The Office of International Education (OIE) invites all new international students to attend OIE’s Welcome Series, an international student orientation offering virtual and in-person events covering topics such as pre-arrival preparations, understanding life and classes at Georgia Tech, how to maintain F-1/J-1 visa status, and more! Welcome Series is an excellent opportunity to meet and engage with other new students, as well as ask campus representatives and international student advisors questions. Please review this email for details about upcoming Welcome Series Events. You can learn more about Welcome Series at isss.oie.gatech.edu/welcome-series. 
 
To help you prepare for your arrival to the U.S., this email contains important information about immigration requirements, travel considerations, and resources. 

(1) All F-1 and J-1 student visa holders are required by the U.S. government to check in with their immigration specialist (Designated School Official/DSO or Alternate Responsible Officer/ARO). The Georgia Tech check-in process is called OIE Check-In, and is done completely online via the iStart portal at istart.gatech.edu.    

(2) The OIE Check-In e-forms are now live! There are three e-forms required to complete the Check-In process. They can all be found under the OIE Check-In e-form group in F/J Student Arrival and Check-In menu. They must be submitted per the instructions outlined below:   

                   All new students are required to complete the Arrival Confirmation e-form by January 5, 2026 to confirm their spring 2026 plans.  

                   The Immigration Regulations Acknowledgement e-form will become available once you complete the Arrival Confirmation e-form.     

                   For those of you coming to the U.S. this spring 2026, after you arrive in the U.S., use the Immigration Document Upload e-form to upload your immigration documents into iStart and complete the OIE Check-In process.   

(3) A registration hold will be placed on your account if your OIE Check-In e-forms are not submitted by the end of Phase II registration.  

(4) For more information on OIE Check-In, visit OIE’s Check-In page at https://isss.oie.gatech.edu/isss-check-in.   

Join us for a student panel where you can ask your peers all of your non-immigration questions. We look forward to this session every semester as we always get lots of fun and interesting questions! Topics covered previously include food, TV shows, research experiences, immunizations, taking the bus, emailing professors, U.S. Southern slang, and more!

Date:

January 6, 2026

Time:

9:00 AM ET

There are many resources available to help you prepare for study in the United States. The U.S. Department of State EducationUSA advising centers offer pre-arrival resources and orientations. Find the advising center closest to you. Check out the EducationUSA glossary to become familiar with vocabulary you will encounter at universities in the U.S. 

In order to best prepare you for your arrival at Georgia Tech, the Office of International Education has compiled a series of videos that address a variety of topics that are essential and of interest to international students and scholars.  These videos do not replace FASET, Graduate Student Orientation,  or the International Welcome Series. However, they are offered as a resource to new students so that they can begin to get acclimated to Georgia Tech and the U.S. while abroad.  To view the videos, please visit: https://isss.oie.gatech.edu/content/resources-cultural-transition. 

All F-1 and J-1 students are required to have health insurance for the duration of their time at Georgia Tech. All international students will be enrolled in the United Healthcare Student Resources (UHCSR) student health insurance plan mandated by the University System of Georgia. For more information, see the Stamps Heath Center insurance website. Charges for the student health insurance will be automatically added to your bursar account. Full-time students who have an existing health insurance coverage that meets/exceeds Georgia Tech insurance requirements can request a waiver for GT student insurance. 

We’re excited to welcome you to Georgia Tech in January! For any further questions, please email us at info@oie.gatech.edu or attend one of our Virtual Drop-in Advising Sessions.

Best Regards, 

Office of International Education 

Georgia Institute of Technology 
631 Cherry St. Savant Suite 211 
Atlanta, GA 30332-0284 
oie.gatech.edu