Disclosure of Information about Foreigners in the University

April 11, 2005 

The Privacy of International Students and Employees 

The University holds a wide range of information about individuals -students and employees alike- that is confidential and protected. Yet this information may be sought by certain government agencies; in the case of international students and employees such agencies may include some within the Department of Homeland Security (CBP, ICE, USCIS) or law enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  The University of Chicago and the Office of International Affairs (OIA) are committed to full compliance with the law and with government regulations, and OIA will release information on individuals in F or J statuses as required by law. However, information that is not required to be released will not be shared with anyone outside the University.  Since the laws and regulations governing what may or must be disclosed in regard to international students or employees are somewhat complex, I ask that -rather than attempting to respond to such inquiries yourself- you immediately refer them to OIA, preferably to me.  For further information on student confidentiality, please visit http://studentmanual.uchicago.edu/sites/studentmanual.uchicago.edu/files..., and for further information on employee confidentiality, I encourage you to visit http://hrservices.uchicago.edu/fpg/policies/600/p601.shtml Should you have any questions or concerns about this, please don’t hesitate to contact us.