1. Two Employment Workshops for International Students This Week: February 12 and 15
2. CDC Internship and Job Fair Thursday, February 14
3. European Student Association (ESA) General Interest Meeting Tuesday, February 12
4. Dickinson Dining Hall Remains Closed; Susquehanna Room Open For Dinner
5. Do You Know the Rules for Off Campus Employment?
6. Web Links for Foreign Embassies and Consulates in the United States
7. Internal Revenue Service Issues Warning About Tax Scams
8. Income Tax Information: Upcoming Income Tax Webinars

1. Two Employment Workshops for International Students This Week: February 12 and 15

Get the answers to your questions by attending the workshops taking place this Spring.

Two employment workshops are scheduled for this week.  The first is:
Optional Practical Training (OPT): What Is It and How Do I Apply?

It will be held on Tuesday, February 12 at 3:00pm in Fine Arts Building Room 212. Karen Keefe-Guzikowski, Assistant Director of the ISSS and Amelia Shafer, International Student Advisor, will take you through a Power Point presentation on Optional Practical Training, a very popular employment authorization for F-1 students seeking to work after graduation.
The workshop is divided into two parts:

The second workshop is The U.S. Internship Search. This workshop will be held on Friday, February 15 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm in Academic A, Ground Floor Room 23.  Looking for a summer internship?  This workshop will give you strategies for a successful search.      
              
It’s easy to keep track of upcoming ISSS employment workshops. You’ll find them posted them on the ISSS website!  Visit http://isss.binghamton.edu and click on Spring 2008 Employment Workshops.

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

2. CDC Internship and Job Fair February 14

The Career Development Center’s Internship & Job Fair is this Thursday, February 14th from 11:00-3:30 in the University Union Mandela Room and Old Union Hall.  All majors are encouraged to attend.  Over 75 organizations will be present to discuss internship & job opportunities.  Non-Profit, Government, and For-Profit organizations will all be in attendance.  Visit the CDC website at http://binghamton.erecruiting.com/stu/cf_details?fhnd=2892
for a list of participating organizations.  This fair is for ALL BU students!

Bring copies of your resume and dress professionally!

International students in F-1 or J-1 status are reminded that all off-campus employment, including internships, must be authorized before employment can begin.  Questions?  Come to the ISSS or send an e-mail message to isss@binghamton.edu

3. European Student Association (ESA) General Interest Meeting Tuesday, February 12

The European Student Association (ESA) will hold a General Interest Meeting on Tuesday, February 12th in the Graduate Student Lounge (first floor of the Bartle Library Tower from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.  Students interested in the ESA are invited to stop by!

4. Dickinson Dining Hall Remains Closed; Susquehanna Room Open For Dinner

Dickinson Dining Hall remains closed as a result of the fire that took place last week.  The Susquehanna Room is now open for dinner, Monday – Thursday 5:00pm to 7:00pm.  Please note that these hours may be pre-empted by previously scheduled events.  Check http://www.budining.com for up-to-date information.

5. Do You Know the Rules for Off-Campus Employment?

Federal regulations exact heavy penalties for those students in F and J status who work off campus without authorization. The ISSS reminds all F and J students that all off-campus employment must be authorized before it can begin. This includes internships, curricular practical training, and other types of off-campus experiences, whether or not you are receiving college credit for it.

Recently, several BU international students attempted to begin their curricular practical training before the required authorization had been issued.  These students had to immediately stop working and their actions put their immigration status at great risk.

To work off-campus without the appropriate authorization is considered illegal employment according to federal immigration law and is a potentially deportable offense. SEVIS regulations require that all unauthorized employment be reported. So, now more than ever, it's essential for international students to understand the off-campus employment rules that pertain to them.

Special Note: International students who are employed off-campus as part of a cooperative arrangement with their academic department AND are paid by either the State or SUNY Research Foundation payroll under the terms of a GA or RA stipend are considered to be authorized for this employment. The SPIR program is an example of this kind of cooperative arrangement.

Definition:
"The term employee means an individual who provides services or labor for an employer for wages or other remuneration." 8 CFR 274a.1(f)

Remuneration means something is given to you because you provided a service. It can be a paycheck, a bonus payment, a stipend, or it can be meal vouchers, room and board, or payment of your travel costs. Any of these would be considered to be employment under federal regulations. Simply put, if you receive anything for providing a service you are employed.

Volunteering is defined as engaging in an activity that anyone (US citizen or citizen of another country) would engage in without expectation of compensation, monetary or otherwise, for the service provided.

Complete information on all of the different employment categories for F and J students can be found by visiting the ISSS website at http://isss.binghamton.edu and clicking on "employment." If you are unsure if an activity would be considered employment, ask the ISSS!! And, attend one of the upcoming employment workshops on Optional Practical Training (February 12) and/or Curricular Practical Training (February 19)!

6. Web Links for Foreign Embassies and Consulates in the United States

Web Links for Foreign Embassies and Consulates in the United States
Do you need to contact your home country’s Embassy or Consulate here in the United States?  Do you need to contact another country’s Embassy or Consulate here in the United States? These useful links will help you.  The home page of the embassy generally includes contact information, and links to the consulates.

Link to Foreign Embassies in the United States
http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/dpl/32122.htm

For students from Taiwan:
Link to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Offices in the United States:
http://www.tecro.org/ (in Washington, D.C.)
http://www.taipei.org/ (in New York City)

7. Internal Revenue Service Issues Warning About Tax Scams

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning on its website regarding e-mail and telephone tax scams.  Be aware that the IRS does not send any communications to tax payers via e-mail.  To read the complete warning, go to:
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=178061,00.html

8. Income Tax Information: Upcoming Income Tax Webinars

U.S. income tax law is very confusing (even more confusing than immigration law!).  This is why the Office of International Student and Scholar Services has purchased the CINTAX tax preparation software for use by international students and scholars.  With the availability of CINTAX, the focus of the tax webinars will be an overview of income tax law, and instructions on how to file New York State tax forms.  The webinars will not address filing federal income tax forms. If you plan to take part in the income tax webinars, it’s important for you to have already filled out your federal income tax forms using CINTAX, and have a copy of your completed federal forms in hand.

Last year, the ISSS offered income tax webinars for the first time, via the ISSS website.  The office received a lot of positive feedback, because the webinars could be accessed 24/7 via the web from any computer with a broadband connection, an internet browser and “Real Player” installed.  A free version of “Real Player” can be downloaded from http://www.real.com Then click on “Get Real Player Free.”  The on-line format is a great help for current and former students who are not presently in Binghamton, as well as students whose schedule prevents attendance at an in-person workshop.

The webinars will be for F and J students who have been in the United States in F or J status 5 years or less (since 2003 or later). Students who were employed during the 2007 calendar year should have received a W-2 Form (Wage and Tax Statement) from their employer(s).  By law, employers must send out W-2 forms to their employees no later than January 31. If you had more than one employer, you should receive a W-2 form from each. These forms are usually in three or four parts. One copy is for the employee, one copy is filed with the U.S. federal tax return, and one copy is filed with certain state tax returns.

The W-2 form contains very important information that you will need when you prepare your income tax forms.

International students and scholars in F and J status must file income tax forms each year, even those who were not employed.

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.