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: Staff in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services will be unavailable all day Tuesday, June 6, while they attend a planning retreat. Regular office hours will resume on Wednesday, June 7. Staff apologize for any inconvenience.

Last Saturday, an earthquake struck the island of Java in Indonesia. The death toll has reached nearly 6,000, with more than 46,000 injured. The ISSS has been in touch with our Indonesian students, and has expressed sympathy and prayers for the victims of this disaster.

CONTENTS:

1. National Holidays for June
2. Have You Received Your Income Tax Refund?
3. Are You Graduating in Summer 2006 and Plan to Apply for Practical Training?
4. Important Information for Those Who Will Graduate in Summer 2006
5. USCIS Reaches H-1B Cap for the 2007 Fiscal Year, More Than Four Months Before the Fiscal Year Begins

1. National Holidays for June

The following countries are celebrating national holidays during the month of June:

2. Have You Received Your Income Tax Refund?

Students and scholars who filed their 2005 income tax forms by the April 17, 2006 deadline and were eligible to receive an income tax refund should have received their payments by now.

But, for those of you who expected a refund but have not received a response as yet, both the U.S. Federal government and the New York State government provide easy ways for you to check on the status of your refund.

The phone number for inquiries about federal income tax refunds is: 1-800-829-1954. Assistance is available Monday-Friday 7am to 10pm
You can also inquire on the web at:
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96596,00.html

The phone number for inquiries about NYS income tax refunds is:
1-800-443-3200. Assistance is available Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm
You can also inquire on the web at:
https://www7.nystax.gov/PRIS/prisHome

This information is also available on the ISSS tax web page. The direct link is:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/taxrefunds.htm

You should have a copy of your income tax forms in front of you when you call or go on the web, as you will likely be asked to indicate the numbers of the forms you filed. You will also be asked for your social security number.

3. Are You Graduating In Summer 2006 and Plan to Apply for Practical Training?

Students in F-1 status who will be graduating in Summer 2006 and plan to apply for Optional Practical Training after graduation are reminded to file their practical training applications well in advance of the date they would like practical training to begin. Currently, the USCIS Vermont Processing Center is taking approximately twelve weeks to process EAD cards for practical training.

In general, the ISSS recommends that practical training applications be filed at least twelve weeks (three months) in advance of the requested starting date. Your application must be received by the USCIS Vermont Processing Center before your degree completion date, which is August 18, 2006 for Summer 2006 graduates. So, if you would like your practical training to begin in late August to mid-October, now is the time to start the application process! Applications are available in the ISSS. Please allow 7 to 10 days for ISSS processing . Still have questions? Then make an appointment with Karen Keefe-Guzikowski or Amelia Shafer.

4. Important Information for Those Who Will Graduate in Summer 2006

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services reminds students that if you will graduate in Summer 2006, you must do two things:

•  You must be registered for the Summer
•  You must file a "Declaration of Candidacy Form" with the Graduate School if you are a graduate student, or an "Application for Undergraduate Degree" with the Registrar's Office if you are an undergraduate student. Both of these forms may be found on the ISSS website: http://isss.binghamton.edu/pubs/forms.htm

Failure to take care of both steps may have negative consequences for your immigration status if you are an F-1 or J-1 student and have a SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019 with a summer completion date.

5. USCIS Reaches H-1B Cap for the 2007 Fiscal Year, More Than Four Months Before the Fiscal Year Begins

On June 1, 2006, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had received a sufficient amount of H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap for fiscal year 2007, which begins October 1, 2006. The final receipt date for H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year 2007 annual cap was May 26, 2006. Any petitions subject to the cap that are received by USCIS after the final receipt date will be rejected.

Certain categories of H-1B petitions are still being accepted. They include:
•  Current H-1B workers filing for extensions, changing employers, changing the terms of employment, concurrent employment
•  Cap-Exempt Positions such as jobs at US colleges or universities, related non-profit entities, nonprofit research organizations, governmental research organizations
•  Recipients of US master's or higher degrees (until the 20,000 limit in this category is reached) Currently 5.830 such petitions have been approved.

To read the complete announcement, visit:
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/newsrels/FY07H1BCap_060106PR.pdf

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