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COVID-19

International Students

 

Updates and Announcements

Dear Students,

I am writing to let you know that the Board of Governors (BOG) announced an important change to Section 2 (health insurance information) of Regulation 6.009 Admission of International Students to SUS Institutions. The BOG leadership determined that Section 2 will only apply to students who are physically present in the United States this fall. With this change, it is important for you to remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that you and your F-2 dependents have health insurance meeting the minimum requirements when you do decide to enter the United States. This is not dependent on when classes begin, but when you enter the country.

If you plan to return to the residence halls next month please review the move-in process and reserve a move-in date and time slot. All questions regarding move-in should be directed to Paul Carey, Assistant Director of Residential Life. All questions pertaining to leases should be directed the Leasing Office

Please remember that the leases are binding, and it is your responsibility to communicate directly with Residence Life if you are unable or planning not to return to campus for the fall semester. If you cancel your 2020-2021 lease, it is your responsibility to have your personal belongings removed from the residence hall. We cannot remove your personal belongings for you, and I encourage you to research local moving/storage companies. The two moving companies that reached out to Florida Poly in April to assist our students with moving out belongings and storing them are:

  • Sorensen Moving and Storage (based out of Orlando) – Contact is John Theisen
  • Suddath (based out of Tampa Bay) – Contact is Steven Hernandez

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) confirmed today that F1 students and schools should abide by the guidance issued in March. Given this guidance, you will be required to confirm whether you intend to study in the United States or not this fall. You will be provided a form and instructions next week.

Please visit the COVID Resource page for the latest updates and resources as we work towards returning to campus. There is an FAQ for students and a separate area for you, our international students, which is dedicated to your needs. Please continue to frequently monitor your email for updates as we will continue to send them and post them to the web.

Thank you,
Lisa Heeg
Academic Success Coach

Dear Students,

In order to streamline communications, please send all questions regarding course delivery directly to Dahl and myself. We are working with the Department Chairs to determine the best path forward for all students and to ensure all are receiving the necessary instruction to be successful in future courses and careers.

Please note that all FLEX courses are available to online/remote learning. This means that FLEX courses can be completed remotely and permission is not required. A process is being developed for all students who may not be able to come to campus.

As a reminder, you will see the “type” of delivery in CAMS with FLEX being coded as “FX” in the section, ONLINE ENGAGED being coded as “OL” in the section, COMBINED designated with a “C” in the course number, and LABS designated with an “L” the course number. LAB courses and some of the COMBINED courses have an in-person requirement and will not contain an “OL” or “FX” in the section.

We are aware that some of you have requested an exemption to the in-person component of your COMBINED courses as you are outside of the U.S. We want to assure you that we are working through the details and will have a path for you to stay Active in SEVIS.

We also wanted to make you aware that updates have been made to the COVID Resource page and some of this information can be found in the Updates and Announcements page. There is an FAQ for students and a separate area for you, our international students, which is dedicated to your needs. Please continue to frequently monitor your email for updates as we will continue to send them and post them to the web.

Thank you,

Lisa Heeg
Academic Success Coach

Dear Student,

We hope this email finds you well and that you are taking care of yourself as you prepare for the fall semester. We would like to share a few updates with you so you can continue to make informed decisions.

On July 14, the U.S. government rescinded the guidance from July 6, relating to your F-1 visa status. We anticipate further clarification from the U.S. government, but until additional information is available, we return to the guidance from the end of the spring semester. This means you can enroll in all or multiple online courses (with a full course of study) and remain in the U.S. If you will be completing your coursework outside the U.S. and want to maintain your Active status in SEVIS, you are required to maintain full-time enrollment throughout the entire semester as if you were on campus.

At this time, DSO’s are not required to reissue a Form I-20 to all students. However, each student must communicate their plans for the fall and comply with reporting requirements. The process is being finalized and instructions will be sent to you next week. In the meantime, if you are outside of the United States or have plans to depart the U.S., notify Dahl and I immediately by replying all to this email.

We continue to work with our Office of General Council on country-specific University compliance requirements. At this time, students residing in the following countries are able to complete their studies remotely barring any country restrictions: Brazil, Ecuador, Gambia, Jamaica, and The Bahamas. Each student will need to research their country’s laws, regulations, policies, and rules. They will also acknowledge by signature that there are no country restrictions preventing them from completing online studies from the specific country where they will reside in the fall 2020 semester. This form will be provided to you around the first full week of August. Please start your research now.

If you have concerns about your scholarship or aid, please reach out directly to the Office of Financial Aid for assistance.

We understand this is a very stressful time and you are facing difficult decisions. We want you to know we are here to help and support you during these difficult times. We will respond to your inquiries within 2 business days and are also able to set a meeting via Teams to discuss your concerns if needed.

Thank you,

Lisa Heeg
Academic Success Coach

Good Day Phoenixes,

I hope you are well. I wanted to let you know that the Fall 2020 Course Delivery Information was distributed to all students this morning. We have received a few questions regarding the course delivery email and how this will affect our international student population. We have two updates to share:

  1. We are finalizing our email draft for international student course requirements and concerns that each student must consider for their personal situation. This will be sent today.
  2. We are creating a web page specifically to help answer questions, guide students through processes, and to start creating a resource where we can assist you with your time at Florida Poly.

Thank you and I’ll be in touch soon.

Lisa Heeg

We hope this update finds you well. As you may have seen in the media headlines today, the rules issued last week regarding international students taking classes only online and being in the U.S. have been rescinded. However SEVP has not modified their guidelines yet. We will continue to update you as information becomes available.

The Student and Exchange Visit Program (SEVP) released guidelines concerning the Fall 2020 semester on July 6. Per the guidelines, we have submitted to SEVP our intent to implement a hybrid plan for fall semester. I am writing to inform you of how the new SEVP guidelines can potentially affect you as you make important decisions about your future education at Florida Poly this fall.

For students that will return to campus this Fall, we offer the following advice based on current guidance. In order to remain in Active status, you must enroll in a full course-load and must attend in-person classes. You may take more than one online course if Flex courses are not available and encourage you to stay in at least one Flex course until further guidance is released (refer to the Fall 2020 Course Delivery Information email). To ensure compliance, there may be reporting requirements in place. Again, we will send an update once we see new guidance from SEVP.

I understand that there are many unknowns surrounding travel bans and closures. Please remember that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port of entry decides whether to admit you into the United States. The facts and circumstances presented at the time you apply to enter are the basis of this decision. I will be providing enrollment verification letters to students who plan to return to Florida Poly to assist in the process. SEVP and Florida Poly cannot guarantee that CBP will admit or re-admit you into the United States.

As we will be operating under a hybrid model in the Fall, SEVP regulations state that DSO’s must certify and re-issue Forms I-20 to all students. While you will not need to specifically request a new I-20, we will need you to tell us what your plans are for the fall semester. This new process will be finalized at the end of the week and instructions will be sent via email.

Thank you,

Lisa Heeg
Academic Success Coach

Dear International Students,

As you know, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) released new guidelines concerning the Fall 2020 semester earlier this week. The new guidelines have raised many questions and concerns, and affects all universities in the United States.

I am writing to assure you that we are working with the University administration, campus stakeholders, and partner institutions to obtain clarity and understand the exact implications of the new guidance.  We support you, are constantly advocating for you, and will communicate information as it is available. I’ll be in touch next week with registration guidance. Thank you for your patience and understanding in the meantime.

Please remember that you are a valued member of the Florida Poly community, and we are doing our best to help and support you in these difficult times.

Thank you,

Lisa Heeg
Academic Success Coach

Good afternoon,

We wanted to share the information we received from Student Affairs regarding Coastal Ridge’s response to travel bans. Here’s what you can expect:

If you are an international student in a country currently experiencing travel bans, and would like to terminate your lease:

  • Contact Leasing (info@floridapolystudentliving.com) and follow the steps provided in Lyanne’s email (i.e. provide proof of said travel ban and pay the $300.00 cancellation fee). Coastal Ridge will provide a Travel Ban Release Request form and deadline. From there, their entire 2020-2021 lease agreement will be terminated and cancelled. Once I am aware of their lease being terminated I will begin working with Lisa and the student on ways to have their belongings removed from the residence halls (i.e. moving company packing up their belongings, family member in the states, etc.). Be aware Leasing will give them a set number of days to have these belongings removed from the residence halls once their lease has been terminated, as they have to turn/clean this space for a potential new resident.

If you contact Leasing, but do not pay the cancellation fee: 

  • Contact Leasing (info@floridapolystudentliving.com) and follow the steps provided in Lyanne’s email (i.e. provide proof of said travel ban and pay the $300.00 cancellation fee). Coastal Ridge will provide a Travel Ban Release Request form and deadline. However, if they do not pay the cancellation fee they will be held to the entire 2020-2021 lease agreement and could face eviction if payments are not made. If that happens and if they have belongings in their unit/room still these belongings will be considered abandoned after a set number of days and Leasing will dispose of said belongings. Even if belongings are considered abandoned and disposed of, the student is still held responsible for their entire lease agreement and if they do not make payments they will be sent to Collections.

As always, please continue to monitor your email daily. We are reviewing the latest guidance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and will have more information regarding course registration and classes by Friday.

We are here to assist with questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dahl Grayckowski and Lisa Heeg 

Good Day,

You may have seen the release yesterday from ICE regarding the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. We did review the release last night and I notified our Academic Affairs leadership whom we will be working with for our path forward. Please monitor your email and we will have an update and guidance for your either late today or tomorrow.

Please contact Lisa Heeg or Dahl Grayckowski if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Lisa Heeg

Good Day,

I understand there has been confusion with on-campus housing leases and the inability to return to the U.S.  I received communication from Paul Carey, Assistant Director of Residential Life with information from Lyanne Frost-Madden, the Coastal Ridge Property Manager for Florida Polytechnic University Student Living. Coastal Ridge is addressing the travel bans due to COVID-19. If you are affected, please immediately contact Paul Carey and Coastal Ridge for information and instructions about being released from your fall 2020 lease.

The Coastal Ridge Property Manager communicated the following to Florida Poly, “There are some international students that reached out in regard to having to cancel their lease due to the travel ban that the US has set in place. We are going to work with those students that cannot travel to the USA but they have to reach out to our office asking to be released and provide proof.”

We are here to assist you with questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

Dahl Grayckowski and Lisa Heeg

Good morning,

I hope everyone is well. A few of you have expressed concerns regarding OPT, and I wanted to let you know that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is evaluating issues surrounding OPT, including unemployment, but has yet to release guidance. I will touch base with everyone if/when DHS addresses these issues.

In the meantime, for the duration of COVID-19 emergency, SEVP considers students who are working in their opportunities FEWER than 20 hours per week as engaged in OPT. Please let me know if you anticipate a decrease in hours (part-time employment).

Attached is the OPT report form as well as FAQ’s. Don’t hesitate to reach out with further questions.

Have a great weekend!

Lisa Heeg
Academic Success Coach

Frequently Asked Questions

The Registrar’s Office is closely monitoring all updates from the U.S government and will post new information here as it becomes available. Contact International Student Services if you have specific questions.

On July 14, 2020, the U.S. government rescinded the guidance from July 6 related to F-1 students. We anticipate further clarification from the U.S. government, but until additional information is available, we return to the guidance from the end of the spring semester.

This means you can enroll in all online courses (with a full course of study) and remain in the U.S. And if you’re outside the U.S., you can keep your SEVIS record active by making sure you enroll in a full course of study.

Please note that this information is subject to change.

No. On March 13, 2020, the U.S. government announced that as long as you maintain full-time enrollment online during the COVID-19 emergency, there will be no negative impact on your F-1 status, even if you depart the United States and take your Florida Poly classes online from elsewhere.

You can stay in the United States on an expired F-1 visa as long as you maintain your student status. However, if you are returning home or traveling to a country where automatic revalidation does not apply, you must have a valid visa to return to the United States. Please refer to U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement webpage for more information.

Please contact the Office of Financial Aid regarding aid you receive from the university.

Yes, due to COVID-19, DSOs may electronically send Forms I-20 to student email addresses listed n SEVIS.

 

All other information can be found on the International Student Services webpage.