Foreign Exchange
the e-newsletter for international students at La Sierra University             >> Vol. 11 Issue 7 - May 2007

Word from the OISS Office

The 2006 - 2007 school year is almost over! June is usually a very busy time at the OISS, so take a couple of minutes and plan ahead to get all the documents you might need during the summer now.

Many of you will be traveling home to visit your family while others will be moving away with new jobs, and some will transfer to other institutions. If you need a travel signature, remember to come by our office at least one week before you travel. If you are relocating to a new city because of a new job under your OPT, remember to provide us with your new address and phone numbers/email addresses. And finally, if you are transferring to a different institution, remember to bring your transfer form by our office during the first week of June.

Immigration Update

Certain Exemptions from H-1B Cap Near Limit
The H Cap Counts on the USCIS Web site show that as of April 26, 2007, 19,673 of the 20,000 H-1B slots reserved for holders of U.S. masters degrees and higher have been used. Read more.

Biometric Visa Program Moves to Ten Fingerscans
The Department of State announced that it is transitioning to a 10-fingerscan system for its Biometric Visa Program. Deployment of the 10-fingerscan system began in April 2007 and DOS hopes to complete deployment at all visa-issuing consular posts by the end of 2007. The prior system scanned two fingerprints only. DOS expects the 10-scan system to reduce error and increase efficiency of the visa clearance process. Read more.

DOS Discontinues Use of Application Received Stamp
On January 13, 2007 a DOS cable notified consular posts to discontinue the practice of indicating nonimmigrant visa refusals with an "Application Received" stamp placed in the passport. This stamp was used to alert other consulates that the alien applied for a visa, was refused, and failed to overcome the basis of the refusal. DOS concluded that “[m]odern technology makes this step no longer necessary," since refusals are recorded in the DOS Consular Consolidated Database (CCD), which is now available world-wide. Advisers may still encounter the stamp in passports issued prior to January, 2007.

Amendments to Standardized RFE and NOID Response Timeframes
Effective June 18, 2007, USCIS will no longer be bound to grant 12 weeks of response time to applicants and petitioners who receive Requests for Evidence (RFEs). The rule gives USCIS authority to deny applications or petitions "if all required initial evidence is not submitted with the application or petition or does not demonstrate eligibility," or to issue an RFE requesting that the additional evidence be submitted "within a specified period of time as determined by USCIS." The rule also codifies the long-standing policy that "An applicant or petitioner must establish that he or she is eligible for the requested benefit at the time of filing the application or petition." Read more.

Campus Update

If you are finishing your studies this coming June, you should apply for OPT as soon as possible. Application forms are available outside our office and online (application form, I-765).

If you are planning on transferring out at the end of this quarter, have your forms turned in to our office by the first week of June. If your I-20 is expiring on June 18, 2007, and you have not finished your studies, please make sure to do a program extension form also by the first week of June.