1. Filing Deadline for Federal and State Income Taxes Extended By One Day to Tuesday April 17, 2007
2. Important Items to Remember When Completing Income Tax Forms
3. Important Workshop on Post-Graduation Employment Issues Wednesday, April 18
4. Will Your I-20 or DS-2019 Expire Soon?
5. Traveling During the April Spring Break?
6. Are You From Asia? Do You Like To Write? Do You Want To Be Published?
7. H-1B Visa Issues: How Quickly Will the Available H-1B Visas Run Out?
8. Income Tax Information: How To File an Amended Tax Return

1. Filing Deadline for Federal and State Income Taxes Extended By One Day to Tuesday April 17, 2007

U.S. income tax forms and New York State tax forms in print, and even mailing instructions provided by CINTAX, state that the deadline for filing income tax forms is Monday, April 16, 2007. However, in January, after the tax forms had been printed, the Internal Revenue Service became aware of a recently enacted legal holiday in the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C., the nation's capital). Holidays observed in the District of Columbia have an impact nationwide. Any federal income tax form with a printed deadline date of April 16, 2007 can now be read as April 17, 2007. The extended time to file and pay is because April 15 falls on a Sunday in 2007 and the following day, April 16 is Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia.

As a result, New York State is also extending the filing and payment due date to April 17, 2007 for New York State returns.

2. Important Items to Remember When Completing Income Tax Forms

A number of students sometimes forget all of the necessary steps when completing their income tax forms. Here is a helpful reminder for ISSS-BU News readers:

• The ISSS provides international students who are non residents for tax purposes (those who entered the United States in 2002 or more recently) with free tax preparation software for completing federal income tax returns. Remember to request a CINTAX access password from the ISSS before attempting to complete your federal tax firms. To make that request, go to: http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/cintax.htm

• Once you are ready to use CINTAX, you need to log on to the CINTAX website at http://www.cintax.us

• Remember that CINTAX - prepared income tax forms must be printed from the CINTAX website, and mailed by you to the Internal Revenue Service Center in Austin, Texas. Be sure to print the CINTAX instructions page, which provides all of the information you need for assembling and mailing your federal income tax forms.

• All income tax forms (federal and state) must be signed before mailing. Otherwise, they will be returned to you.

• Be sure to make a copy before you put your income tax forms in the mail!

3. Important Workshop on Post-Graduation Employment Issues Wednesday, April 18

What may be the most important immigration workshop offered this year will be held Wednesday, April 18 at 4:00pm in Lecture Hall 10. Will you be seeking employment in the United States after graduation? Do you have questions regarding H-1B visas, labor certification, PERM and employment-based permanent residency? Are you confused about the H-1B “cap” and the “cap gap?” What will happen if all the available H-1B visas are taken soon after April 1, 2007, which is the earliest date for submitting an H-1B petition with an October 1, 2007 start date? What about those 20,000 extra H-1B visa slots for those with U.S. master's degrees or higher? You do not want to miss this workshop!

Learn about your options under U.S. immigration law from special guest and featured speaker, nationally known immigration attorney, professor of law and author Stephen Yale-Loehr from the law firm of Miller Mayer in Ithaca, New York. This workshop is co-sponsored by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services and the Career Development Center.

4. Will Your I-20 or DS-2019 Expire Soon?

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) sent out e-mail messages last week to all currently registered degree students whose most recent SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019 will expire in May or during the summer. Exchange students whose programs end in May were not included in this mailing. Do not let your I-20 or DS-2019 expire if you will be continuing at Binghamton beyond the form's expiration date! If you have questions, please come to the ISSS.

5. Traveling During the April Spring Break?

Do you plan to travel during the Spring break? The second Spring break begins after classes on Friday, March 30 and continues through Monday, April 9. Classes resume on Tuesday, April 10. Whether you will travel within the United States or to another country during the second 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

6. Are You From Asia? Do You Like To Write? Do You Want To Be Published?

The Institute of International Education (IIE) would like to invite current and recently graduated U.S. university and college students to submit articles for publication in its fair guidebook for the Higher Education fairs, to be held in 2007 in Asia. As well as being distributed to fairgoers, the fair guide will be distributed to local schools and at IIE's advising center in Hong Kong and other countries.

If you are interested in being interviewed/profiled or writing an article as detailed below, please contact IIE's Education Advisor at info@iiehongkong.org with a short description of yourself, including the following:

Name:
College:
Year of graduation:
Degree & Field of study:
What you would like to write about:

As IIE is a non-profit organization, there is no payment for submitting articles, but students will receive a copy of the fair guide and will have their name included as a byline with the article. IIE reserves the right to edit the submissions for space/clarity as necessary and to decide which articles will be included. Submissions not chosen for inclusion in the upcoming guidebook may be considered for future editions.

Requirements

• About 500-600 words (roughly 1 page in single-spaced, 12 point font) in Word or Text format, in either English or Chinese
• If possible, good quality (high resolution, 300dpi) photo(s) in JPEG format to convey the feel of your article. (e.g. for an article on part-time jobs, a photo of you at your workplace or with co-workers would be great.)

Suggested Topics

• Orientation Week (e.g. Diary style)
• Applying to University (Undergraduate Programs - choosing schools, preparing for SAT, early/regular decision, your own experiences)
• Applying to Grad School (Choosing schools, preparing for GRE, etc.)
• A Week in the Life of An Undergraduate Student (e.g. Diary style)
• Life after College / Career information from recently graduated students (e.g. Q&A / Interview style)
• Working on-campus, part-time jobs
• How to find Summer Internships
• How to find Research Opportunities
• Study / Exam tips
• Exchange Student experience
• Extracurricular Activities (Music, Sports, Student Associations, Fraternities/Sororities, Social Life, etc.)
• Life at a community college (Advice on transfer programs, housing, courses)
• Life at a liberal arts college (What's different about liberal arts colleges?)
• Housing options (On campus or off? Co-op? Home stay? "Themed" dorms [women-only, language houses, etc.]? What's the best way of finding housing? Some tips on living with roommates?)
• Student Profiles (Q&A): Questions about field of study, academic career/future plans, memorable experiences, etc.
• Diversity in the Student Body
• U.S. Culture
• Dealing with Culture Shock and Homesickness
• Other topics (Feel free to suggest other topics that you feel will be of interest to prospective students.)
• Life as a business school student
• Life as an engineering student
• An lvy-league experience

7. H-1B Visa Issues: How Quickly Will the Available H-1B Visas Run Out?

Many ISSS-BU News readers are aware that starting April 1, 2007, the US Department of Homeland Security will begin to accept H1-B petitions that are subject to the “cap” or limit and have start dates of October 1, 2007. Many observers expect the available visa numbers to run out quickly. For an excellent article and analysis on the H-1B visa problem by the Murthy Law Firm, visit their website at: http://www.murthy.com/news/n_caplot.html

8. Income Tax Information: How To File an Amended Tax Return

Some students have already filed their federal and state income tax returns, only to find that additional income reports for calendar year 2006 have arrived in the mail, either in the form of a W-2 or 1042-S. In such situations, an amended return needs to be filed. Here's how to do it.

To amend a federal return 1040NR EZ or 1040NR, first enter the updated information into CINTAX, and print a new 1040NR EZ or 1040NR. Write “amended” at the top of the new 1040NR EZ or 1040NR. Then, obtain form 1040X and instructions either from the IRS website:
Form: http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040x.pdf
Instructions: http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040x.pdf or by visiting the ISSS and obtaining a paper copy of form 1040X and instructions.

Only enter your name, address and social security number on form 1040X. Also, complete line B on the front of the 1040X and part II on page 2 of form1040X (Part II is on the reverse side of the form). Include in part II of form 1040X an explanation of the changes or corrections being made. Be sure to sign the bottom of the 1040X. Attach the Part B federal copy of any new W-2 or 1042-S you are reporting. Attach the new 1040NR EZ or 1040NR behind the 1040X. Both the 1040X and amended 1040NR EZ should be sent to the same Austin, Texas address where you mailed your original 1040NR EZ or 1040NR, which is: Internal Revenue Service Center, Austin, TX 73301-0215.

If you also filed a New York State form IT 203, you will need to amend that form as well, but the procedure is different than it is for the federal forms. To amend NYS form IT 203, obtain form IT 203-X and instructions from the New York State Tax Department website: http://www.tax.state.ny.us/pdf/2006/fillin/inc/it203x_2006_fill_in.pdf

or by visiting the ISSS [the ISSS hopes to have the NYS forms in stock by Friday, March 30]. Complete the IT 203-X in the same way you filled out the original IT 203, but this time make all necessary changes or corrections on the new form. Also complete Part IV and sign at the bottom of page 3. Prepare a new IT-2 if necessary. Attach any 1042-S you are reporting. The IT 203-X and all attachments should be sent to: State Processing Center, PO Box 61000, Albany, New York 12261-0001.

Remember to make all necessary adjustments to total income and taxes when completing the amended forms, and keep copies of everything you send .

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.