Office Hours and Walk–In Advising for F and J Visa Holders
ISSS Staff Working Remotely
Until further notice: ISSS staff will be working remotely and will not be able to provide walk-in appointments and document pick up. ISSS advisors and counselors are available to discuss any concerns international students or scholars have.
How you can contact ISSS:
- Phone: To make an appointment to talk to an ISSS staff member over the phone or online, please go to z.umn.edu/isssphone and fill out the phone request form. Our staff will then call you, and, when they do, you can request to change to a Google Hangout or Zoom meeting. Please do not also email ISSS after submitting the form as this will lead to a duplication of efforts and confusion.
- Email: Send an inquiry to isss@umn.edu
- Employment-Based Visas (this does not include CPT/OPT): Departments and staff with questions about Employment-Based Visas should email issshvis@umn.edu, or contact their advisor/case manager directly by email.
Document processing timeline update
For the duration of ISSS remote work, the processing time for PDF-based I-20 requests will be increased to 10 business days. MyISSS-based I-20 requests will continue to be processed within 7 business days. This update applies to F-1 student I-20 requests only.
Definition of a "Business Day"
(click for pdf)
When accepting visa document requests, we often state, “ISSS takes 7 or 10 business days to issue a new document.” What is this?
A business day is a day when ISSS staff are working.
ISSS starts counting business days on the business day after the request is received. Business days are usually Monday through Friday. Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) are not business days, and days ISSS staff are not working are also not business days.
Examples
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ISSS receives your request via MyISSS on a Tuesday (the 1st day of the month). The following Monday is a holiday so ISSS staff will not be working. Your document will be ready on the following Friday (the 11th day of the month). Review the calendar graphic here.
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ISSS receives your PDF-based request on a Wednesday (the 1st day of the month). Your document will be ready 10 business days later on Wednesday (the 15th day of the month).
NOTE: ISSS cannot back-date an authorization (write a date earlier than when it should be authorized).
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