Announcements

OIPS Employment Guidance, 2025-2026 Academic Cycle

Posted On: September 29, 2025, 1:54 pm
UAPB Global Golden Lions,
 
Please take note of this email which applies to all international students employed on campus except those who have graduate assistantships. 
 
WRAPPING UP FALL SEMESTER CLEARANCE/SEVIS REGISTRATION PROCESS
 
The OIPS team is continuing to review GGLIS clearance submissions one-four.  Due to personal and family-related emergencies we are running behind schedule but remain on task.  If you have not completed all five steps in the GGLIS clearance process, make sure that you monitor your email regularly for notifications and updates from team members.
 
Please note that timely responses to any clearance-related requests will be key to maintaining current or new on-campus employment. To avoid delays or disruptions in your current or planned employment, make sure that you have successfully submitted Steps One - Five in GGLIS.  If you have not yet received your Clearance Release Form and are seeking an employment approval, contact Dr. Moore and Ms. Oma via email. 
 
GENERAL REMINDERS AND UPDATES 
 
  1. The NEW/INITIAL employment and CONTINUED employment forms have been REVISED.  The new/initial employment form is attached.  For continued employment, ask your supervisor to contact OIPS for the updated form.  This document should be sent to us directly by the your supervisor.
  2. Regarding employment requests, review the general guidance (below) before sending a specific query.  If you have further questions, reply to this email by sending a message to the personal account of either me or Ms. Oma.  You may also make an appointment in person or virtually with either one of us.  If you need to come to the office in Holiday Hall, please bring your computer laptop or tablet with you.
  3. Do not send multiple ad hoc emails in the form of text messages or social media communications!  These types of communications substantially delay our ability to properly respond to your request.  Once you make an initial query via email, that communication will serve as the basis for one on-going email chain.  If you do not receive a response to your initial query, hit reply all to your initial message for any follow-up communication.
  4. To facilitate communications with our office, we recommend that you create a MS Outlook folder and transfer any pertinent OIPS communication to that folder.  Thus, you will not need to search through hundreds (or thousands) of emails to find your last message to or from our office.
 
EMPLOYMENT "GOLDEN RULE"
 
Employment is a heavily regulated area with respect to international student compliance.  Help us to help you to maintain valid legal status by contacting us, preferably via email, while you are considering your employment options -- before you apply for or accept an employment position.  While there are employment options available for F-1 visa international students, all employment requires prior approval depending on the kind of position sought.
 
Whether paid or unpaid, whether you receive a stipend, scholarship or salary through Workday, whether in person or virtual, these opportunities are restricted without advance approval by OIPS.  Do not take unnecessary risks with your visa status!
 
Make sure that you carefully review the attached Working in the U.S. document – as well as the Student Statement of Responsibility which you have to sign as a part of the clearance process in GGLIS each academic semester.  
 
 
A WORD ABOUT OFF-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT
 
Off-campus employment of any kind is absolutely illegal without prior approval.  Do not risk your F-1 visa status and the tremendous investment and sacrifice made by your families and the university at large to make it possible for you to attend UAPB.  Please note that any person can report unlawful employment directly to the Department of Homeland Security via email or a specially designated hotline.  See: https://www.ice.gov/sevis#wcm-survey-target-id. 
 
 
TIMELINES FOR ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT REQUESTS
 
Due to the clearance process, OIPS staff have commenced employment reviews on a limited basis.  However, we should be able to focus on employment requests in earnest by the week of October 6th.  
 
Continued Employment
 
If you have continued employment with a previous department or supervisor, make sure your supervisor sends us the Continued Employment Form no later than Friday, October 17, 2025.
 
New Employment
 
  1. If you have secured new employment and already possess a social security card, make sure that you make your submission in the GGLIS On-Off Campus Employment Form no later than Friday, October 17, 2025.
  2. If you are seeking new employment, make sure that you send an email notification to me and Ms. Oma along with any details regarding the employment prospects you are pursuing.
 
 
SOCIAL SECURITY AND NEW ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT 
 
IMPORTANT!!   STUDENTS SEEKING FIRST-TIME EMPLOYMENT WILL NEED TO APPLY FOR A SOCIAL SECURITY CARD
 
If you are seeking employment for the very first time, you will need to apply for a social security card.  Your application must be prepared through GGLIS and you should not submit your package to the Social Security Administration without a cover letter from a Designated School Official, e.g., Ms. Oma or myself.  See screenshot #2 below!
 
In order to apply for a social security card, you must first have an employment offer letter.  You will also need to complete the Hiring Department Form (attached) which applies to new student employment, including students already cleared by Workday who want to change from their existing department/unit to your department/unit.  Any new or change in campus employment must follow standard OIPS protocols.  This means that you must take the initiative by uploading the completed and signed Department Hiring Form in the GGLIS online compliance portal along with any other required documentation.  
 
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DUAL EMPLOYMENT:
In our online portal, we review and approve dual employment through a process that requires that students use the Department Hiring Form for each of the two different locations on campus – even if they are already employed by a department/office and wish to continue that employment.
 
NOTE: 
Due to the time and effort involved in tracking, monitoring and managing employment-related immigration documentation, we will not approve requests to work in more than two locations. To the degree possible, if you can work the maximum number of hours allowed in only one location, it makes the employment process more efficient for all concerned.
 
 
IMMIGRATION VERSUS SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS
 
Please note that immigration requirements may differ from school employment requirements.  If you receive a scholarship, stipend or any other benefit (e.g., free dormitory lodging) in exchange for a service rendered  or for participation in an activity, you are required to report this information to OIPS to maintain valid legal status.
 
Contact me or Ms. Oma if in doubt!  
 
 
IMPORTANT EMPLOYMENT FORMS
 
There are FOUR key documents which can be retrieved from the GGLIS Document Library:
  • OIPS Employment Notice
  • Working in the U.S.
  • Statement of Responsibility (Revised, August 2023)
  • REVISED Hiring Department Form (April 2025)
Make sure you have reviewed the Statement of Student Responsibility, particularly item 3. on page two:
 
Do not take unnecessary risks with your visa status! Participate in authorized employment and practical training opportunities only. Contact your P/DSO while you are contemplating or thinking about employment and practical training options (WHETHER VIRTUAL OR IN PERSON). Do not commence application process, participate in interviews or wait until you have an acceptance letter before consultation and verification of your correct employment/practical training status by the P/DSO. Also, once an offer has been made, make sure that OIPS has the appropriate documentation for all employment/practical training activity, on-campus or off-campus.
 
Please also take note of the Working in the U.S. document attached to this message which provides details on the four "boxes" in which employment is allowed, subject to review and approval by OIPS and/or Federal approval (via SEVIS or USCIS).  These four areas of employment include:  1) on-campus, 2) off-campus, 3) curricular practical training and 4) optional practical training.
 
 
CPT/OPT
 
If you are interested in curricular practical training (CPT) or optional practical training (OPT), contact Dr. Moore if you have not already done so.  CPT and OPT are considered a form of employment under immigration regulations.  This is the case even when the experience may be virtual or unpaid.  
 
      NOTE:
      CPT and OPT actions in GGLIS are required via the Practical Training Authorization module.  Again, see Dr. Moore for details.
 
 
GGLIS – EMPLOYMENT APPROVAL PROCESSES
 
Again, if you are interested in new employment at UAPB -- or need to provide updates to current employment -- make sure that you take the appropriate actions in GGLIS for the following:
  • Social Security Applications
  • Completion of Department Hiring Forms 
  • Dual Employment on Campus
See email from OIPS account for relevant screenshots on how to access the above in GGLIS.
 
 
 
IMPORTANT!  IMPORTANT!  IMPORTANT! GENERAL ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE
 
Remember!  Immigration requirements may differ from school employment requirements.  If you receive a scholarship, stipend or any other benefit in exchange for a service rendered or for participation in a program, you are required to report this information to OIPS to maintain valid legal status.
 
Remember!  If you are seeking on-campus employment,  new on-campus employment and/or internship options, you are required to notify OIPS of your plans in a timely manner.  This includes changes of current employment within an office or department and changes of employment between offices or departments on campus.
 
Other Important Reminders:
  • Any new on-campus employment must be formally reported to OIPS through completion of the On-Campus Hiring Department Form as discussed above.  If you end or change on-campus employment with a department, the law requires that you communicate this information to our office within ten (10) days of your decision.  When we respond, we will copy your current supervisor and Human Resources (if you have not done so in your communication).
  • You may not work more than twenty (20) hours per week when officially enrolled in courses.  
  • Finally, I cannot over-emphasize the importance of the notice below.  Do not jeopardize your future by making employment decisions in an unwise and reckless manner.   Students whose records are terminated due to employment violations are not eligible for reinstatement.  Under such circumstances, they must leave the country immediately.  See the OIPS Employment Notice below (also attached):

 

OIPS EMPLOYMENT NOTICE

This message is intended for international students and the various offices and departments which may regularly or periodically employ them on campus. The U.S. government takes illegal employment very seriously, so it is important to reiterate that students and/or their hiring supervisors should consult with the Office of International Programs and Studies (OIPS) before on-campus employment commences. This will enable OIPS to ensure that proper documentation is on file in student records. Apart from this consideration and the requirement that no student work more than 20 hours per week (total for all employment) except during holidays and official breaks, on-campus employment is perfectly legal and acceptable for UAPB F-1 visa international students. 

Please note the following excerpt contained in the policy guidance for university officials (Broadcast Message 1501-04: Post-secondary F-1 Student Employment Reminder (supersedes Broadcast Message 1501-03):

Designated school officials (DSOs), please remind F-1 students at your institution about the regulations related to employment while studying in the United States; additional information is on ICE.gov. If an F-1 student does not follow the terms of their nonimmigrant status as stated in the regulations, the DSO must report the violation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) by terminating the F-1 student’s SEVIS record. After termination of a student’s SEVIS record, the student must depart the country immediately….

While it does not require authorization in SEVIS, DSOs [Designated School Officials] should ensure an F-1 student is eligible for on-campus employment (i.e., confirm that the student is maintaining nonimmigrant status, is not a border commuter and that the employment meets the regulatory criteria for on‑campus employment). Keep in mind, unless eligible for an exemption under emergent circumstances as recognized by the Secretary of Homeland Security, an F-1 student may only be employed 20 hours per week with on-campus employment when school is in session.

 Persons who have questions or seek additional information regarding these matters may contact Pamela D. Moore, Principal Designated School Official, at (870) 575-8545 or moorep@uapb.edu or Oma Fukui, Designated School Official, at (870) 575-8127 or fukuio@uapb.edu.  

 

 

Welcome to the Going Global Lions Information System

Posted On: October 03, 2024, 12:00 am

The Going Global Lions Information System (GGLIS) is an online platform that enables the Office of International Programs and Studies (OIPS) to effectively conduct global program activities while ensuring compliance with university international risk management protocols.  It also enables OIPS to ensure that programs are conducted consistent with the relevant requirements of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and/or the U.S. Department of State.  All users of this system must have prior authorization from OIPS as well as guidance on which applications or programs they should complete and submit for OIPS review and/or action.  If you have not received prior notification and instructions regarding the use of this system, please contact OIPS via OIPS@uapb.edu or by calling (870) 575-8195.