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
Current Students and Scholars
ISSS does not make same-day appointments. If you wish to contact an ISSS staff member:
- F/J Student and Scholar Advising Appointments: To schedule a meeting with an advisor, please visit isss.appointments.umn.edu; this will bring you to a short intake survey to route you to the appropriate advisor. These appointments will automatically set up a zoom link.
- Academic Counseling: Review the Academic Counseling webpage for directions on how to make an appointment.
- Funding Program: Please email isssfund@umn.edu if you have questions or wish assistance with the ISSS Funding Program.
- If you prefer, you can email isss@umn.edu or contact a staff member directly. You do not need to make an appointment if you do not need to meet directly with a staff member.
Prospective/New Students
- New Students: If you have been accepted but not started classes, you can email isssnew@umn.edu when you have questions. If you are not sure who to ask on campus, we will answer or direct you to the correct office.
- Prospective Students: If you have questions about enrolling at the University of Minnesota, go to intlstudy.umn.edu or email intlstudy@umn.edu.
Departments and Staff
- Employment-Based Visas (this does not include CPT/OPT): Departments and UMN staff with questions about Employment-Based Visas should email issshvis@umn.edu or contact their advisor/case manager directly by email.
- Departments with J Exchange Visitors (J-1 Research Scholars, Professors, Short-Term Scholars & J student Interns) questions: Email isssjast@umn.edu or contact the staff member directly.
Other Updates
- I-20 Processing Timeline: For the duration of ISSS remote work, the processing time for all I-20 requests is 10 business days.
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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