International Student Services
International Division

OUR SERVICES

How to access virtual advising services:

 

NOTE: All ISS staff will be working on immigration document requests.  Staff are doing their best to timely and accurately process all requests. Some requests may be over 15 business days. Questions about the status of your request seriously delays our processing time. If your request is “Submitted – Under Review by Assigned Advisor”, it is being reviewed!

 

Thank you for contacting ISS! We are happy to serve over 6,000 international (F and J visa) students on campus and over 1,000 working on post-completion employment authorization throughout the U.S.

To best serve our students, please choose only one method of communication with ISS. Please do not send multiple Terra Dotta information requests or call multiple staff members with the same question or request. This will prevent delays and confusion when we respond to your inquiry.

Monday – Friday: 8:30am-4:00pm

All immigration requests can be submitted online through Terra Dotta. Your assigned ISS advisor can be contacted through Terra Dotta information requests.

For your safety, staff safety, and community safety we encourage you to use our virtual services as much as possible.

Services are limited during Spring Break, please use the schedule above for the advising schedule.

In-person advising hours:

  • Mondays & Tuesdays: 2:00pm-4:00 p.m. 
  • Thursdays:  9:00am-11:00 a.m. 

In-person advising hours are the same as virtual drop-in advising hours, and students who come to the office will complete the same intake form as students attending virtual drop-in advising on Zoom. ISS advisors will meet both virtual and in-person students in the order they sign up. Coming to the office in person will not result in meeting with an advisor sooner. Even if you do not see a long line of students in the office, there may be many students ahead of you who signed up virtually.

For your safety, staff safety, and community safety we encourage you to use our virtual services as much as possible.

Advising appointments will be scheduled at the discretion of your ISS Advisor.

All International Student Services (ISS) advising services will be virtual-only until further notice. Our front desk will be open for document pick-up only. We value the safety and wellness of our community and the only way we can safely provide services at this time is through virtual modalities.

How to access virtual advising services:

. Please select the link here for more information on virtual advising. 

If you believe you need to schedule an appointment with your ISS advisor, please send them an information request on Terra Dotta. Your advisor will review your information request, and if needed, will send you more information to meet at a scheduled time. 

Services are limited during Spring Break, please use the schedule above for the advising schedule.

Drop-in advising is available through Zoom every week.

  • Mondays & Tuesdays: 2:00pm-4:00 p.m. 
  • Thursdays:  9:00am-11:00 a.m. 

We will try our best to meet with all students who attend drop-in hours. Drop-in advising is available on a first-come, first-served basis. If there is a “long line” of students ahead of you, you may need to wait for some time. 

Monday & Tuesday Drop-in Advising: 2:00pm – 4:00pm (CDT)

Click this link to join: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/99960230245?pwd=d0s2ZTU5SFZXdFdQRUJWQTlGQUI5QT09

Meeting ID: 999 6023 0245

Passcode: UWBadger

Thursday Drop-in Advising: 9:00am – 11:00am (CDT)

Click this link to join: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/93141957202?pwd=cHIwSWd2R1FvdHJlblo0KzNvQUxEUT09

Meeting ID: 931 4195 7202

Passcode: UWBadger

Tips for Participating in Drop-In Advising:

  • Students must log-in using their NetID Zoom account and are able to join by phone or computer. For directions on how to sign-in to your UWMadison Zoom account please see these directions: https://kb.wisc.edu/zoom/105271#signin
  • While in the waiting room, you must complete the Google Advising form before you will be allowed to join a breakout room to meet with an advisor.
    • In the Google form you can use the short answer section to make a note if you wish to speak with a specific advisor. Please be aware that by requesting to speak with a specific advisor your wait time will be longer.
  • If advisors are already talking with other students, you may need to wait. There could also be other students waiting “in line” for advising. We will do our best to keep these sessions short (5-10 minutes). Please help us out with this by scheduling an appointment in Terra Dotta if you have lots of questions or a complicated situation that may need more time.
  • The first hour of drop-in advising is usually the busiest.
  • A good internet connection is important for Zoom to work well. Disabling your video sharing can help some, and is not usually necessary. Keep in mind that you may use UWNet or eduroam while on campus. There are some computer labs and study spaces in the Unions open for students. Please use headphones with a microphone to avoid disturbing others.
  • If you are having trouble connecting to Zoom, you may always quit the application and rejoin. Our team tracks technical issues and will try to make sure you do not lose your place in line.
  • While Zoom allows for videoconferencing, you are not required to use a camera to show video of yourself. You do need the following attached to your computer or mobile device:
    • A microphone
    • Speakers
    • Your Zoom name matches your legal or preferred name in Terra Dotta
  • Drop-in advising is not meant to be a time for you to check on the status of a request you submitted in Terra Dotta. If you do have a question about one of your requests please send an information request.

Our phone line is monitored by our student peer advising staff. No immigration advising is provided. Our peer advisors can provide you with the resources to find what you are looking for and answer questions about how to navigate your Terra Dotta portal.

We strive to provide phone service Monday – Friday from 8:30am-4:00pm CT.

 

You can contact your advisor through Terra Dotta information requests. Information requests are a replacement to email so that all communication and immigration information is in one place.

Advisors and student peer advisors monitor Information Requests every weekday and typically respond in 3-5 business days. Complex cases require additional time to research before a response is sent. We work as a team to answer your information requests, even if your assigned advisor is out of the office.

We request that you not send a message to check the status of your request. Once you submit a request in Terra Dotta, you can check the status yourself. Sending messages to check in will cause delays.

  • It should say “Submitted – Under Review by Assigned Advisor” if an advisor is still working on it.
  • It will say “Request Approved” or SEVIS-Processed” if the request is completed.

Any request or application you submit to ISS may take up to 15 business days to process. ISS business days are Monday-Friday, except for holidays. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate requests to expedite your application. Your request will be processed in the order that it is received and assigned to an available advisor.

Applications must be complete for ISS to review and process requests. If you submit an incomplete application to ISS, we will be unable to process your application. In this case, we will return your application to you to edit and you will be asked to resubmit a completed application. Your application will take up to 15 business days to process after it has been resubmitted to ISS and assigned to an available advisor.

At this time, we are not able to provide status updates on your request. Continue to monitor your Wiscmail account (or personal email if you are on post-completion OPT or Academic Training) for status updates.

Social Security Number (SSN), Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), and I-20/DS-2019 travel signature requests may take up to 10 ISS business days. We will email you when the document is ready.

Students should send a Terra Dotta Information Request to their assigned ISS advisor instead of sending an email! Do not send your email or Information Request to multiple ISS advisors, please! This takes a lot of staff time away from advising and I-20/DS-2019 requests.

We strive to answer your email inquiries in 3-5 business days. We are receiving a very high volume of emails and responses may be delayed.

Before you email, please check our website for your answers. You can find answers to your common questions for New Students and Current Students, including Employment Authorization. The search bar is great way to start your search. All COVID-19 related updates will be made on the COVID-19 Updates page.

Include in your email to iss@studentlife.wisc.edu:

  • full legal name
  • NetID
  • Student ID number
  • A detailed question about your immigration status and information about your situation

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