We hope you are staying safe and keeping healthy. The start of this academic year will continue to look different due to COVID-19 safety measures but know that our office is always here for you. Our services are all available online. We’ve got lots of workshops and other events in store for you this semester (see our workshops below for some coming up in the next few weeks). If you need to speak with an OGS advisor, please schedule an online advising appointment, and as always, if ever you have any questions, you can also simply contact us.

Due to the Labor Day holiday, OGS closes at 4:00 PM ET on Friday, September 4. We reopen on Tuesday, September 8 at 9:00 AM ET. There are no advising hours on Monday, September 7.

If you were planning to work on campus this semester, make sure you’re up to date! Graduate and undergraduate students temporarily outside of the US are eligible to complete remote work for a campus job if they have authorization to work in the US, a valid I-9 on file with the University, and a US bank account. For more information, review the Wasserman Center information regarding on-campus employment. For detailed information about the hiring process for international students, including where and how to look for jobs, see the OGS on-campus employment information.

The Social Security Administration has suspended face-to-face service nationwide until further notice. This means that at this time students applying for a Social Security Number due to Curricular Practical Training or on-campus employment can only apply for a Social Security Number by appointment. Appointment availability is based on available staff and office operating status. Please call your local office to see if an in-office appointment is necessary and possible. To contact your local office, please look for the local office telephone number at Social Security Office Locator under “Social Security Office Information” for the office you select. The toll-free “Office” number is your local office.

Students applying for Optional Practical Training can still apply for a Social Security Number by completing the relevant questions on their form I-765.

Please refer to the Internal Revenue Service information on delays in issuing SSNs to non-US citizens for further guidance on SSNs and beginning new employment.

Please remember that if this is your first semester studying at NYU or this is your first semester back at NYU after returning from a leave of absence, you must enter the US by the start date indicated on your I-20 or DS-2019. If you plan to arrive in the United States after the program start date as indicated on your current I-20 or DS-2019 or defer to a later session start date, we must change the start date listed on your document and send you an updated I-20 or DS-2019, even if you are taking the NYU Go Local option OR if you are starting your academic program remotely outside of the United States. Submit your US entry plan information so that we can work with you to get an updated I-20 or DS-2019 from our office.

All transfer students must obtain a new I-20 by Tuesday, September 15 in order to maintain F-1 status. Apply for an I-20 and make sure you have completed all steps in our transfer checklist.

In order to maintain legal status in the US, students in F-1 and J-1 status are required to register full-time, which is a minimum of 12 credits per semester for most NYU programs, including NYU CUSP. Make sure you register full-time or gain permission from OGS to be registered for a reduced course load.  Special note due to COVID-19: students in their first semester of study in the US must be enrolled in at least one in-person or blended course.

Check with your department on what they consider full-time enrollment to be. If for any reason you won't be registered full time, you must have OGS permission to be registered for a reduced course load.

All students must have an up-to-date US residential address and phone number in their NYU records. If we don't receive this information, you risk losing legal status in the US. See instructions on how to update your US address and phone number.

If you are a continuing student who traveled outside the US during the summer and have just returned, get your most recent I-94 record and be sure to print it out. If there is missing or incorrect information, please schedule an online advising appointment.

Make sure you are aware of your work options after you graduate! If you’re a student in F-1 status, learn more about and apply for Post-Completion OPT by mid-September! If you’re a student in J-1 status, learn more about and apply for academic training!