ISSS News 9 February 2009

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: Technical difficulties prevented us from publishing this week’s ISSS-BU News until today. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Saturday is Valentine’s Day in the United States, and in several other countries around the world. To learn more about the history of Valentine’s Day, visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_day

There have been a number of questions asked in the ISSS regarding income taxes. The Office of International Student and Scholar Services has opened access to CINTAX, the web-based income tax preparation software for filing your federal tax forms. E-mail messages were sent on Monday, February 9. If you did not receive an e-mail message, go to the following link to read the message text and request a CINTAX access code: http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/cintax.htm There will be an announcement once income tax forms are available in the ISSS. However, if you will use CINTAX, it will print all the necessary Federal forms. The ISSS will also offer a series of on-line webinars on income tax preparation. Those will become available within the next two weeks. Walk-in hours for income tax assistance will begin in mid-March. For more information on tax filing, read today’s income tax article, below.

We are pleased to welcome our Spring 2009 new student subscribers to ISSS-BU News. Each Monday, ISSS-BU News brings you information regarding immigration and other U.S. federal regulations, announcements, and employment opportunities.

The best way to read ISSS-BU News is to first scan the “contents” section for articles of interest to you. Weekly editions of ISSS-BU News are also posted to the ISSS website; http://isss.binghamton.edu Just go the website and click on “ISSS-BU News.”

Generally, the website is updated each Monday with the latest issue. The ISSS website also includes a helpful section titled “regulatory updates” that archives all the articles in ISSS-BU News related to immigration regulations.

The Career Development Center’s Job and InternshipFair is this Thursday, February 12th from 11:30-3:30 in the Events Center. All majors are encouraged to attend. Over 70 organizations will be present to discuss internship & job opportunities. Non-Profit, Government, and For-Profit organizations will all be in attendance. Visit the CDC website at http://binghamton.erecruiting.com/stu/cf_details?fhnd=3629 for a list of participating organizations. This fair is for ALL BU students!

International students in F-1 or J-1 status are reminded that all off-campus employment, including internships, must be authorized before employment can begin. Questions? Come to the ISSS or send an e-mail message to isss@binghamton.edu

The Eating Awareness Committee invites you to join us at the program "America the Beautiful: Is America obsessed with Beauty?" on Thursday February 12, 2009 at 7:00pm in the Osterhout Concert Theatre, Anderson Center.

America the Beautiful is a socially probing documentary which explores the question, "Does America have an unhealthy obsession with beauty?" Filmmaker Darryl Roberts journeys into the psyche of celebrities, athletes, industry professionals and the American citizenry to determine the roots of this superficial obsession. Ubiquitous deceptions by advertisers and the media that thin beautiful models set the standard to which all women must aspire, has been identified by some as the primary cause of low self-esteem and the meteoric rise of clinical depression in women. By juxtaposing his personal obsessions with beauty with those of people central to the issue, Roberts illustrates that, to varying degrees, we all fall victim to this superficial social phenomenon.

The film will be followed by a Q & A session with Darryl Roberts, the film writer, director and producer.

America the Beautiful has won: Best Documentary, Beloit International Film Festival 2008, Best Director, Chicago International Film Festival 2007, Audience Award, Griffon Hollywood Film Festival 2007 and the UN Rights of the Child Award, Chicago Children's Film Festival 2007.

4. Spring 2009 International Spouses Program (ISP) English as a Second Language Classes

These are non-credit bearing classes for spouses of BU international students, faculty and staff. BU Research Scholars are welcome to join as well. These classes are NOT intended for current BU students. The focus is to practice conversation, reading, grammar skills and discuss daily living in the United States.

Classes begin on Tuesday February 17th in Fine Arts Room 250

Two classes will be offered this semester at the following times:
· Beginner – Elementary ESL: Tuesdays and Thursdays
8:00am to 9:30am
Fine Arts Room 250

· Intermediate – Advanced ESL: Tuesdays and Thursdays
9:40am to 11:10am
Fine Arts Room 250

In Addition! ISP Discussion Group -- open to all levels of English and native speakers. Every Friday in the International Conference Room from 9:00am until 10:30am. (Stop by the ISSS for directions). Begins Friday February 20th, but new members welcome at anytime!

A $5.00 fee per semester per student is requested towards the copying of materials (no need to purchase a textbook for these classes). The instructor will collect this fee.

Our ESL instructor is Ms. Myriam Stanton. Myriam has many years of experience teaching English overseas and ESL here in the United States. We are very happy to welcome her to Binghamton University!

If you have any questions about the ESL classes, please contact Amelia Shafer at ashafer@binghamton.edu

5. Update From the Career Development Center: “Other Career Events” On The CDC Website

What it is: A listing of career fairs and other events that are open to Binghamton students and/or alumni.

Why we love it: Students should be open to pursuing all their options, not just those from organizations who physically come to Binghamton for fairs or other recruiting activities. There are currently events specializing in non-profit recruitment, the sports industry, medicine, advertising, and international students posted. The website is updated frequently with additional opportunities for our students.

How to access: “Other Career Events” can be found on the Programs & Events section of the CDC website, but can be accessed directly at http://cdc.binghamton.edu/eventsoff.html

Federal regulations exact heavy penalties for those students in F and J status who work off campus without authorization. The ISSS reminds all F and J students that all off-campus employment must be authorized before it can begin. This includes internships, curricular practical training (CPT), and other types of off-campus experiences, whether or not you are receiving college credit for it.

To work off-campus without the appropriate authorization is considered illegal employment according to federal immigration law and is a potentially deportable offense. SEVIS regulations require that all unauthorized employment be reported. So, now more than ever, it's essential for international students to understand the off-campus employment rules that pertain to them.

Special Note: International students who are employed off-campus as part of a cooperative arrangement with their academic department AND are paid by either the State or SUNY Research Foundation payroll under the terms of a GA or RA stipend are considered to be authorized for this employment. The SPIR program is an example of this kind of cooperative arrangement.

Definition:
"The term employee means an individual who provides services or labor for an employer for wages or other remuneration." 8 CFR 274a.1(f)

Remuneration means something is given to you because you provided a service. It can be a paycheck, a bonus payment, a stipend, or it can be meal vouchers, room and board, or payment of your travel costs. Any of these would be considered to be employment under federal regulations. Simply put, if you receive anything for providing a service you are employed.

Volunteering is defined as engaging in an activity that anyone (US citizen or citizen of another country) would engage in without expectation of compensation, monetary or otherwise, for the service provided.

Complete information on all of the different employment categories for F and J students can be found by visiting the ISSS website at http://isss.binghamton.edu and clicking on "employment." If you are unsure if an activity would be considered employment, ask the ISSS!! And, view one of our employment webinars: http://isss.binghamton.edu/emp/empWebinar.html

7. Opportunity to Intern with United Nations DPI/NGO Relations

Start Time: Immediate. Apply only if you are available to start for a minimum of 6 months: January to June 2009 or July to December 2009. DPI/NGO is looking for interns as soon as possible. If you cannot commit for the 6 months minimum do not apply.

Qualifications: See DETAILS below.

How To Apply:
Contact: Kelly Roberts, Asst. Director, Office for International Services, Fordham University.

Please follow these steps when applying:
1) Email to Ms. Roberts directly at: keroberts@fordham.edu: your resume, cover letter and at least one letter of reference (preferably from your university such as Academic advisor, faculty member, etc.)
2) In your cover letter please explain your availability, reason for applying and relevant skills & experience pertaining to the internship.
3) The first round of interns will be chosen on a first come, first served basis -based on qualifications & availability. Please do NOT apply if you are not available for the 6 month minimum outlined above.

Details: Internship at the DPI/NGO Relations

Non-paid internship positions at the NGO Relations of the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) are for a minimum of six months - January to June OR July to December.

As the liaison between DPI and the NGO community at the United Nations, ours is an active office that relies heavily on the assistance of knowledgeable, diligent, and enthusiastic volunteers and interns. As such, expect to be included in all aspects of the work of the office.

DPI/NGO Relations organizes and coordinates the DPI/NGO Annual Conference, the premier event for NGOs at UN Headquarters. This international forum brings together senior UN system officials, prominent international NGOs representatives, public opinion makers and international media to jointly discuss issues of global concern. For the 61st time, our office has just concluded this event and we are currently immersed in the various activities associated with the next conference to be held in Mexico in September 2009.

Additionally, we organize weekly briefings for the NGO community on a range of global issues. The speakers for these briefings are senior United Nations officials, diplomats, as well as representatives from the media, the private sector and others. We also coordinate joint DPI/NGO information programmes and conduct an annual two-day orientation programme for newly accredited NGO representatives and newly associated ones.

Another ongoing activity is the review process of the applications from NGOs around the world for association with DPI and re-evaluation of those currently associated. Furthermore, we maintain the NGO Resource Centre, which offers access to UN documents and press releases, sends regular mailings of UN information materials to all associated NGOs and maintains a library with an extensive collection of UN films and a continuously updated selection of United Nations system publications.

The interns will be involved in most of the areas previously described as well as others where your background would be particularly relevant.

Do you plan to begin working on Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) on May 18th, immediately after graduation? Then you should submit your OPT Academic Advisor's Recommendation Form to the ISSS the week of February 16th to be sure you receive your EAD card in time.

It can take ISSS up to two weeks to process your new I-20 for OPT. Then it takes on average of twelve weeks for USCIS to process your OPT application and issue your EAD card. You cannot begin working until the EAD card is in your hand and the start date has occurred.

If you have a quick question about OPT or would like ISSS staff to review your OPT application before you mail it, please come to the Employment Walk-In Hours: every Tuesday from 1:30pm - 3:15pm at the ISSS Office.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to make an appointment with either Amelia Shafer or Karen Keefe-Guzikowski by calling (607) 777-2510.

Do you need to contact your home country’s Embassy or Consulate here in the United States? Do you need to contact another country’s Embassy or Consulate here in the United States? These useful links will help you. The home page of the embassy generally includes contact information, and links to the consulates.

For students from Taiwan:
Link to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Offices in the United States:
http://www.tecro.org/ (in Washington, D.C.)
http://www.taipei.org/ (in New York City)

Graduate Students who will graduate in May 2009 may have noticed that the Graduate School’s on-line form for Declaration of Candidacy for graduation is temporarily “off-line.” The form is being updated and is expected to be once again available for use in the next 7-10 days. The deadline for submitting the form for a Spring 2009 graduation is February 27, 2009. Therefore, there is still plenty of time for students to file the form. If you have any questions, please contact the Graduate School.

11. Delete E-mail Scams, Do Not Respond

The following information comes from BU’s Information Technology Services. Phishing scams that request your personal information, including your user ID, password and date of birth, have recently reached University accounts. These requests may look official, or even appear to be from the University, but they are not. Delete any of these messages immediately without responding. Information Technology Services reminds everyone that no business or government entity would ever require you to send sensitive information it already possesses and you should never send any passwords via e-mail for any reason. If you are unsure of the validity of any message, call a contact number for the organization for verification. Call the Help Desk at 607-777-6420 with questions.

U.S. income tax law is very confusing (even more confusing than immigration law!). This is why the Office of International Student and Scholar Services has purchased the CINTAX tax preparation software for use by international students and scholars. With the availability of CINTAX, the focus of the tax webinars will be an overview of income tax law, and instructions on how to file New York State tax forms. The webinars will not address filing federal income tax forms, because CINTAX helps prepare those forms for you. Then, all you need do is mail them. If you plan to take part in the income tax webinars on New York State tax filings, it’s important for you to have already filled out your federal income tax forms using CINTAX, and have a copy of your completed federal forms in hand.

Webinars will be ready within the next two weeks. This will be the third year that the ISSS is offering its series of income tax webinars, via the ISSS website. The on-line format is a great help for current and former students who are not presently in Binghamton, as well as students whose schedule prevents attendance at an in-person workshop.

The webinars will be for F and J students who have been in the United States in F or J status 5 years or less (since 2004 or later). Students who were employed during the 2008 calendar year should have received a W-2 Form (Wage and Tax Statement) from their employer(s). By law, employers must send out W-2 forms to their employees no later than January 31. If you had more than one employer, you should receive a W-2 form from each. These forms are usually in three or four parts. One copy is for the employee, one copy is filed with the U.S. federal tax return, and one copy is filed with certain state tax returns.

The W-2 form contains very important information that you will need when you prepare your income tax forms.

International students and scholars in F and J status must file income tax forms each year, even those who were not employed.

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