Virtual Engagement

The following virtual engagement recordings include sessions centered on student and faculty/staff support. Student centered engagement includes immigration-focused webinars, virtual intercultural learning discussions, and social gatherings (for example the Spring 2020 Graduation Celebration). Faculty/Staff trainings include instructional webinars about Terra Dotta and updates about ISS remote services.

If you have an idea for a virtual engagement session or training that ISS can provide let us know by emailing iss@studentlife.wisc.edu.

Premiers on December 12, 2020 at 9:00 am CDT

Host: Mina House

Guest speakers:

Samantha McCabe, Interim Director of ISS

Dr. Lori Reesor, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs

Alia Suhailah Hayani Azmi, Student Speaker. BBA in Finance, Investment, and Banking

Morgan Keller, Assistant Director at ISS

and more!

Watch International Student Services celebrate graduating Global Badgers during this virtual celebration!

Tips for Online Enrollment

Originally presented on April 10, 2020

Presenters: Sharece Bunn and Caity Dawson

ISS staff members who have experience studying online themselves provide tips about how to set-up a focused learning space in your residence and being academic successful in online classes. Caity provides recommendations about online etiquette in online discussions, and Sharece wraps up the video with a walk-through of where to find online learning resources on the UW-Madison website.

ISS Virtual Graduation Celebration Spring 2020

Originally presented on May 9, 2020

Host: Dong Chen

Guest speakers: Qiuxuan (Eileen) Wu, Michelle Thomas, Sharece Bunn with recordings by Chancellor Blank, VCSA Reesor, and more.

Watch International Student Services celebrate graduating seniors during this upbeat and festive assembly.

Debunking Myths of ISS and International Students at UW-Madison

Originally recorded on May 1, 2020

Presenters: Sharece Bunn & Caitlin Dawson

In this session campus partners can learn more about who makes the rules for international students, how ISS advocates for students, and how to partner with ISS to make a better experience for international students. ISS staff also reviews different challenges which impact international students on their journey as global Badgers.

What's Next? Options After Your Student Visa Status

Originally presented on Wednesday April 29th

Presenters: Ian Wagreich and Bill Schiller

This virtual session hosted by immigration attorneys Ian Wagreich and Bill Schiller of the Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym law firm and ISS staff was intended to help international students review immigration options when their F-1/J-1 student visa status ends.

Additional information about three employment-based immigration categories can be found in this article written by Ian Wagreich and Bill Schiller The First Three Preferences.

NOTE: This webinar was recorded before the presidential proclamation about H1-Bs was announced.

Terra Dotta Review for UW-Madison Admissions Staff

Originally presented on April 23, 2020

Presenters: Cameron Millard, Sabrine Ali, Erik Salminen, and Samantha McCabe

What: ISS staff members facilitate a review of

Required SIS data elements for TerraDotta data flow and tips to prevent/troubleshoot login errors
The student view and process to request an I-20 or DS-2019
The administrative view when a request is submitted
Pre-submitted questions and live chat questions about Terra Dotta and the process for incoming international students.

Completing Program Options

Originally presented on April 8, 2020

Presenters: Erik Salminen, Caity Dawson

For students graduating Spring or Summer 2020. Including options after your program has completed, grace period, and how to navigate submitting requests through Terra Dotta. For more details about program completion options please refer to the Program Completion Checklist.

The following questions were unable to be answered during the call. The question is in bold followed by the answer.

What is the address I should be filing the I-765 application for post-completion OPT? For example, if the mailing address is in Texas (where I would like the EAD to be sent) but the physical address is in Wisconsin (where I live) on the I-765.

The information and link to USCIS mailing addresses can be found on the ISS OPT website.

I won’t graduate this Spring and have to extend my I-20. I expect to receive financial support from my school but the tricky problem is I don’t know what kind of financial support it is now, TA or fellowship. Is this a problem to extend my visa? How can I process it smoothly without interrupting my degree study.

If your department anticipates that you will be funded, they can write a letter that you are expected to be funded at x rate for x period of time, with whatever contingencies the department needs to include.

For OPT if I’m virtually on-boarding remotely from my residence, does that count toward unemployment?

Virtual onboarding is still onboarding. If you are employed, then you can report the virtual onboarding as employment.

COVID-19 Immigration Updates

Originally presented on April 1, 2020

Presenters: Samantha McCabe, Sharece Bunn, Morgan Keller

International Student Staff members discuss recent university updates due to COVID-19 and how to review the ISS website and how students can navigate the website to find answers to frequently asked questions.

NOTE: The UW-Madison and U.S. response to COVID-19 is changing rapidly. For the most recent updates about the University response please see the UW-Madison and ISS COVID-19 web pages.