immigration attorney.  If a student or scholar must consult with an immigration attorney, OISSS will be able to provide them with a list of immigration attorneys that some of our students and scholars have consulted with in the past.

The links below provide some useful information to student and scholars engaged in the process of finding an immigration attorney:

• Finding the Right Immigration Lawyer, offered by Siskind, Susser, and Bland, Immigration Attorneys
• American Immigration Lawyers Associate (AILA)

Immigration documents are important and should be kept in a safe and secure place during the entire length of your program. Immigration documents should NEVER be discarded or thrown out. However, sometimes immigration documents can be lost or on the rare occasion stolen. OISSS has provided instructions on how to replace lost/stolen immigration documents. 

The U.S. Department of State has notified us of the following:

"Visa applicants must qualify on the basis of the applicant's residence and ties abroad, rather than assurances from U.S. family and friends. A letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support is not needed to apply for a visitor visa. If you choose to bring a letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support to your interview, please remember it is not one of the factors used in determining whether to issue or deny the visa."

See the list of required documentation that your family member will need to obtain a tourist visa.

Additional information on how your family member can apply for a tourist visa.

If after reading above, you still wish to have a letter of invitation from Brown University, you can fill in the tourist visa letter request for relatives.

All students and scholars are required to update OISSS with any change of U.S. address within 10 days of that change. See below for instructions on how to provide that update to OISSS. F-1 students are required to update OISSS with any change in their address within 10 days as well. If you have any questions about how to change the address, contact OISSS.

• F-1 and J-1 students: Update the LOCAL address in your Banner Self Service account.
• F-1 Students on Post-Completion OPT: Log into your SEVP portal account to update your residential address.
• J-1 Students on Post-Completion Academic Training, J-1 Scholars, H-1B, TN, O-1, and all others: Submit completed Address Update form. 

All students and scholars are required to notify OISSS if they will be ending their program before the anticipated end date. Early departures will require a notification to U.S. immigration. It is important for OISSS to keep a student or scholar's immigration record up to date to prevent any future problems with applying for a U.S. visa and/or entering the U.S. An early departure also affects the date by which the student or scholar must depart the U.S. Notify OISSS of any early departure by submitting a Departure Notification form. F-1 Students on Post-Completion OPT can report their permanent departure from the U.S. to end F-1 status through their OISSS Gateway portal.

The law enforcement agencies in the U.S. not only exist to enforce federal and local laws, but are here to provide service and protection nationwide and to their local communities or university campus. However, encountering a law enforcement officer can be source of anxiety for some. OISSS has provided a resource about your rights and responsibilities when encountering a law enforcement or immigration agent. This resource has been developed and published by the American Civil Liberties Union.