1. Strategies for Your US Job Search Workshop is Friday, March 2
2. Next International Coffee Hour is Friday, March 2
3. Moved Recently? Time to Report Your Change of Address
4. USCIS Announces Revised Form I-765 Application for Employment Used For OPT. Previous Versions of the Form will not be Accepted After March 30, 2007
5. Income Tax Information: Filing Out and Mailing Your Income Tax Forms
6. Income Tax Information: How to Request a Copy of a Previous Year's Income Tax Return

1. Strategies for Your U.S. Job Search Workshop is Friday, March 2

Get the answers to your questions on employment regulations and employment strategies for short-term employment, long-term employment and internships as part of a series of six workshops taking place this Spring.

The next workshop in this Spring's employment workshop series is titled: "Strategies for Your U.S. Job Search." The workshop will provide an overview of strategies and resources available to locate potential long and short-term job opportunities, including internships, in the United States.

The workshop will be held on Friday, March 2 at 2:00pm in Career Development Center Workshop Room, Library North G-307.

Looking for an easy way to keep track of upcoming ISSS employment workshops? The direct link is: http://isss.binghamton.edu/emp/Emp_WS.html or go to http://isss.binghamton.edu and click on "employment," then scroll down to: "This Semester's Employment Workshops."

The workshops are sponsored by the Career Development Center and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.

2. Next International Coffee Hour is Friday, March 2

Good company! Free food! An opportunity to visit with friends and classmates!

This month's International Coffee Hour will be held on Friday, March 2 from 3:30-5:00pm in the University Union Old Union Hall. The Coffee Hour strives to be a space where the entire Binghamton University community, including international students, U.S. students, faculty/staff, and community members are welcome. The coffee hours are informal and provide an opportunity to meet and learn more about each other in a relaxed atmosphere. Each coffee hour has free hot and cold beverages and cookies, sponsored by a different department on campus.

The sponsor of this month's International Coffee Hour is the Division of Research.

3. Moved Recently? Time to Report Your Change of Address

Have you moved? Did you remember that SEVIS requires that you report your change of address to the ISSS? The office makes it easy for you to comply with the address requirement by filing out a change of address form on the web. Visit: http://isss.binghamton.edu/forms/addrChange.html

4. USCIS Announces Revised Form I-765 Application for Employment Including OPT. Previous Versions of the Form will not be Accepted After March 30, 2007

US Citizenship and Immigration Services has revised for I-765, Application for Employment. This form is used for a number of different kinds of employment applications, including Optional Practical Training, and for J-2 dependents.

The current form, which the ISSS has been including in its Optional Practical Training (OPT) packets, will be accepted by USCIS only until March 30, 2007 (the application must be received at the USCIS Service Center on or before that date). Any employment applications received at the USCIS Service Center after March 30, 2007 must include the new form, otherwise the entire application will be returned to the applicant.

If you already have an OPT packet from the ISSS, check the date on the bottom right of the form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization. If the date reads (Rev. 02/08/07)N you have the newest version of the form. If any other date appears, you have an older version.
To obtain the newest version, go to the following link: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-765.pdf
This is a ten-page pdf file. You will need Adobe Acrobat or some other pdf viewer to download it. You need only print page 10.

The ISSS will be updating its OPT packets this week to be sure that the newest version of the form is made available to students.

5. Income Tax Information: Filling Out and Mailing Your Income Tax Forms

This information applies to F and J students who are non-residents for tax purposes (those who entered the United States in F or J status in calendar year 2002 or later).

Use CINTAX to fill out and print your federal income tax forms. If you have not yet obtained a CINTAX password, go to: http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/cintax.htm

For those of you who will need to file a New York State tax return (watch for the upcoming web income tax workshop that explains who needs to file a New York State return), you may prefer to print your New York State tax forms on the computer rather than handwrite them. The New York State Tax Department provides “fillable forms” on-line that you can then print from your computer. Here are the links (all are pdf files and require a pdf reader such as Adobe Acrobat):

The direct links are:
Form IT-2: http://www.tax.state.ny.us/pdf/2006/fillin/inc/it2_2006_fill_in.pdf
Form IT-203-B http://www.tax.state.ny.us/pdf/2006/fillin/inc/it203b_2006_fill_in.pdf
Form IT-203: http://www.tax.state.ny.us/pdf/2006/fillin/inc/it203_2006_fill_in.pdf
IT-203 Instructions: http://www.tax.state.ny.us/pdf/2006/inc/it203i_2006.pdf
You can save the information you type on forms IT-2 and IT-203, but not IT-203-B.
The IT-203 Instructions is a 91 page document.

Be sure to sign both your federal and state income tax returns BEFORE mailing them, and be sure to make keep a copy for your records. For information on assembling and mailing your income tax forms, see:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/taxaddress.html

6. Income Tax Information: How to Request a Copy of a Previous Year's Income Tax Return

When you file an income tax form as a non-resident or as a resident, you are required to keep copies of the forms, and attachments. The ISSS has been asked several times for help if a student has somehow lost or misplaced a previous year's income tax forms.

Both the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the New York State tax department provide separate instructions on how to obtain a copy of an income tax forms.

To request a copy of a previous year's federal income tax form, follow the instructions at the following web link: http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/faqs/faq1-6.html

To request a copy of a previous year's New York State tax return, print the form at the following web link and follow the instructions on the form: http://www.tax.state.ny.us/pdf/2005/fillin/misc/tr152_505_fill_in.pdf

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