Office Hours for EAD Card/Urgent Travel Signature Pickup:

Tuesday: 9:30am - 11:00am

Friday: 9:30am - 11:00am

ISFS will mail all other documents to you via USPS. 

Please email isfs@ohio.edu with all questions and concerns or to schedule a phone appointment with an international student advisor. 

Due to the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 crisis, we highly recommend that you wait until you have secured your visa before you book a flight.  When you do decide to book, please be sure that the flight can be changed or refunded if circumstances change. Please also keep in mind travel restrictions as you plan your flight to the U.S.  

If you are still waiting to obtain your visa, it is important to know that you do not need to pay your SEVIS fee until prior to your interview. If you have been unable to secure a visa appointment, please maintain contact with the Graduate College or Undergraduate Admissions to discuss your options. If you have paid your SEVIS fee and have decided that you will defer your admission to the university to a later semester, please know that the SEVIS fee is valid for one year. Even if deferral seems like the best option at this time, you can still attend your visa interview (once it is scheduled) and you can request an updated I-20 from your admissions office to support your new requested start date. 

You will need to contact your department or academic advisor to discuss your situation.  If you can make it back within the first couple weeks of the semester, it may be possible to work with your professors to start the classwork remotely.  If not, they may recommend that you take off the fall semester and return for spring instead.  The only immigration restriction is that ISFS must be able to report your full-time enrollment by our registration deadline.  For fall 2020, that deadline is 9/25/2020.  Graduate students should also ask departments how any funding may be impacted by a late return. 

If you determine that you will need to take off the fall semester, please contact ISFS (isfs@ohio.edu) for assistance with your immigration record. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that all visitors entering the US from abroad should self-quarantine for a period of 14 days upon arrival.  Please keep this in mind when arranging your flights.  Undergraduate students who will live in on-campus housing will be able to apply for temporary housing with move in as early as August 3.  All other students will need to determine their self-quarantine options.    

On July 13th the Athens City Council passed an ordinance mandating the use of face masks in public.  Effective immediately, this ordinance requires all people in Athens to wear masks in public places, including within businesses, city-owned buildings, and on public transportation, as well as outdoor areas when at least 6 feet of social distancing is not possible. This mandate follows a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the Athens area. Please be aware there is penalty of a $100 fine for those found in violation. To learn more about the requirements and exemptions, please review the Athens City Council draft ordinance found here. 

If you are graduating this semester and plan to apply for OPT, please note that we do not yet know how leaving the country would impact your OPT application.  If you are in this situation, please email us at isfs@ohio.edu to discuss further. 

ISFS is aware that this is a very challenging time for all students.  In addition to worries about your health and the health of families far away, some students are worried about their on-campus employment that is used to cover living expenses. Ohio University has committed to ensuring that students who were working on-campus during the first part of the semester are able to continue by working remotely.  Supervisors should be reaching out to their employees by March 23 to discuss remote work options.  If you don’t hear from your supervisor by that date, please contact your supervisor.  

Unfortunately, we do not have the authority to lift the federal regulations that prevent F-1 students from working off-campus.  This power lies exclusively with the U.S. government.  If any changes are announced regarding this rule, we will notify our students immediately.  At this date, there have been no changes to these federal regulations. 

ISFS has received several inquiries about Economic Hardship work authorization. If you would like to learn more about applying for this, please email isfs@ohio.edu to schedule a phone appointment with your advisor.

All in-person OPT, CPT, and AT workshops are cancelled for the time-being. Please read the following if you plan on applying for either of the three soon:

OPT: ISFS has transitioned to providing virtual OPT workshops through Microsoft Teams. Please sign-up as you would normally through iCats.ohio.edu. Once signed in, select 'DETAILS' below the workshop you wish to attend, then select 'I'm Going'.  You will receive a link to join virtually prior to the workshop. 

CPT: Please email isfs@ohio.edu and we will schedule a phone appointment with an advisor to go over the CPT process.

AT: Please email isfs@ohio.edu and we will schedule a phone appointment with an advisor to go over the AT process.

Please keep in mind that the response to COVID-19 is constantly evolving and the operating hours of local services are changing often as well.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) 

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) is here to support the campus community. CPS acknowledges the impact on Ohio University students related to Coronavirus and recognizes that it is typical to experience anxiety, worry, or fear. 

If you are in distress, CPS is there to help. Students may contact CPS at any time by calling 740-593-1616. If calling after hours, press 1 to be connected to a counselor. You can also visit the CPS website at www.ohio.edu/student-affairs/counseling. 

Alden Library

Alden Library is currently closed. Find information on what services may still be offered during the closure here: https://www.ohio.edu/library/coronavirus

Dining Services

All purchases of summer meal plans are on hold until Culinary Services receive further guidance from national, state, and local health authorities regarding the return to campus.  .

The Cats’ Cupboard food pantry has transitioned to a twice a week drive-up option of pre-packaged bags of food. This services is by appointment only and students can sign up here. 

Athens Public Transit

Currently, APT is operating on their normal schedule. The current bus map and schedule can be found here: https://www.athenstransit.org/full-map-and-schedule/ .

Effective March 25th, 2020 only 5 passengers at a time will be allowed on a bus at one time. If there are already 5 passengers on the bus, you will have to wait for the next bus. Keep this in mind when judging how much time it may take to get places.

GoBus

GoBus is still operating on their normal routes and schedule which can be found here: https://ridegobus.com/routes/. 

Note: Athens Community Center and Hocking College GoBus ticketing centers are currently closed, but you can still purchase tickets at https://ridegobus.com/. 

If you have school aged children, many Athens restaurants are offering lunches for them at various sites.  You can find a list of free student lunch resources here.

Athens County Food Pantry

Athens County Food Pantry is distributing food at the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services Center. Please visit their facebook page to read important information about documents to bring if you visit the food pantry.

For more information on food assistance programs in Athens, please visit this link.

Cats' Cupboard

The Cats’ Cupboard food pantry has transitioned to a twice a week drive-up option of pre-packaged bags of food. This services is by appointment only and students can sign up here. 

Kroger Athens 919 E State St 

For cleaning and replenishing purposes, the Kroger grocery store on State Street will be open daily from 6am-11pm.  

For more informatin and to utilize pickup grocery services, visit: https://www.kroger.com/stores/details/016/00901, make sure you have selected the correct location if you utilize the pickup service. 

Walmart Athens 929 E State St 

Walmart will be open from 7am-8:30pm.

For more information and to utilize pickup grocery services, visit: https://grocery.walmart.com/?adid=1500000000000039636450&veh=wmt, make sure you have selected the correct location if you utilize pickup services. 

As restaurants and bars begin opening back up again, operating hours for specific establishments will vary. It is recommended you contact any restaurant before you attend to make sure you are aware of any adjusted hours, reservation requirements, and safety protocols they have enacted in response to COVID-19. 

The Center for Student Legals Services has provided this helpful website to inform students on Housing Law. Visit this link to learn about leasing agreements, communicating effectively with your landlord, and more. Be aware that to contact Student Legal Services for advice or representation, you must have not waived the Student Legal Services fee. 

As we navigate these uncertain times together, International Student and Faculty Services would love to provide a virtual space for you to connect with your fellow Bobcats and ISFS staff members. To accomplish this, we've scheduled ISFS Group Virtual Hangouts through Microsoft Teams where you can come and ask questions, voice concerns, or speak about anything you’d like. Keep an eye on your email for more information on the date and time of these events, and how to join. 

State Government Informational Web-page: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/

Ohio University Coronavirus Response and FAQ: https://www.ohio.edu/coronavirus 

Please visit our International Student Tax FAQ for more detailed information on the stimulus payment.

We recommend that you direct any class or academic questions to your academic advisors or program directors.