International Student Blog

The very latest issue of the InternationalStudent.com Newsletter has gone out the door earlier this week - and it was packed full of useful information and advice for international students. This month we feature:

- Summer Stuff
- Student Loans
- From the Mailbag
- USJournal.com
- Fun Site of the Month
- Student News
- Learn English
- NAFSA
- Last Word

You can view the latest version online at:
http://www.internationalstudent.com/newsletter/issue111.html

We hope you enjoy it!

New regulations are being introduced that will allow all students who are issued with visas on, or after the 26th April 2008 to automatically have work authorization. In the past all student visas that were issued to students studying in Australia did not have any form of work authorization, and students needed to separately apply for this - however now all student visas will include work authorization.

The actual working rights will not change for students, so students will still be able to work a maximum of 20 hours per week whilst in school, and unlimited hours during scheduled school breaks. However, the new process will greatly simplify the process for many international students.

The cost of the visa application has also changed, whereas previously the cost of the visa was $430 AUD and $60 AUD for the work authorization, this has now been change to one fee of $450 AUD

For more information about the changes, please see the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website

If you would also like to learn more about Studying in Australia, please see the Australia section of InternationalStudent.com for information about courses, preparing for Australia and much more.

Great news for international students who are studying in the USA on an F1 visa, as the Department of Homeland Security has finally ruled that students can now extend their OPT program for up to 29 months in total. This new ruling allows qualified F1 non-immigrant students to now stay in the USA more than the normal 12 month program.

To be eligible for the new OPT extension, you need to meet the following criteria:
- Currently be participating in a 12-month period of approved post-completion OPT;
- Have successfully completed a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) included in the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List from a college or university certified by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program;
- Be working for a U.S. employer in a job directly related to the student’s major area of study;
- Be working for, or accepted employment with, an employer enrolled in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ E-Verify program. E-Verify is a free, internet-based system operated in partnership with the Social Security Administration that helps employers to determine the employment eligibility of newly-hired employees; and
- Properly maintain F-1 status.

You can see the full press release from the Department of Homeland Security by visiting:
http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1207334008610.shtm

Its been a busy month, so we are sorry for not supplying you with any news and information. We do, however have the latest edition of the International Student News completed and its jammed packed as usual with all the good things you need. This month we have:

- Deadline Approaching
- Language Courses
- From the Mailbag
- ISE Student ID Cards
- Fun Site of the Month
- Student News
- USJournal.com

You can also read all our newsletters online, simply by visiting:
http://www.internationalstudent.com/newsletter/

A little late this month with the blog post, but the latest edition of the International Student News has gone out and should have arrived in your email inbox! If you are signed up to receive the newsletter and are not getting it, please be sure to check your spam or bulk mail filters as sometimes the newsletter can get caught there.

This month the newsletter was packed full with:
- International Student Taxes
- ELS Language Centers
- From the Mailbag
- Internships and Jobs
- Fun Site of the Month
- Student News
- USJournal.com
- Learn German

You can also see the newsletter online at:
http://www.internationalstudent.com/newsletter/issue109.html

As always, if you have any comments or suggestions of things you would like to see in the newsletter just post a comment below.

I have just been checking out our international student Facebook group and was surprised to see that our member numbers have rocketed to over 460 members. If you are not familiar with Facebook, its a great online tool to meet new friends and stay in touch with old friends.

The InternationalStudent.com Group that we have started is a way for students to network with each other, share experiences and generally learn from each other. We also have our international student forum that offers students a sounding board to air their thoughts and opinions.

With both of these options it gives students a great opportunity to meet others, and learn from each other!

Filing and completing your international student taxes is not one of the most glamourous things to talk about, but for nearly all international students this is something you have to do! Nearly all students studying in the USA will need to complete at least one form - and for some of you (if you have worked and received an income) you will need to complete more than one form to file your taxes.

Luckily, InternationalStudent.com is here to help and make your life easier. We now have a great online tax filing system that is easy to understand, will not break your bank balance and you can be complete in under 30 minutes (sometimes in as little as 10 minutes).

So who needs to complete a tax return and what do you need to do?
Form 8843 - Must be filed by ALL international students present in United States to exclude the days of presence from the Substantial Presence Test.
Form 1040NR-EZ - Must be filed by all international students who have received any type of U.S income other than interest received from U.S. banks and credit unions.
Social Security and Medicare Taxes - International students nonresident for tax purposes are NOT subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. If your employer has withheld Social Security and Medicare tax in error, you can apply to get a refund for the taxes withheld in error by filing Form 843 and Form 8316.

How do I complete this?
Completing your taxes is very easy - all you need to do is work out what forms you need to complete (if you have any questions about which forms you need to complete you can call the IRS for free who will help you) and then use our online system which will ask you all the right questions and enter the details you need. The system will then put all this information onto the right forms for you to print off and mail to the IRS.

For more information about your international student taxes, and to complete them today please visit:
http://www.internationalstudent.com/tax/

One question that is always asked when I open the International Student Mailbag each day is “How can I apply for an international student loan?” or “How do I go about getting funding for my time abroad?”. So, I thought I would dedicate a blog post to give a brief overview of who is eligible for an international student loan and how you can apply for one.

The International Student Loan is available to any international student who wants to study at one of the approved schools in the USA or Canada. The approved schools list is also available online so you can check to see if your school is part of the program.

To apply for the loan program, you will need to have a cosigner to complete the application. Your cosigner must either be a US Citizen or permanent resident for at least the last 2 years. Once you have that you can apply for the program and the best way to do is either online (where you can walk through the application step by step) or you can phone our customer support team who will go through the application over the phone.

If you have all the information with you when you apply, and your cosigner has a good credit history you can receive your funds in as little as 5 business days - and even get a preliminary approval in 15 minutes.

Of course, there are many students who do not have a cosigner, and unfortunately without a cosigner the loan program is not available to you. However, there are many other resources and means to obtain funding - for example there are many international scholarships around that providing funding for students all over the world, plus you should get out the international financial aid blog which has updated listing of financial aid information.

If you have any other resources or comments about funding, post them below.

All the team at InternationalStudent.com would like to wish all our Chinese members a very happy chinese new year!

Gong Hei Fat Choi!

The 108th issue of the international student newsletter has been released and all our subscribers should have received it now through their email address. The issue this month is packed full with great information, news and advice for international students around the world, including:

- Shani’s Blog
- Int’l Scholarships
- From the Mailbag
- Job Center
- Fun Site of the Month
- Student News
- Meet Mika
- Discover Italian Flair
- Last Word

You can see this online also at:http://www.internationalstudent.com/newsletter/issue108.html

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