Welcome!
The Office of International Student & Scholar Services assists students and scholars who are not permanent residents of the U.S. with a variety of academic and counseling support services. We assist overseas citizens who are adapting to life in the U.S. while pursuing their education with items such as obtaining Social Security cards, employment permission, drivers licenses, bank accounts, foreign exchange permits, and military service deferrals. Professional counseling assistance is available for students with immigration concerns, or academic and personal difficulties.
Master's Students:
Beginning this Fall 2008 semester, City College students in Master's degree programs will be required to enroll for a minimum of 9 (nine) credits to be certified for full-time enrollment in SEVIS (Student Exchange and Visitors System).
Complete information regarding full-time and part-time requirements can be found in our section for New Students.
OPT News: April 8th 2008, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a new rule in the Federal Register affecting students on F-1 immigration status. This new rule regards Optional Practical Training (OPT) and is quite complex. This ruling affects EVERY student on OPT since 4/8/2008 and will affect EVERY future applicant of OPT. City College students may contact the office for details specific to their situation. Listed below are a few helpful links and details relevant to the new ruling. We will continue to update this website.
OPT: 12-Months Any Major
- Questions and Answersregarding the CAP GAP fix that this rule provides for students on OPT with ANY MAJOR who have applied for H-1B and whose OPT ends before the H-1B begins.
17-Month OPT Extension
- READ ME FIRST; Eligible STEM Majors-A Chart, 1-page quick review
- STEM Majors detailed; 10-pages with only STEM majors listed numerically and alphabetically
- NCES CIP Codebook; Entire codebook in a 264-page pdf. Contains all majors, STEM and non-STEM. The major code you find in this book must be on the code list in the chart contained in the above 1-page READ ME FIRST quick review-and the correct major must be on your I-20.
- E-Verify. 17-month OPT extension eligibility includes employment with an E-Verify employer who is currently registered and in good standing with USCIS E-Verify Program.
