Tax Filing Deadline-April 15
The tax filing deadline is this upcoming Tuesday, April 15. General income tax information and the CINTAX: Complete International Tax Preparation Software online password request form are currently available on the Slutzker Center website. (If requesting a password, please be sure that the provided email account mailbox is not full.) 2007 income tax materials including Federal tax forms and State tax forms are also available online; tax forms should be downloaded and will not be provided by the Slutzker Center.
OPT Extension/ Cap-Gap Rule
On April 8, 2008, DHS published the interim final rule that changes several key aspects of F-1 optional practical training (OPT). The rule is effective as of April 8, 2008.
The new rule published in the Federal Register will allow F-1 nonimmigrant students with certain STEM degrees (i.e., Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to extend their OPT by 17 months if they meet the eligibility requirements and also expands cap-gap relief to all F-1 students with pending H-1B petitions.
The Slutzker Center will release additional information in a SCIS News alert and on our website regarding the qualifying CIP codes as it becomes available. In the meantime, please read through all of the materials provided in the links indicated here as this is the only information currently available regarding this change.
More information...
Interim Rule with NAFSA Annotations
USCIS OPT Extension/Cap-Gap Relief FAQ's
OPT Extension /Cap-Gap Seminar
The Slutzker Center will hold a special seminar addressing the OPT Extension / Cap-Gap Rule:
Day: Friday, April 11, 2008
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Watson Theatre
International Festival: A Taste of Different Cultures
Join SUNY Upstate Medical University as they celebrate the cultures and foods of the world.
Day: Friday, April 11, 2008
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: SUNY Upstate Medical University
766 Irving Avenue
Weiskotten Hall, 9th Floor Auditorium & Cafeteria
Tickets for this event are free. Please contact Cyre Quinones at Cmquinon@syr.edu or 917.940.0406 to obtain a ticket.
Sponsored by SUNY Upstate's International Student Association, Office of
Diversity & Affirmative Action and the International Events Planning
Subcommittee
USCIS Reaches FY 2009 H-1B Cap
USCIS announced that it has already received enough H-1B petitions to exhaust both the 65,000 H-1B quota and the 20,000 exemption from the quota for graduates of U.S. universities with a master’s degree or higher. In other words, both the “bachelor’s degree cap” and the “master’s degree cap” have been exhausted.
USCIS will now begin the lottery process, first selecting 20,000 petitions for the “master’s cap.” Any petitions not selected for the “master’s cap” lottery will be considered for the “bachelor’s cap” lottery. Petitions not selected for processing will be returned (with filing fees). More information…
English Conversation News
Anyone (students, scholars, or spouses), interested in improving their informal English language skills during the final weeks of this semester or during the summer months, is invited to apply for the weekly meetings of the English Conversation program.
Please come to the front desk at the Slutzker Center to apply for the program by filling out the blue request form. The form must be received by May 1, 2008.
For more information contact: Riet DeKleermaeker, Coordinator of the English Conversation Program
Leadership Opportunity
The Slutzker Center is looking for motivated student volunteers to serve as peer mentors in the upcoming summer orientation. Mentors will be asked to make themselves available to meet with and answer questions from new students as part of their Summer Orientation on June 27th and to help provide advice and social programming throughout the week that follows to ease the transition of new students into university life and help them to acclimate to the Syracuse area.
Students who are interested in this type of leadership experience are invited to contact James Willson at jwillso@syr.edu with questions, or attend an informational meeting at the SCIS on Tuesday, April 14th at 12:00 p.m. or Thursday April 16th at 2:00 p.m.
International Soiree: Joining Hands Around the World— Joining Together, Connecting One Another
Student-Athletes Across Borders (SAAB) presents the first-ever International Soiree--a night of fun for international student-athletes to share their culture with the SU Community. Please join us…there will be food, games, and entertainment!
Day: Thursday, April 17, 2008
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Manley Field House
Event Flyer
Support the American Heart Association
Several members of the Slutzker Center staff will be participating in the 2008 Syracuse Heart Walk at Long Brach Park on Saturday, April 19. We invite you to join the Slutzker Center in our support of the American Heart Association (AHA) and their mission: "Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke." by stopping by the Slutzker Center for International Services to purchase a red AHA support bracelet ($2) and/or an AHA donation heart ($1). For additional information, please contact Lynn Dunyk.
How to Party!
How to HOST a Great Party:
- Keep it small and know your guests.
- Designate a sober host
- Don’t serve alcohol to guests who are under 21
- Limit alcohol to guests who are over 21
- Use cans or plastic bottles, not glass
- Serve snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.
- Keep noise to a minimum-shut doors and windows and keep guests indoors.
- Be courteous of your neighbors. You might feel like a party, but they may want a quiet night at home.
How to be a great GUEST:
- Don’t go to a party you haven’t been invited to. Even with good intentions, an “open house” party is a high-risk situation.
- If you’re over 21 and choose to drink alcohol, keep your consumption MODERATE. (0 drinks if you’re driving, 1 per hour sets the pace, and no more than 3 drinks per day.)
- If you’re drinking, also eat food.
- Bring a friend and look out for each other.
- Leave your valuables at home. Only carry the money and ID you’ll need that night.
- Don’t get your hosts in trouble! Don’t sneak an underage drink, carry alcohol outdoors, or disturb their neighbors.