Updates & Reminders
21 January 2011
Filing Your 2010 Federal Tax Return...It's Coming!: International students and scholars who worked on campus and who are not U.S. tax residents are required to file a 1040-NR federal tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for income earned in 2010. To help you with this, ISSS has purchased a tax preparation program called CINTAX. If you worked for ODU or ODURF in 2010, individual passwords will be assigned and instructions provided to access CINTAX. Once passwords are available, we will notify you of the process.
Attention Master's & PhD Students on F & J Visas: Are you taking fewer than NINE credits this semester? If so, you MUST have an approved Reduced Course Load request approved in writing (e-mail reply . The deadline to submit the form is always the first Wednesday of the semester. If yours has not gotten to our office yet, it must be here as soon as possible. ANY TIME YOU GO BELOW THE REQUIRED MINIMUM IN THE FALL OR SPRING SEMESTER, AN RCL MUST BE APPROVED.
Inviting Family & Friends to Visit: We have received several questions lately about students who are graduating in May and want family or friends to come to the ceremony. Please note that ISSS does not write the letter of invitation; you, as the student, will need to write it. We have a web page to assist you with creating the letter.
Undergraduates! How Many Credits Are You Taking?: Are you taking fewer than TWELVE credits this semester? Are you on an F or a J visa? If you answered 'yes' to both, you MUST have an approved Reduced Course Load request approved in writing. The deadline to submit the form is always the first Wednesday of the semester. If yours has not gotten to our office yet, it must be here as soon as possible. ANY TIME YOU GO BELOW THE REQUIRED MINIMUM IN THE FALL OR SPRING SEMESTER, AN RCL MUST BE APPROVED.
Travel Over the Break?: The deadline for the Traveling Monarchs Contest is Friday, January 28th. If you have photos of yourself taken during the break in an ODU t-shirt, you'll be entered in a drawing for a $100 gift card at the ODU bookstore. If you're willing to share, we'd also like to display pictures of you and/or your home country and/or your travels in the U.S. on the door to our office. ALL submissions can be e-mailed to ISSS.
Graduating in May: Don't wait too long to see what various items you need to check off your checklist. ISSS has created a page with a list especially for students completing their degrees.
F & J Visa Holders...Are YOU Maintaining Your Status?: Maintaining valid addresses is a part of keeping your status legal in the U.S. Visit LeoOnline to see if your SEVIS U.S., SEVIS Home Country or your "Permanent" (usually your U.S. address) are all correct. If not, they must be updated ASAP! Visit the ISSS FORMS page for links to forms.
ISSS wishes you all a successful semester!
