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International Center Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm
Drop-In Hours are Monday through Thursday, 2 pm to 4 pm and Friday 11am to noon
Appointments can be scheduled through Handshake. The URL for Handshake is:
https://clarkson.joinhandshake.com/edu
Search for Global Opportunities in CU Global at this link:
https://clarkson-horizons.symplicity.com/https://clarkson-horizons.symplicity.com/
Notes from the Department of State
- The US remains the top global destination for International Students! More than 948,000 students studied in the US in 21-22
- The student visa appointment remains a top priority for the Department of State.
- In 2023, 609,000 student visas were issued.
- Mission India broke the record again for the number of student visas issued in 2023 – 140,500.
- In 2023, the Department of State issued more than 40,000 student visas to African students – the most in the past decade!
Study Abroad
Study Abroad Applications for Semester Programs OPEN on October 14 for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025! Applications are due January 28, 2024. Students may have questions about classes they need to take and the best time for them to go abroad.
Has a student asked you to complete a recommendation for their study abroad application? You’ll receive an email with a link to complete the recommendation form. If you wish, you can add a formal letter, but it is not necessary. You will evaluate key components of the applicant and then write a brief paragraph about why they will be a good candidate for study abroad. Thanks for helping students with their journey abroad!
International Visitors: The Process
The International Center assists departments and faculty sponsors with hiring or hosting international faculty, staff and scholars under the J Exchange Visitor Program. This includes:
- assistance with immigration document preparation
- arrival guide for J Scholars
- general scholar advising to those on J visa status
Clarkson can issue documents under the following categories:
- J Professor / Research Scholar: Individual whose primary duties are teaching or research. These categories commingle. Length of stay is 3-weeks to 5-years
- J1 Short-Term Scholar: A professor, research scholar or person with similar education or accomplishments coming to the US on a short-term visit for the purpose of lecturing, observing, training or demonstrating special skills. Length of stay is up to 6-months.
- J Student Intern: Student pursuing a degree outside the US where the internship is fulfilling the education objective for his/her degree at home institution. Special conditions do apply. Length of stay is 3-weeks to 1-year.
Please visit the International Center intranet to view the ‘Steps to host a J-1 Scholar’.
Important Note: Please allow at least 2 – 3 months processing prior to the start of the J program. This allows enough time for International Center staff to review and process the visa paperwork, visa processing – and – travel to Clarkson University. Please email internationalcenter@clarkson.edu with any questions or requests.
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We asked students how their international learning experience has impacted their life…
Image of the students’ quotes. They submitted these and they are displayed outside the International Center. Please stop by if you would like to read their responses.
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Visa Application Updates
As the spring recruiting season continues in full force please be mindful that students from certain countries may encounter delays in visa processing.
The turnaround time is shorter prior to the start of the spring term, encourage students to submit their documents in a timely manner.
The soft deadline for visa document processing is November 20. After that dates we will review each situation on a case by case basis.
Please encourage students to be patient and visit the US Consulate website daily to see if appointments have become available.
It is important to understand that when students apply for their student visas, they are required to answer three basic questions:
- What is the reason for your travel to the United States?
- How do you plan to pay for your educational expenses?
- Prove strong ties to your home country
Challenges once these questions have been answered:
- Global/political challenges – Some countries are currently going through some political turmoil which impacts the US Consulates availability to provide regular visa services. In some instances, that makes the US Consular Officer sensitive to the applicant’s intent to travel to the US.
- Overcoming the US Consular Officers’ perception of immigrant intent. The applicant must prove strong ties to their home country.
- Visa appointment shortages.
- The applicant’s previous visa application history. If a student has been denied more than two times, this may have an impact on their visa application.
The US Department of State continues to make student visa applications a priority.
Special Note: As the number of students from India increases, we are monitoring the number of visa appointments available. The average wait time for an appointment is 42 days.
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Highlights from Bangladeshi Night!
Images from the evening that feature dance and traditional attire.
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Send students our way! Meeting with the International Center
Types of Appointments
- Students and Scholars Appointments which include Completion Plans, Health Insurance Questions, Taxes, J-1 and F-1 Travel questions, and Work Authorizations
- Study Abroad Appointments which include study abroad interest and advising, the application process, advising on the types of programs abroad, questions about visas and applications for those accepted to go abroad.
- Drop In Appointments include things like document pickup, signature on student documents, social security questions, new student check-in and general quick questions.
Appointments can be made on Handshake: https://app.joinhandshake.com/login
We want to hear from you! The International Center’s communication with faculty and staff is key for the success of our programming. In an effort to better communicate with all of our internal audiences, the International Center is in the process of restructuring our intranet site. We would love your input on how best to reach you with our communications and any specific information you typically have trouble locating or would like access to. Email us with your suggestions at internationalcenter@clarkson.edu!
