Our Mission
The Office of International Affairs is dedicated to enhancing a vibrant international community and to fostering cross-cultural experience. We welcome, support and strengthen diversity through advocacy and holistic service. Enriching connections is our goal.
News
Celebrate Spring Festival with Food, Music, and Dance
Considered the most prominent event of the year among Chinese communities, the university’s 2015 Spring Festival celebration will be hosted by the Chinese Student and Scholar Association on February 22 in Mandel Hall. Presented in conjunction with eight local universities (Northwestern, IIT, UIC, Loyola, DePaul, SAIC, Columbia College, and Roosevelt), and sponsored by Asian Cultural Center, this year’s Spring Festival is not to be missed.
Glacier Tax Prep Software Available for Nonresidents
Tax Filing: Glacier Tax Prep Software for Nonresidents Available.
First-time filers should attend a Tax Workshop before accessing the software.
OIA Closed on Mon, Jan 19: Join the MLK Celebration!
In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration day, OIA will be closed on Mon, Jan 19. We will reopen for regular business hours on Tue, Jan 20. If you have an immigration emergency while the office is closed, you can contact the Dean on Call at (773) 834-HELP (4357) or 4-HELP from a campus phone.
Join in the Celebration:
25th annual MLK Commemoration Celebration Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 6 PM • Rockefeller Memorial Chapel “What does justice look like?”
Holiday Greetings
This is a time when many faith traditions around the world celebrate high holidays and participate in religious observance, contemplate the good the year has brought, seek atonement, and spend special moments with and remembering loved ones. It is a time when we give thanks and remember “the better angels of our nature.”
OIA Winter Break Office Closures 2014
The Office of International Affairs will closed on specific dates during Winter break. Outside of the dates listed, OIA will be open for regular business hours. You can find all holiday closures on the OIA calendar.
OIA Holiday Closures:
OIA will be closed during the following dates and times. Please make arrangements around these closures for any OIA business:
- Wed, Dec 17: Half-day (OIA closes at 1 PM)
- Wed, Dec 24: Half-Day (OIA closes at Noon)
- Thu, Dec 25: All Day
Chicago Winter Guide 2014
If you are staying in Chicago over winter, make sure to get out and enjoy some of the many special events our city has to offer:
Change to U.S./China Visas
The United States and the People’s Republic of China have recently increased the validity of short-term business/tourist visas and student and exchange visas issued to each other’s citizens.
Thinking of Winter
Winter does not officially begin until December 21, but snowflakes were dancing in the air this morning and this has been the week when we have seen winter coats and hats appear on campus.
'Let's Talk' Autumn Quarter Hours
The Student Counseling Service has set up Let's Talk hours and locations for Autumn Quarter. Hours and locations are as follows:
TUESDAY 4 PM–6 PM 5710 Woodlawn, Room 301
WEDNESDAY NOON–1:30 PM Harris School, 1155 E. 60th St., Room 153C
FRIDAY 3 PM–4:15 PM Biological Sciences Learning Center (BSLC), 924 E. 57th St., Room 313
Scam Targeting International Students and Scholars
OIA has just become aware that a member of our international community was defrauded of a substantial sum of money through a scam targeting international students and scholars in the US. The scam consists of someone claiming to be an immigration official contacting the international student or scholar, stating that something is wrong with the person’s immigration record/status and that the only way to avoid imminent arrest and/or deportation is to pay certain fees. A very short time-line for such a payment is given and the person making the demand for payment may have certain personal fac
OIA Opens at 12:30 PM on Wed, August 6
Due to the annual I-House fire alarm testing process, OIA will be closed from 9 AM to 12:30 PM on Wednesday, August 6. We will reopen for regular business hours at 12:30 PM. Advisers will still be available through email during the morning.
OIA Opens at 12:30 PM | Wed, Aug 6: 12:30 PM
Student Employment Opportunities: Work at OIA!
OIA is now accepting applications for several open Graduate Student Assistant positions. Graduate Student Assistants will assist with events and programming, as well as help with other office functions. See the job posting for more information requirements (log-in required).
Requisition ID: 455745 | Student Employment Website
OIA Closing on Thu, July 3 - Fri, July 4
In honor of Independence Day, OIA will be closed all day on Thursday, July 3 and Friday, July 4. We will reopen for regular business hours on Monday, July 7. If you have an immigration emergency while the office is closed, you can contact the Dean on Call through the UChicago campus police: (773) 834-HELP (4357) or 4-HELP from a campus phone.
International Policy Committee Seeks New Members
The Institute of Politics (IOP) is currently seeking applications to the International Policy Committee, the executive body of the International Policy Program.
OIA Closing at 10 AM on Fri, June 20
TOMORROW: OIA Closing Early Fri, June 20: 10 AM Due to our divisional picnic, OIA will close at 10 AM on Friday, June 20. We will be open for drop off/pick up only from 9 AM to 10 AM. If you need service from OIA, please make arrangements accordingly.
OIA Summer Tips
Dear all,
OIA is open all summer in case you need our services. Do not forget to come get your travel signatures if you are leaving the US during the summer. The office is open daily 9-4 PM.
We are having a White Sox baseball outing on 18th July and summer carnival in early August so come have fun with us! We look forward to seeing you!
IMPACT Recruiting Mentors Now
Calling all current PhD students in BSD, PSD, SSD, & Humanities!
Did you have a hard time getting around, finding a grocery store, or navigating the CTA when you came to Chicago? Do you wish you had someone you could ask about where to get coffee or how to use the library printing system? Now you can help incoming international students answer these questions and adjust to life at UChicago!
The application deadline is May 7. More information on the program can be found here.
Today's (4/29/14) Tax Withholding Workshop Cancelled
Due to a scheduling conflict with the presenter, today's Tax Withholding Workshop has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date. You will receive communication with an updated date and time for this workshop once it has been rescheduled.
In the meantime, you can get information about tax withholding on our new employee website.
1-Minute Survey: Green Card after Marrying a U.S. Citizen
Dear International Student or Scholar,
OIA occasionally gets requests for information regarding green cards based on marriage to a U.S. citizen and we are exploring whether we should develop better resources on this topic. So we are asking you to take a 1-Minute Survey (2 questions and 1 comment box) to help us make this determination. Please respond to the survey even if you are not interested in such resources; one of the possible answers lets you indicate this. Thank you for your time and for supporting our work!
New Ways to Submit Feedback to OIA
The Office of International Affairs now has two additional methods of communication available for international students, scholars, employees, spouses, and others. Visitors to the OIA webpage can now submit an anonymous comment, suggestion, or issue through OIA’s Online Comment Box. Your personal information will not be collected when you
New service available to transfer funds internationally
Dear International Student,
We are very pleased to announce a new service available to those of you who need to transfer funds from abroad to the University of Chicago to pay for tuition and fees. While you have always been able to do so via wire transfers, you have told us that those can be expensive, slow, and unreliable. The University has now partnered with peerTransfer to provide a system that has several advantages:
peerTransfer allows you to:
USCIS Stakeholder Message: Recent Telephone Scams
USCIS sends the following message:
Dear Stakeholder,
Message from OIA Director Tamara Felden regarding U.S v. Windsor and the end of DOMA
Dear Members of our International Community,
Scam Alert: Individuals Misrepresenting Themselves as DHS Employees Calling Indian Nationals
ACIP Reports:
ACIP has received recent reports of Indian nationals in the U.S. receiving phone calls from people falsely representing themselves as DHS employees asking the foreign nationals to pay a penalty via money transfer to resolve discrepancies in their immigration cases. The people making the phone calls have had access to personal information such as passport numbers and foreign addresses and have threatened adverse actions such as deportation.
Fragomen: Foreign Students and Exchange Visitors Face Closer Scrutiny, Delays at U.S. Ports of Entry
Law firm Fragomen reports:
Foreign Students and Exchange Visitors Face Closer Scrutiny, Delays at U.S. Ports of Entry
May 9, 2013
F-1 and M-1 foreign students and J-1 exchange visitors are facing additional questioning and entry delays at U.S. ports, after a change in Customs and Border Protection procedures following the April 15 bombings in Boston.