ISSS News

Email from the Office of the Registrar- Action Required: Submit Your SSN/TIN for Tax Purposes by Dec. 18

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:28:16 +0000

Email from the Office of the Registrar- Action Required: Submit Your SSN/TIN for Tax Purposes by Dec. 18 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/22/2024 - 10:28

An email went out on Thursday, October 17, 2024 from registrar@mail.colorado.edu entitled: Action Required: Submit Your SSN/TIN for Tax Purposes by Dec. 18.

ISSS has confirmed that this email message is a legitimate email from the Office of the Registrar.

Office of the Registrar Email Confirming Legitimacy of Communication

Example of the Office of the Registrar Email

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Scam alert: Unpaid ��ƷSM��ӰƬ fees phone scam

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 15:28:59 +0000

Scam alert: Unpaid ��ƷSM��ӰƬ fees phone scam Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/18/2024 - 09:28

It has come to the attention of ISSS that there is a ��ƷSM��ӰƬ-related phone scam impacting the international student population. Scammers are calling international students using a number that appears to be a ��ƷSM��ӰƬ phone number. This is called spoofing. Scam callers are telling students that they have an unpaid ��ƷSM��ӰƬ fee, and failure to pay the fee will result in immediate deportation. Scam callers are asking for students' passport and visa information before prompting the student to send money through Zelle.

If you receive such a call, it is a scam! Follow the below guidance if you receive a threatening call or message from someone claiming to be a ��ƷSM��ӰƬ official:

Do not give the person any personal or financial information.

Try to collect contact information from the caller.

End the conversation immediately if threats and intimidation persist.

Contact ISSS and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line.

Consider reporting the scam by following the instructions outlined on the ISSS Protect Yourself from Scams webpage.

For more information on protecting yourself from scams, review the ISSS Protect Yourself from Scams webpage.

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ISSS website upgrade: Impacts anticipated

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:42:26 +0000

ISSS website upgrade: Impacts anticipated Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/17/2024 - 08:42

The ISSS website will be upgraded to a newer version at the end of October/beginning of November. This will result in issues accessing ISSS webpages and files hosted on our website.

ISSS will have to manually re-link all files currently hosted on our website. It will take a considerable amount of time for us to identify files, re-link them, and determine all the places we referenced the files (e.g., handouts, webpages, forms, email templates etc.).

If you are unable to access an ISSS webpage or file, email ISSS@colorado.edu with “Website Issue” in the subject line.

Include information about 1) the name of the webpage or file you were trying to access and 2) how you were trying to access it (e.g., through a link in an email; from a webpage, from a specific handout). Provide relevant details as applicable.
- ISSS will work to resolve the issue with the webpage/file and provide you access to it.

ISSS appreciates your patience and help as we work on the updates associated with this upgrade.

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ISSS fall advising hours begin August 12

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 14:15:06 +0000

ISSS fall advising hours begin August 12 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/01/2024 - 08:15

ISSS fall advising hours begin August 12, 2024. All advising times listed below are in the Mountain Time Zone. Any future changes to advising hours will be announced on our website.

ISSS will be closed for all university holidays.

General Advising Hours

In-Person Advising at ISSS (C4C, S355)

Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 12:30 to 3 p.m.
- No in-person walk-in advising hours on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Scheduled Remote Advising Appointments

Monday: 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1 to 3:30 p.m. & 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m & 2:30 to 5 p.m.
Thursday: 7 to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., & 2 to 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m

Student Advising: Schedule Remote Advising Appointment

Select Remote General ISSS Advising Appointment; appointments are only available six days in advance.

Scholar Advising: Search for ISSS Advisor By Department, Research Institute, or CU Campus

Contact your assigned ISSS advisor directly to schedule an advising appointment.

Third-Party Sponsored Student Advising Hours

(for students sponsored by Aramco Services, the Kuwait Cultural Office, Embassy of Oman, SABIC, SACM, SCO, or Fulbright)

In-Person Advising at ISSS (C4C, S355)

Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 12:30 to 3 p.m.
- No in-person sponsored student walk-in advising hours on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
- No in-person sponsored student walk-in advising on Monday, August 19, 2024.

Scheduled Remote Advising Appointments

Tuesday: 9 to 11 a.m.
Thursday: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Student Advising: Schedule Remote Advising Appointment

Select Remote Sponsored Student Advising Appointment; appointments are only available six days in advance.

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Scam alert: Employer job scam

Anonymous — Tue, 07 May 2024 13:06:08 +0000

Scam alert: Employer job scam Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/07/2024 - 07:06

A graduating international student reported the following fake job offer scam--

The student was approached and interviewed by a person who represented himself from the company's recruiting team. After the interview, the student was offered a job and sent an appointment letter to sign. After a discussion with the Hiring Manager, the student signed the offer letter and was asked to provide their passport. They were also sent a digital check and asked to deposit the money in their bank account to purchase work equipment.

How To Avoid a Job Scam

Before you accept a job offer, take these steps to avoid common job scams:

Search online. Look up the name of the company or the person who’s hiring you, plus the words “scam,” “review,” or “complaint.” See if others say they’ve been scammed by that company or person. No complaints? It doesn’t guarantee that a company is honest, but complaints can tip you off to possible problems.
Talk to someone you trust. Describe the offer to them. What do they think? This also helps give you vital time to think about the offer.
Don't pay for the promise of a job. Honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job. Anyone who does is a scammer.
Never bank on a “cleared” check. No honest potential employer will ever send you a check to deposit and then tell you to send on part of the money, or buy gift cards with it. That’s a fake check scam. The check will bounce, and the bank will want you to repay the amount of the fake check.

What To Do if You Paid a Scammer

No matter how you paid — debit or credit card, mobile payment app or wire transfer, gift card, cash reload card, or cryptocurrency — immediately contact the company you used to send the money, report the fraud, and ask to have the transaction reversed, if possible. For specific advice on how to reverse different types of payments, read What To Do If You Were Scammed.

Additional Resources

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Nonresident international employees and students have access to free tax preparation software

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 15:39:41 +0000

Nonresident international employees and students have access to free tax preparation software Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/30/2024 - 08:39

As the new year begins, CU faculty, staff and students will begin receiving critical documents needed to file their annual income tax returns. For certain international employees and students, this means receiving Forms W-2 and/or 1042-S from CU over the month of January.

Form W-2 is issued to any employee who receives taxable wages from CU.

Form 1042-S is issued to resident and nonresident alien employees to report tax treaty exempt wages. Nonresident alien scholarship and stipend recipients with taxable or tax treaty exempt income of this type will also receive form 1042-S. Employees and students with more than one type of 1042-S reportable income should expect to receive more than one 1042-S.

Recipients should use these form(s) when preparing their personal income tax return forms this year. If you haven’t received one or both of these forms, visit the Get Your Tax Forms page to find instructions on how to access each form.

It’s also important to remember that even if they did not earn U.S. income, nonresident F and J students and scholars are required to file IRS Form 8843.

This year, CU is again partnering with Sprintax to support nonresident alien employees and students in their personal tax filing obligation. The International Tax Office will offer a discount code to access Sprintax Returns online tax preparation tool free of charge.

The discount code will enable nonresident alien employees and students in F or J status to file their 2023 federal tax return and other required forms. Sprintax can also help with state tax filing. However, if you elect to file a state tax return using Sprintax, you’ll need to pay an additional fee.

This software is a user-friendly and reliable resource to help international employees:

Determine resident or nonresident U.S. tax residency status and filing requirements.
Prepare necessary tax return documents including forms 1040-NR and 8843 which can then be printed, signed and mailed for filing. (Some users may be able to file electronically, instead.)
Ensure all applicable tax treaties are applied.
Find assistance and information with an available FAQ, blog, YouTube channel and email access to Sprintax tax professionals.

To take advantage of this resource, watch for emails from the International Tax Office in February and March. This email will contain your discount code for Sprintax.

Visit the International Tax website anytime throughout the year to learn more about your filing obligations including two video courses to help familiarize you with the U.S. tax system and its many forms.

Finally, Sprintax will host regular tax webinars throughout the spring where you can learn more about your U.S. tax filing obligations and how Sprintax can help you meet them.

Sprintax Open Webinar dates, times and registration links:

Thursday, Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. MT – Register here
Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. MT – Register here
Tuesday, March 5 at 2 p.m. MT – Register here
Thursday, March 20 at noon MT – Register here
Wednesday, March 27 at 11 a.m. MT – Register here
Thursday, April 4 at 1 p.m. MT – Register here
Wednesday, April 10 at 10 a.m. MT – Register here
Monday, April 15 at 11 a.m. MT – Register here

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Free undergraduate academic culture and English language tutoring

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 20:19:24 +0000

Free undergraduate academic culture and English language tutoring Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/19/2024 - 13:19

Is it challenging for you to speak up in class or finish writing your papers? Do you feel nervous about talking to your professors during office hours? Are you not sure what is appropriate to say around your classmates? If you’re an undergraduate who speaks English as an additional language, you can now receive free tutoring on campus or online. Tutors can work with you on anything from writing and grammar to pronunciation, presentation skills, or navigating U.S. university classroom, to help you reach your academic goals.

For additional information, visit the International English Center’s website.

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ISSS advising services

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:39:25 +0000

ISSS advising services Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 12/13/2023 - 11:39

ISSS provides scheduled, remote advising appointments and in-person, walk-in advising.

ISSS Advising Hours

All advising times are in the Mountain Time Zone.
ISSS is closed for all university holidays.

In the event of a non-holiday closure or temporary change in advising hours, information will be posted on the ISSS homepage.

Remote advising

Remote advising appointments can be scheduled in Bookings up to 6 days in advance.

Student appointments

Student Advising: Schedule Remote Advising Appointment

Click on the appointment type (e.g., General, Sponsored Student) to see available appointment dates and times.
- Third-party sponsored students select "Sponsored Student Remote ISSS Advising"

Canceling an appointment

If you are unable to attend your remote advising appointment, cancel your appointment in advance so another student can schedule an appointment at that time.

If you cancel and rebook your appointment, use the Join Meeting link in the email for the new (uncanceled) appointment.
- An advisor will not join you in the meeting room for the canceled appointment.

Scholar and Host Department Appointments

Contact the ISSS advisor assigned to your department to schedule an appointment.

Scholar Advising: Search for ISSS Advisor By Department, Research Institute, or CU Campus

In-person advising

To facilitate your check-in at the office, come prepared with your university ID number (student ID, employee ID, or Temp ID). You will enter this number in the Front Desk Check-In form on the ISSS laptop in the office lobby.

Instructions for Accessing Your University ID

While the check-in form allows you to enter your university email address instead of your university ID number, entering your university ID number ensures that ISSS accesses the correct client record. Entering an email address is less accurate. If you choose to enter a university email address instead of your university ID, this should be your first.last@colorado.edu email address (not IdentiKey@colorado.edu).

Instructions for Accessing Your First.Last@Colorado.EDU Email Address

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Protect Yourself from Scams - Fall 2023 Edition

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 20:59:00 +0000

Protect Yourself from Scams - Fall 2023 Edition Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/23/2023 - 14:59

Several students have reported receiving emails regarding on-campus employment that are scams. To determine if an offer is a scam, look out for typos or errors in the messaging or an offer that is ‘too good to be true’. If you are looking for on campus employment, on-campus positions are listed on the Student Employment Office webpage. Please review the Student Employment website on Job Scams, this ISSS article on a recent scam targeting international students and the FBI’s Liaison Information Report on a recent scam targeting Chinese Nationals studying in the U.S.

If you receive a threatening call or message from someone claiming to be a U.S., state, or local government or law enforcement official, do not provide any personal or financial information and end the conversation immediately. You should then contact ISSS for additional support. The scammers will likely threaten you to not hang up the phone, but this is a tactic to try to intimidate you and keep you on the phone. The scammers may know information about you, which can make it seem like they are from the government. However, government agents and immigration officials will never call and ask for personal identifiable information over the phone. They will also never make threats of arrest or deportation over the phone and will never tell you that you cannot contact the ISSS office for help.

Please be aware of these common scam techniques to help protect yourself from a scam:

Requests for payment by gift cards: No reputable business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them. Only scammers will tell you to buy a gift card.
Phishing: Scammers use phishing by sending an email or text that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company or from an online payment website or app. While real companies might communicate with you by email, legitimate companies won’t email or text with a link to update your payment information.
Spoofing: Some scammers will manipulate caller ID technology so that it appears they are calling from a legitimate office or agency (e.g., FBI, IRS, USCIS, DHS, ICE, police). This is called spoofing.
Intimidation: Scammers will try to scare and threaten you. They may threaten legal action such as arrest or deportation.
Creating a crisis or a sense of urgency: Scammers are experts at convincing their target that this is an urgent and important situation. They try to convince you that they are in trouble, that they must act now to avoid arrest, deportation, or a higher fine. They say that you need to send payment or a deposit immediately for something important like an apartment, car, or laptop.
Request for personal information: Be very suspicious when someone calls or e-mails you and asks for any personal or financial information such as your address, passport number, social security number, bank or credit account information, passwords, etc.

If you experience a scam, ISSS encourages you to report the scam to the local police in addition to any of the following offices:

Federal Trade Commission
Colorado Attorney General’s Office
Reporting Immigration Scams Outside of Colorado
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tip Line (if applicable)
Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line (if applicable)

If you released any information to a scam caller, please contact the following on-campus offices to seek additional support or assistance:

Please carefully review the ISSS website on scams to learn how to protect yourself. You may also read about other common scams on this USCIS website.

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ISSS emergency financial grant for 2023-2024 academic year: Open until April 16, 2024

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 21:49:55 +0000

ISSS emergency financial grant for 2023-2024 academic year: Open until April 16, 2024 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 09/18/2023 - 15:49

Every fall and spring semester, ISSS awards limited emergency grant funds for qualifying continuing undergraduate and graduate students in F-1 and J-1 student status with unexpected financial emergencies. Grant amounts vary according to available funds and demonstrated need. With a limited amount of funds, not all applicants will receive a grant. Additional funding cannot be awarded for ongoing financial situations that have previously received ISSS Emergency Grant funding. The grant is not a scholarship to cover tuition.

Once a completed application is received, the review of the application and a final decision takes approximately 2 to 4 weeks.

Grant Eligibility Requirements & Application

The application is available on the ISSS Financial Support Opportunities webpage.

Additional resources:

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ISSS News

Email from the Office of the Registrar- Action Required: Submit Your SSN/TIN for Tax Purposes by Dec. 18

Example of the Office of the Registrar Email

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Scam alert: Unpaid ��ƷSM����ӰƬ fees phone scam

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ISSS website upgrade: Impacts anticipated

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ISSS fall advising hours begin August 12

General Advising Hours

In-Person Advising at ISSS (C4C, S355)

Scheduled Remote Advising Appointments

Third-Party Sponsored Student Advising Hours

In-Person Advising at ISSS (C4C, S355)

Scheduled Remote Advising Appointments

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Scam alert: Employer job scam

How To Avoid a Job Scam

What To Do if You Paid a Scammer

Additional Resources

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Nonresident international employees and students have access to free tax preparation software

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Free undergraduate academic culture and English language tutoring

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ISSS advising services

Remote advising

Student appointments

Canceling an appointment

Scholar and Host Department Appointments

In-person advising

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Protect Yourself from Scams - Fall 2023 Edition

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ISSS emergency financial grant for 2023-2024 academic year: Open until April 16, 2024

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Scam alert: Unpaid ��ƷSM��ӰƬ fees phone scam