News & Events

OISS is Seeking Volunteers for the VITA program

Are you looking for a volunteer experience that counts? Join the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for non-residents and get hands on experience in non-resident tax return preparation. This is a unique opportunity to learn valuable skills while assisting members of the UI international community with tax preparation. No actual past experience in tax preparation or academic background in taxes or accounting is required to participate. We will provide training and materials to help certify you as a VITA volunteer. Two mandatory training sessions will be held in January and/or February. Tax workshops will be held from the end of February through mid-April. You can sign up for different time slots to fit into your schedule! Volunteers will be recognized for outstanding community service by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Interested students should complete the VITA volunteer form. For more information, please send an e-mail to ip-vita@uiowa.edu.

Be an OISS Volunteer!

The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) is looking for volunteers to help with various programming throughout the year! Volunteer opportunities include, but aren't limited to: International Student Orientation, The International Classroom Journey, Life in Iowa, Tax Assistance Workshops, and Cultural Workshops. There's something for everyone with OISS! Application forms and more information about volunteer opportunities are available at the OISS front desk - 1111 University Capitol Centre.

Notice: I-901 SEVIS Fee Problems

Notice to new students for Spring, Summer, or Fall 2009 who have not yet paid the I-901 SEVIS fee:
Apparently the SEVIS fee website is not functioning properly. Potential F, M or J nonimmigrants, who must pay the I-901 SEVIS fee, may experience problems verifying their payment was successfully updated. If the confirmation page does not appear within 2 minutes, please do not resubmit the payment. Please send an email to fmjfee.sevis@dhs.gov to get confirmation via email. In the email, be sure to include your full name as it appears on your form I-20 or DS-2019, as well as your SEVIS identification number (the number that appears in the upper right corner of the I-20/DS-2019 and begins with the letter 'N'). Only make 1 payment to avoid overpaying; it is not clear if students who mistakenly pay twice will be able to receive a refund. SEVP is diligently working to resolve the problem. If you are able to print the receipt to verify your SEVIS fee payment, then you do not need to follow the process listed above.