Pre-Departure and Visa Issues

Minutes recorded by:

Yvona Vyhnankova, International Liaison Office, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic, VYHNANKO@risc.upol.cz

This session attempted to cover different perspectives of the orientation activities (pre-departure, post-arrival and re-entry) of OSEAS and domestic (US-based) advisers.

Remarks by Marianne Ruane, ACTR, Educational Adviser, Moscow, Russia

Ms Ruane talked about her experience with pre-dep orientation sessions in Novosibirsk and in Moscow. She emphasized the necessity of organizing the PDO (pre-departure orientation), even for a small number of students.

What are the goals of the PDO?
- To prepare students for academic and cultural differences.
- To give them the opportunity to meet other students going to the States.
- To have them think about re-entry issues.

How to organize the PDO session

One-day PDO (from 9 AM to 5 PM)
- Students come only once, get all the information at once.
- It is difficult to hold their attention for that long.

Series of sessions (2 - 3 days)
- Two hour sessions, different topics, student can choose the session they want to attend - this method proved to have both advantages and disadvantages

It is important to provide the students with handouts - they can take them home, go through them repeatedly and think about the information. Handouts should cover:

- detailed information on shopping, banking, health insurance and health care, housing arrangements, etc.
- American cultural values and hot topics (feminism, sexual harassment, racial prejudices, homosexuality, political correctness, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, etc.)
- academic life
- culture shock and re-entry issues.
The most popular event among the students is meeting with a student returned from the States or with an American living in their home country.

Remarks by Sandy Soohoo-Refaei, Director, Intl Programs, Linfield College, Oregon:
Sandy looked at the orientation from the perspective of a US based adviser - post arrival orientation should follow-up the PDO. Advisers should co-operate, should know about their activities.

What should international students know before coming to the US?
Survey results:

- They cannot assume that they will be able to find a job in the U.S. to pay for their expenses.
- They should have a realistic idea of the American culture.
- A high TOEFL score does not mean they will not have problems at the beginning.
- They will need quite a bit of money to get started (apartment deposit, books, supplies, etc.).
- There are offices/services to help with almost every situation.
- It is important to have sufficient health insurance
- It is important to attend the post-arrival orientation!!

Remarks by Heidi Gregori-Gahan, Director, International Student Services, University of Evansville, Indiana

Heidi focused on the visa issues. There are many ways of interpreting immigration regulations, even among the ought-to-be-experts. There are some changes (to the worse) ahead. The NAFSA Manual of Immigration Regulations - a bible.

Essential Rules and Regulations for International Students:

1) Enroll in and complete a full course of study (Undergraduate: 12 credit hours, Graduate: 9 credit hours)
2) Maintain a valid passport at all times.
3) Do not accept employment off-campus without authorization from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). With permission of INS, students may work up to 20 hours per week when classes are in session and full-time during the break periods.
4) Report any change of address to the International Office
5) Request an extension of stay if studies are not completed within the allotted period of time.
6) Before departing the U.S., complete an Alien Clearance Form with the local office of the IRS if any income has been earned in the U.S.

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