An electronic news service for international students and scholars, owned by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at Binghamton University, State University of New York

Visit ISSS on the Web! http://isss.binghamton.edu

Editor's Note: Next Monday, January 16, 2006 is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr holiday. Most university offices, including the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, will be closed. However, ISSS-BU News will publish its regular Monday issue on that day.

CONTENTS:
1. Are You Assisting New Spring 2006 Students?
2. ISSS Website Tax Pages Updated for 2005 Tax Year
3. Only 953 H-1B Visas for Advanced Degree Exemption Remain for Current Fiscal Year
4. Course Registration for Spring 2006
5. Important SEVIS Registration Information for International Students
6. Income Tax Information: Statement of Interest Earnings From Your Bank, Form 1099-INT

1. Are You Assisting New Spring 2006 Students?

New students continue to arrive to begin their studies for the Spring 2006 semester. If you are assisting a new student, be sure to bring them to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services so that ISSS distribute its new student early arrival information. ISSS business hours are 8:30am to 4:00pm Monday - Wednesday and Fridays, and 11:30am to 4:00pm on Thursdays.

Orientation activities begin Thursday, January 19, and orientation packets will be distributed during orientation check-in, Thursday January 19 from 9:00am to 12:30pm in the University Union Tillman Lobby (in front of the Mandela Room in the Old University Union).

A schedule may be viewed at the ISSS website:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/admission/orientation/program.htm

New international students are asked to register in advance for orientation, and may do so by going to the following link: http://isss.binghamton.edu/admission/orientation/index.htm

2. ISSS Website Tax Pages Updated for 2005 Tax Year

Thanks to the efforts of Mittal Dedhia, ISSS graduate assistant, the ISSS website tax pages have now been updated for the 2005 tax year, which has just concluded. You can view the pages by going to http://isss.binghamton.edu and clicking on "Taxes." Intersession is a good time to visit the Tax section of the ISSS website and familiarize yourself with some of the rules for tax filing.

Federal and NY State income tax forms will be available beginning in early February in the ISSS. An announcement will be published in ISSS-BU News as soon as the forms have arrived.

The ISSS is pleased to announce that the University has purchased a license with CINTAX to allow BU international students, alumni, scholars and faculty to use CINTAX to compute and print the federal income tax forms. CINTAX is a web-based tax preparation system designed exclusively for international students, scholars and faculty who file forms 1040NR or 1040NR EZ as non-residents for tax purposes. More information on how to access CINTAX will be available in late January.

3. Only 953 H-1B Visas for Advanced Degree Exemption Remain for Current Fiscal Year

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its Cap Count chart for H visas, available at: http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/tempbenefits/cap.htm

The latest chart reflects information as of January 3, 2006, and shows that there are only 953 H1-B visas remaining for fiscal year 2006 under the 20,000 H-1B cap exemptions for foreign nationals holding advanced degrees from U.S. universities. The 2006 federal fiscal year began on October 1, 2005 and ends September 30, 2006. The 953 figure assumes that all of the pending H1-B cases will be approved. It is expected that these remaining H-1B visa numbers will be gone within the next week or so.

The overall cap is set at 65,000 visa numbers, though 6800 numbers are set aside each fiscal year to accommodate H-1B visas granted under the U.S.-Chile and U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreements, effectively reducing the overall H-1B cap to 58,200.

Once the remaining visas have been distributed, there will be no new numbers available until October 1, 2006 even for the U.S. master's degree quota category. H-1B visas with a start date of October 1, 2006 may be filed beginning April 1, 2006, but employment in the H-1B category cannot commence until October 1.

To read previous ISSS-BU News articles on the H-1B cap count, visit:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/new/LatestH1VisaCapCountDec.html

http://isss.binghamton.edu/new/LatestH1VisaCapCount.html

http://isss.binghamton.edu/new/LatestH1BVisaCapCountForAdvancedDegreeExemption.htm

http://isss.binghamton.edu/new/H1BCapCount.htm

4. Course Registration for Spring 2006

The University's BUSI registration system will be turned on for Spring 2006 course registration beginning Friday, January 20, 2006 for new and continuing students. The system will be available from 8:00am to 6:00am (22 hours per day) seven days a week until the evening of the course withdrawal deadline, which is March 24, 2006. Course adds will be accepted until the deadline of Sunday, February 5. The system will accept course drops and deletes until the course drop deadline, Friday, February 3. After that date, the system will allow for course withdrawals until the course withdrawal deadline of March 24. Please note that students who drop courses in BUSI during the course withdrawal period will receive a grade of W. For complete information on registration procedures, visit: http://registrar.binghamton.edu/newinfo.html#regdates

Schedule of Classes

The Schedule of Classes for Spring 2006 is available online at http://busi.binghamton.edu/schedule.html . The online schedule is the most up to date and accurate source of course information and is the only published version of the Schedule of Classes.

Students with outstanding debts to the University, and students who have not complied with University Health Service requirements will be blocked from registering. Students can also view their account balances and pay any outstanding debts through the BUSI Web Center, http://busi.binghamton.edu

Registration Starting Times and Room Assignments

Students are assigned starting times for spring registration according to their total cumulative credits, not including advance registration credits. Students can check their total cumulative credits by going to the BUSI Web Center http://busi.binghamton.edu and clicking on 'My Grades and Credits.' Check below for the schedule of starting times.

You can view and print your schedule from BUSI or the BUSI web at any time. Student schedules will not be mailed. Please look online for your classroom assignments.

* Classroom assignments are subject to change. Assignments on the BUSI web are the most accurate and up to date.

Student Level and Earliest Start Times

5. Important SEVIS Registration Information for International Students

Students in F or J status are reminded that in order for them to be in compliance with SEVIS requirements, they must register promptly for the Spring 2006 semester. The last day to add classes for Spring 2006 is February 5, 2006. No later than February 18, 2006, the University is required to notify the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via SEVIS of any new Binghamton student who entered the United States on a Binghamton I-20 or DS-2019 but has not yet registered. No later than February 22, 2006, the University is required to notify the DHS of any continuing Binghamton student who was registered for Fall 2005 but who has not registered for Spring 2006 (and did not graduate, withdraw, take a leave of absence, or transfer to a new U.S. school).

Special Note for Graduate Students: Graduate students who register for thesis, pre-dissertation research, dissertation, project, or other course rubrics that are eligible to be certified as full-time even though the number of credits will be below the normal full-time course load must submit the Graduate School's "Certification of Full-Time Status for Students Not Receiving Tuition Scholarships" form each semester to their department for filing with the Graduate School. This form may be downloaded at: http://gradschool.binghamton.edu/FTCForm.doc

6. Income Tax Information: Statement of Interest Earnings From Your Bank, Form 1099-INT

This is part of a weekly series of "Income Tax Information" that appear in ISSS-BU News . To view back issues go to: http://isss.binghamton.edu and click on "ISSS-BU News."

Today's income tax article is about the statement of interest earnings (1099-INT) that you may soon receive from your bank.

If you have a checking or savings account in the United States which earns interest, a certificate of deposit (CD) or other cash investments, you may have already received or will soon receive a form from your bank or investment institution called a "1099-INT" which shows the interest or dividends you earned on your savings or investments for the 2005 calendar year. This information is provided to you for tax purposes, and is also reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by your bank or investment institution. It is important to save these interest statements, because in SOME instances, you may be required to report the interest or dividend income on your income tax forms.

Review the form carefully. Was income tax withheld from your interest earnings? If tax was withheld from your bank interest, and you are in F-1 or J-1 student status and have been continuously in F-1 or J-1 status for five years or less (entered the United States as F-1 or J-1 student in 2001 or later), interest may have been withheld in error. To correct this situation for future years, obtain form W-8BEN, fill it out, and give it to your bank or financial institution that issued the 1099-INT. W-8BEN forms with instructions are available in the ISSS. For more information on the W-8BEN, go to the following link on the ISSS website: http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/formw8.html

International students who have been continuously in F-1 or J-1 status for five years or less (entered the U.S as F-1 or J-1 2001 or later) generally file income tax forms as non-residents, and are usually not required to report interest as earnings, although dividend income MUST be reported.

International students who have been continuously in F-1 or J-1 status for MORE than five years (entered the U.S. as F-1 or J-1 2000 or earlier) generally file income tax forms as residents for tax purposes, and are taxed on all world-wide income, INCLUDING interest earnings. However, residents for tax purposes also have greater benefits under the tax laws, such as larger income deductions, deductions for dependents, etc.

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