Workshops

It is mandatory for all F-1 and J-1 international students to attend an orientation to go over the important things they need to know in order to maintain their visa status. If you missed the main International Student Orientation at the start of the semester, you must attend a make-up session.

If you are a F-1 student, please attend a make-up immigration orientation session. You can sign up at Narwhal Nation. 

If you are a J-1 student, please make an appointment with an ISSS advisor on Starfish for a make-up immigration orientation.

Also, please remember to complete the mandatory online check-in on iGlobal.

Presented by both ISSS and Career Services, these workshops are for students who wish to engage in employment during their time at The New School. At the workshops, staff members go over different options for employment, including on-campus work at The New School and off-campus employment, such as internships, volunteer work, paid jobs, and other work related to students' academic program of study. The staff members also review the different types of off-campus employment authorization provided for international students, the processes involved in obtaining employment authorization, and the time frames within which to apply.

Sign up on Narwhal Nation.

Optional practical training (OPT) is an employment authorization benefit of F-1 status. All F-1 students who wish to apply for OPT are required to attend an OPT workshop.

Workshops cover the following information:

• Eligibility for OPT
• How to apply for OPT
• Types of OPT employment
• OPT regulations

At the end of each workshop, there will be a Q&A session for students who have concerns about applying. The goal of this mandatory workshop is to help students feel comfortable and confident when applying for OPT.

We cannot provide individual appointments to discuss OPT because of the amount of information that is presented. Therefore, we offer OPT workshops on different days and at different times throughout the semester to ensure that all students will be able to attend.

F-1 students, if eligible, can apply for post-completion OPT starting 90 days before their academic program end date. Students who plan to apply for OPT following graduation are strongly encouraged to attend a workshop in their final semester to ensure that they are able to apply for OPT in a timely manner.

STEM optional practical training (STEM OPT Extension) is a benefit of F-1 status for students who have completed a degree program (bachelor's, master's, or PhD) in a STEM-eligible program of study and have been approved for OPT.

STEM optional practical training workshops are intended only for students who are currently engaged in post-completion OPT, have completed a STEM-eligible program of study, and seek to apply for the 24-month STEM OPT Extension. Although similar to post-completion OPT, the STEM OPT Extension has several significant differences students need to learn about and understand before applying. The workshop will cover these differences along with the following information:

• Eligibility for STEM OPT
• How to apply for STEM OPT
• Employer requirements for STEM OPT
• STEM OPT regulations

At the end of each workshop, there will be a Q&A session for students who have concerns about applying. Students on post-completion OPT who are not able to attend the workshop because of time or location constraints should email ISSS for more information on how to apply.

F-1 students, if eligible, can apply for STEM OPT Extension starting 90 days before their post-completion OPT end date (the end date given on the OPT EAD Card). Students who plan to apply for STEM OPT Extension are strongly encouraged to attend a workshop about four to six months before the post-completion OPT end date to ensure that they are able to apply for the STEM OPT Extension in a timely way.

All international students and scholars have tax reporting requirements. ISSS and Career Services host tax information workshops led by tax professionals every winter and early spring, before the April tax-filing deadline.

These sessions provide information about topics including:

• International Revenue Service (IRS) tax-filing requirements for students and scholars in F and J status
• Documents required for filing taxes
• Tax-filing deadlines
• Resident versus non-resident tax-filing status

These sessions provide student and scholars with direct access to tax professionals who can answer tax-related questions.

Students and scholars who are unable to attend tax workshops in person should review our Tax Resources for additional tax-related resources and information.

Check ISSS News in January, February, and March of each year for the tax workshop schedule and sign-up information.