ISSS News 01 December 2008

An electronic news service for international students and scholars, owned by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at Binghamton University, State University of New York

Editor's Note: This week’s edition of ISSS-BU News contains more articles than is usual. Please review the contents below for the articles of particular interest to you.

Photos from the November 2008 Friendship Family Dinner, held at First Baptist Church in Johnson City, have now been posted to the ISSS website at: http://isss.binghamton.edu/admission/FFPWebPages/friendfam.htm
Scroll down the page to: “Friendship Family Dinner November 2008.” For those of you who attended the dinner, please share the photos with your Friendship Families!

The first-ever Fall International Student Graduation Reception will take place, Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the President’s Reception Room of the Anderson Center for the Arts. Invitations were sent by e-mail today. All students completing their programs in December who plan to attend need to respond by completing the on-line reply card no later than December 6! Be sure to indicate any guests who may accompany you by indicating the appropriate number on the response form.

The Fall International Student Graduation Reception is open to students who graduated in Summer 2008, and those who will graduate later this month. Please note that the date is the evening before Fall commencement. Desserts and beverages be served, there will be many photo opportunities, and a commemorative certificate will be given to each student being honored.

Students frequently ask about appropriate dress for the reception. While business suits are not required, consider it a Saturday evening out, so feel free to dress up in Western or traditional clothing! The reception will end before 9:00pm, so there will be plenty of time for you to enjoy other evening plans following the reception. Cameras are encouraged, as there will be lots of opportunities for picture taking. This is your evening to celebrate your achievement!

                              Experience a unique ice presentation of Tchaikovsky’s beautiful ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, performed by The St. Petersburg State Ballet on Ice on Monday, December 1, at 8 p.m. at Binghamton University’s Anderson Center for the Performing Arts.

                              Six thousand pounds of crushed ice will transform the Osterhout Concert Theater stage to a 30’ x 40’ ice rink where a cast of 35 skate champions turned ice dancers will thrill you as they leap, spin and gracefully glide through ballet-inspired choreography.

Specializing in full-length productions, such as Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet and The Nutcracker, The St. Petersburg State Ballet on Ice, founded 40 years ago, is grounded in the traditions of Russian classic ballet. In Russia, ballet classes are part of a skaters training and once accepted into the company, the skaters are required to take ballet classes on a regular basis.

Tickets are $41 for general public, $36 for faculty/staff/senior citizens and $21 for students. For tickets and information, call 607-777-ARTS or visit the website at http://anderson.binghamton.edu

The next film in the Graduate Student Organization’s (GSO) International Film Series is
"Darwin's Nightmare" (Austria, 2004). The film will be screened on Thursday, December 4, by the Binghamton Political Initiative (BPI) at 7 p.m. in the Graduate Student Lounge, Bartle Library. This event is free and open to the public.

Synopsis: Some time in the 1960's, in the heart of Africa, a new animal was introduced into Lake Victoria as a little scientific experiment. The Nile Perch, a voracious predator, extinguished almost the entire stock of the native fish species. However, the new fish multiplied so fast, that its white fillets are today exported all around the world. Huge hulking ex-Soviet cargo planes come daily to collect the latest catch in exchange for their southbound cargo… . Kalashnikovs and ammunitions for the uncounted wars in the dark center of the continent. This booming multinational industry of fish and weapons has created an ungodly globalized alliance on the shores of the world's biggest tropical lake: an army of local fishermen, World bank agents, homeless children, African ministers, EU-commissioners, Tanzanian prostitutes and Russian pilots.

Good company! Free refreshments! Relax and celebrate the last day of classes by coming to this month's International Coffee Hour on Friday, December 5 from 3:30-5pm in the President’s Reception Room, Anderson Center for the Performing Arts. This month's sponsors are the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and International Affairs, and the Office of International Programs.

Please note our new location for the 2008-09 academic year, while the old University Union is under construction. The President’s Reception Room is located behind the main box office of the Anderson Center, at the end of the corridor.

The Coffee Hour strives to be a space where the entire Binghamton University community, including international students, U.S. students, faculty/staff, and community members are welcome. The coffee hours are informal and provide an opportunity to meet and learn more about each other in a relaxed atmosphere. They are held on the first Friday of every month during the academic year from 3:30pm-5pm. Each coffee hour has free hot and cold beverages and cookies, sponsored by a different department on campus.

This is the time of year when many international students whose I-20 or DS-2019 will expire this month, but who will be continuing their studies for Spring 2009, are applying for an extension of stay. Students who will begin a new level of study (e.g., completing bachelor’s and commencing master’s or completing master’s and commencing PhD) receive a new I-20 for the new level of study. Changes in level of study require an admission letter from the Graduate School (if completing a bachelor’s and commencing master’s) or from the student’s academic department (if completing master’s and commencing PhD) verifying that the student has been approved for the new level of study, and the semester that the new level will begin.

Student’s with I-20s or DS-2019s expiring on December 21, 2008 but who will continue their studies at BU must begin the extension of stay process (or change in level of study process) well before that date so that the new I-20 is issued before December 21.

Complete information and the required forms are available in the ISSS, or on-line at:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/imm/index.html Select “F-1 Extension of Stay” or “J-1 Extension of Stay” as appropriate.

During intersession break, International Student and Scholar Services staff receive a number of worried phone calls and emails from BU students who are traveling outside the United States. The reason? Either the student has forgotten to travel with their current I-20 (or, if in J status, their DS-2019), and tells ISSS staff that the I-20 (or DS-2019) was left behind in their Binghamton apartment or residence hall, OR the student has the I-20 (or DS-2019) with them, but the form lacks a current travel signature.

Either way, that creates a very big problem for the student upon his or her return to the United States, because the student will be stopped by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Official for failure to present the appropriate documents. At the very least, this will result in delays at immigration inspection at the U.S. port of entry, and possibly, the issuance of only a 30-day stay in the United States.

So, don’t let this happen to you! Be sure to have your I-20 or DS-2019 when you travel (and if you have multiple documents, have them with you to present in case you are asked to do so). Also, check your most recent I-20 (or DS-2019) to be sure you have a currently valid travel signature. The travel signature should be less than one year old as of the date you will return to the United States. If your travel will take you to Canada, the signature needs to be less than six months old.

Huntington Hilton, Broadhollow Road, Melville
January 8, 2009, 4:30 for Pre-Registered Students, 5-8pm for General Admission

Pre-register NOW at: http://www.liworks.org/eventregistration.cfm?eid=1023
·         Come Dressed to Meet Your Future Employer
·         Bring Plenty of Resumes
·         Be Open to New Possibilities, New Companies and New Opportunities!

Buffalo Niagara Convention Center
January 6, 2009, 4:00pm—7:00pm

Want to stay in the Buffalo Niagara Region? Come to Jobsapalooza and see the opportunities WNY has to offer for a great career in a great community. Sponsored by University at Buffalo and BuffaloInterns.com. For more information, visit www.jobsapalooza.com

Important Dates:
Friday, December 5
Internships Beyond Broome County & Winter Session Internship proposals due in Career Development Center North, Room LNG 300

Wednesday, December 17
Deadline to submit credentials requests for guaranteed mailing before the 12/24-1/5 University curtailment period.

To have materials from your Credentials File mailed from CDC by close of business on December 24th:

Please be aware that, in light of the University's curtailment of services from 12/24/08 to 1/5/09, students wishing to have Credentials mailed by December 24th must submit requests to CDC by 4pm Wednesday, December 17th. All letters that a student intends to send must have arrived in CDC when the request is submitted.

As December 17th approaches, faculty and staff whose students face early January deadlines are asked to hand deliver recommendation letters to CDC South between 10am and 4pm. Questions should be directed to Terri Kilcy, Credentials Coordinator at x72400.

Employers Are Hiring!! Apply Today! New positions are posted to eRecruiting on a daily basis and will continue throughout the semester and the winter break. Students may view and apply for positions through their eRecruiting account. All matriculated students have an account. Employers visiting campus in the fall semester are generally seeking candidates to begin in the summer or fall of 2009!

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services, along with most other university offices, will be closed for what is traditionally known at the University as the "holiday curtailment" period. The official holiday curtailment starts at the close of business on Wednesday, December 24, 2008 with offices re-opening on Monday, January 5, 2009. During this period, there will be no mail delivery into or out of offices. Voice mail, e-mail and fax will be monitored periodically, but not every day.

International students and scholars who have paperwork that needs to be processed by the ISSS should note these dates and anticipate that after Wednesday, December 24, there will be a wait until January 5 before work resumes. It is strongly recommended that any requests for documents be made no later than December 17 to assure timely processing. Remember not to wait until the last minute, as doing so may require you to wait until after January 5th for documents to be returned to you!

If you are graduating in January, are in F-1 status, and have been planning to apply for optional practical training post-graduation, but have not yet done so, do not delay! Fall 2008 graduates must send their completed applications to the USCIS Vermont Processing Center so that it arrives there before February 19, 2009, which is 60 days following the completion date for Fall graduates.

Please keep in mind that the ISSS office will curtail services at 4:30pm on Wednesday, December 24, 2008 and will not reopen until Monday, January 5, 2009.

We remind our F-1 students to allow 7-10 business days for the ISSS portion of the processing of OPT applications. Traditionally, the ISSS has advised students to allow 12 weeks for application processing by US Citizenship and Immigration Services. You are urged to consider these dates when submitting your paperwork. Applications are available in the ISSS.

Once you receive your EAD card, please bring it to the ISSS so that a copy can be made for your file. This will prove very useful to you in case the card is ever lost or misplaced. Remember: you cannot begin employment any earlier than the starting date on the EAD card.

The World Bank has announced that the 2009-10 Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund Applications are now available. The fund provides financial assistance to women from developing countries during their studies in the United States or Canada. The MMMF annually awards ten grants of approximately $11,000 each.

The Fund is administered by World Bank Volunteer Services. The application deadline is February 28, 2009.

A copy of the list of all eligible developing countries for this Scholarship as well as application information and selection criteria are available now on the Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund web site. Visit http://www.mmmf-grants.org for full information.
The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund
World Bank Volunteer Services
The World Bank
1818 H Street NW, Room MSN H2-204
Washington, D.C. 20433
202-473-8751 (phone)
202-522-3142 (fax)
e-mail: info@mmmf-grants.org

It's very important that all BU students in F or J status who will be registered for the Spring 2009 semester know the SEVIS rules for being in compliance.

SEVIS Registration Deadline
The SEVIS deadline for continuing students to be registered for the Spring 2009 semester is February 25, 2009 (30 days following the first day of classes). Although the University has a late registration deadline of February 6, 2009, some graduate students, especially those taking dissertation or thesis credit, sometimes register after the University’s late registration deadline.

Graduate Students Who Can Be Certified Full Time
Graduate students who have completed all of their course work requirements, are not receiving tuition scholarships, and will be registering for fewer than 9 credits in a course rubric that can be certified as full time (including thesis, dissertation or project) must also submit to their department a "Certification of Full Time Status" form. This form can be downloaded from the web at:
http://gradschool.binghamton.edu/documents/FTCForm.pdf (Note that this is a pdf file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download it.)

Students Graduating in May 2009 Who Will Be Less Than Full-Time
Undergraduate students who will be graduating at the end of the Spring 2009 semester and plan to register for less than a full-time course load because they need fewer than full-time credits to graduate must complete a "Request for a Reduced Course Load Due to Course Completion" form, available in the ISSS or by downloading the form from the web at:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/forms/study_comp.pdf

Graduate students who are graduating at the end of Spring 2009 and are registered for a course rubric that cannot be certified as full time must also complete this form.

Students not returning to Binghamton University for the Spring 2009 semester need to complete a departure form with the ISSS, unless they will be on optional practical training. The departure form is available on the ISSS website. Visit:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/forms/depForm.html

A paper version of the departure form is available in the ISSS. Those needing to complete a departure form include:
*those who are graduating in Fall 2008 but who will not be pursuing optional practical training
* exchange students who are completing their programs
* those who have decided to stop their Binghamton studies and either return to their home country or transfer to a new U.S. school
*anyone withdrawing or terminating their studies as of the end of the Fall 2008 semester

At the end of the month, many of you will receive in the mail annual statements from your bank or credit union, listing your 2008 interest earnings "for income tax purposes." Some of you who filed tax forms last year may receive new forms in the mail from both the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and New York State. By the end of January, those of you who were employed in the U.S. during 2008 will receive a Wage and Tax Statement for 2008, also known as a W-2 form.

What follows is an introduction to U.S. income tax basics:

ALL students in F and J status are required to file tax returns, even if you have earned no income in the United States. The ISSS will have both federal and state tax forms available in late January, and will provide information on how to complete the forms. Watch future issues of ISSS-BU News for details. During December, the ISSS will be updating the Taxes section of the ISSS web site, http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/index.html

The ISSS provides free income tax compliance software, known as CINTAX, to all international students, international faculty and scholars, and international alumni who are eligible to be considered as non-residents for tax purposes (see the next paragraph for information on what qualifies someone to be a non-resident. CINTAX provides an easy to use web interface for entering information regarding your income tax liability, and then enters the information onto the required forms so that you can print them. CINTAXis password-protected so that only you have access to the information. Do not attempt to complete your income tax forms using the e-filing options recommended by the Internal Revenue Service. It is not possible to e-file tax returns if you are a non-resident for tax purposes. Information about how to access and use CINTAX will be announced in January.

International students in F or J status for 5 years or less (since 2004 or later) and their dependents, file tax forms as non-residents. Research scholars or faculty in J-1 status for 2 years or less (since 2007 or later) also file as non-residents.

If you did not earn any U.S. income during 2008 other than bank or credit union interest, then you need only file form 8843, Statement for Exempt Individuals and Individuals with a Medical Condition. The purpose of the 8843 is to verify that the non-resident qualifies to exempt days of presence, and thus shields the non-resident from being taxed as a resident. Being taxed as a U.S. resident allows the IRS to tax your world-wide income.

The deadline for filing tax forms is April 15, 2009. International students who have been in for F or J status for more than 5 years, research scholars and faculty who have been in J-1 status for more than 2 years, or those who are in other non- immigrant statuses, are generally eligible to file as residents for tax purposes, and must use different forms.

International Student and Scholar Services staff are neither qualified nor permitted to give individual tax advice. Students with complicated tax situations may wish to consult with a tax preparation service, professional tax accountant, or tax attorney who is knowledgeable about nonresident tax law.

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Country	Date
Central African Republic	1-Dec
Romania	1-Dec
Laos	2-Dec
United Arab Emirates	2-Dec
Thailand	5-Dec
Finland	6-Dec
Côte d'Ivoire	7-Dec
Kenya	12-Dec
Bahrain	16-Dec
Bhutan	17-Dec
Niger	18-Dec
Japan	23-Dec
Mauritania	28-Dec
Nepal	28-Dec