1. International Student Grant-in-Aid Applications Now Being Accepted
2. Upcoming Income Tax Workshops Via the Web
3. I Keep Receiving E-mail Messages Titled “Part-Time Job Opportunity.” Can I Do It?
4. Traveling During the Spring Breaks?
5. Funding for Asian Undergraduate Students in US with Summer Non-Profit Internships Application deadline: April 13, 2007
6. Income Tax Information: What To Do If You Have Received Form 1099-G

1. International Student Grant-in-Aid Applications Now Being Accepted

Each semester, awards of up to $500 are made to a small number of international students who have a severe financial need. To be eligible, students must be in F-1 or J-1 status, have been in attendance at Binghamton University at least one year (began their studies at Binghamton in Spring 2006 or earlier), document need, have no outstanding obligations to the university, and be full-time students in good standing.

Some students may find themselves in financial difficulty through no fault of their own. Examples can include reduced support from a sponsor, or unanticipated expenses. Applicants are strongly advised to carefully document their financial situation when submitting the application form, as there are always more students seeking assistance than there are funds.

Applications are available now in the International Student and Scholar Services Office and must be submitted no later than Friday, March 9, 2007.

2. Upcoming Income Tax Workshops Via the Web

The ISSS is in the process of creating three income tax workshops for viewing on the internet using Real Player. The workshops are:
1. An Introduction to US Tax Law and CINTAX
2. Completing Your NYS Tax Return for 1040NR EZ Filers
3. Completing Your NYS Tax Return for 1040NR Filers

We will post an announcement on ISSS-BU News as soon as the workshops are on the ISSS website, which we hope will be later this week.

The workshops are designed for students in F and J status who have been in the U.S. in that status for five years or less (2002 or later) or J scholars/faculty who have been in the United States for two years or less (2005 or later).

The first web workshop provides an overview of US tax law, and then provides an opportunity to become familiar with CINTAX , the income tax preparation software available free of charge to BU international students and scholars.

The second web workshop provides instruction for completing NYS Tax Returns if you have filed a federal form 1040NR EZ. The third web workshop provides instruction for completing NYS Tax Returns if you have filed a federal form 1040NR.

The second and third web workshops should be viewed once you have completed your federal forms by using CINTAX.

If you have not yet obtained your CINTAX access password, please note that it takes 2 business days to respond to password requests. So, be sure to allow time to obtain a CINTAX password AND complete your federal forms using CINTAX! To request your CINTAX password, see: http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/cintax.htm

3. I Keep Receiving E-mail Messages Titled “Part-Time Job Opportunity.” Can I Do It?

Have you received an e-mail that is similar to the one below?

“Dear Student,

We offer the opportunity for home workers, nationwide to perform entry level assignments. Our company is committed to providing quality, professional services to our clients.

We seek honest, self - motivated people with a desire to work in the home typing and data entry field area. The preferred applicants should be at least 18 years old. No experience is needed. Average weekly earnings start at $1000 to $3000 in the first couple weeks and increases as you continue to work with our agency.

You will not have to devote full time hours. These assignments can be done on your time. They may be done in Internet cafes or where ever you can get Internet access.

If you are interested in making money using your computer at home or at school just reply to my email!”

Work from home job postings are everywhere. There are listings for data entry jobs, research positions, multi-level marketing opportunities, and a variety of other ways to make a lot of money fast. In fact, there are so many of them that work at home schemes are on the (U.S.) National Consumers League's list of Top 10 Frauds.

Most work-at-home jobs don't guarantee regular, salaried employment. Many neglect to mention that you have to work many hours without pay. Others require that you spend your own money for products or instructions before finding out how the offer works. And the "work" may entail getting others to sign up for the same job--which continues the fraud. Work-at-home scams have cost victims thousands of dollars.

For international students, “working from home” even if the opportunity was from a legitimate company, requires prior authorization. Since federal regulations governing F-1 and J-1 students only permit employment if certain criteria are met, the vast majority of F-1 and J-1 students cannot accept employment that involves “work-at-home.”

If you have a question whether or not a job opportunity is legal, always contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.

4. Traveling During the Spring Breaks?

Do you plan to travel during the Spring break? There are two breaks this year, one in early March and another at the very end of March. Whether you will travel within the United States or to another country during Spring break, be sure to read the ISSS article titled “Traveling During Spring Break” available on the ISSS website in the “Travel” section. The direct link is http://isss.binghamton.edu/travel/springbrk.html

5. Funding for Asian Undergraduate Students in US with Summer Non-Profit Internships

Application deadline: April 13, 2007

Freeman ASSIST, generously sponsored by the Freeman Foundation, offers educational allowances to East and Southeast Asian undergraduate students who are pursuing summer internships at not-for-profit organizations in their host community or elsewhere in the United States. Undergraduate students from Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam who are currently studying in the U.S. and who secure internships with U.S not-for-profit organizations during the summer of 2007 are eligible. The program seeks to facilitate greater interaction between young Asian students and U.S. non-profit and community groups by creating paths for sharing experiences and enhancing mutual understanding.

For more information and an online application, please go to: http://www.iie.org/programs/freemanassist
Email: FreemanASSIST@iie.org
Tel: (212) 984-5480

6. Income Tax Information: What To Do If You Have Received Form 1099-G

Some international students may have received form 1099-G in the mail, also called a "Statement of Tax Overpayment." These forms are issued by states (for example, New York State) to provide a record of a state and/or local income tax refund paid to you during calendar year 2006. Not all students receive this form, but if you filed a state tax return for calendar year 2005 and received a refund payment from that state, the refund would have been paid to you sometime during 2006.

This amount, which is reported on Form 1099-G, must also be reported on your income tax return. If you will be filing form 1040NR EZ, the amount is reported on line 4.

Students who did not file a state income tax form for calendar year 2005, or who did file a state income tax form but either did not get a tax refund or instead had to make a tax payment to the state, do not receive form 1099-G.

ISSS-BU is a listserv owned and managed by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Division of Student Affairs, at the State University of New York at Binghamton. It is the publisher of ISSS-BU News . Permission is granted to freely distribute the information posted to this list as long as its contents remain unchanged.