FRIDAY, 01 AUGUST 2025

Editor鈥檚 Note: The ISSS Newsletter is distributed monthly. Between monthly newsletters, please follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram to learn more about programs, events, and updates.

Contents:

        1. Reminder of ISSS Availability

        2. Fall 2025 Bus Service from NYC Airports to Campus

        3. Arrival of New International Students

        4. Fall 2025 Semester Reminders

        5. International Student Health Insurance Updates

        6. International Health Insurance Team is Now Accepting Insurance Fee Waiver Requests

        7. Reminders about Publicly-funded Health Insurance

        8. Save the Dates: Fall 2025 International Coffee Hours!

        9. Be Aware of Scams

1. Reminder of ISSS Availability

The ISSS is currently on 鈥渟ummer hours,鈥 staffed on weekdays from 8:30am to 4:00pm. On Monday, August 18, the ISSS will begin to operate on 鈥渁cademic year鈥 office hours. This means that the office will be open on weekdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm.  Please visit the ISSS website for additional updates.

Advising Hours & Updates:

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services holds advising hours on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:00am to 11:45am and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.  Please visit the ISSS website for updates.  

Special Notice Regarding ISSS Unavailability:

Please be advised that ISSS advising hours are canceled on Tuesday, August 12 and Wednesday, August 13 for International Student Orientation. ISSS advising hours will resume, as scheduled, on Thursday, August 14. Please visit the ISSS Website for updates.

The ISSS will be unavailable on Monday, September 1 for the Labor Day Holiday.  Please visit the ISSS website for additional updates regarding availability.

2. Fall 2025 bus service from NYC airports to campus

If you will be returning to 91制片厂 from NYC area airports, review the ISSS Transportation to 91制片厂 page to understand transit options. One option for this fall is the OurBus rideshare service offering direct service to 91制片厂 from JFK International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport on select dates. You can find more details about this service and available dates on the . If you are interested in using that service, you will need to review that page carefully for instructions on selecting a time slot in advance. If you have any questions about the OurBus service, please email intarriv@binghamton.edu. 

3. Arrival of New International Students

If you happen to meet a new international student, please be sure to direct them to the ISSS New Students webpage which includes helpful information related to our fall 2025 International Student Orientation. New students will complete their check-in process online this semester (this includes uploading information about their immigration documents) so they will not be required to visit the ISSS Office in person before orientation.

4. Fall 2025 Semester Reminders

The staff from the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) would like to welcome all returning students back to campus! 

We would like to share a couple of reminders as the beginning of the semester approaches! 

    • The first day of classes is Tuesday, August 19, 2025. You can view more details about the fall semester schedule on the academic calendar website.
    • Check your most recent I-20 or DS-2019 to be sure you have an updated travel signature from the ISSS. If the signature on your I-20 or DS-2019 will be more than 12 months old (6 months for students on OPT or STEM OPT) when you return to the US, you can with an updated signature online.

5. International Student Health Insurance Updates

Effective August 15, 2025, the new monthly insurance rate for students on OPT/AT and J-1 scholars is $180.36. 

For enrolled students, rates for 2025-2026 are $906.45 for the fall semester and $1,257.92 for the spring semester.

The rate for dependents of students on OPT/AT, J-1 scholars, and enrolled students is $132.50 per dependent. 

6. International Health Insurance Team is Now Accepting Insurance Fee Waiver Requests for Fall 2025

The International Health Insurance Team is now accepting requests from those who believe they meet the requirements for an international health insurance fee waiver. In order to qualify for a waiver of the fee you must:

    • Meet ALL of the requirements found here.
    • Upload documents as instructed here.
    • Your policy submission must indicate the services that are NOT paid for under the policy, found in the 鈥淓xclusions and Limitations鈥 section of the policy, plus the deductible charged to you.

RAs/TAs/GAs with health insurance (NYSHIP or Empire Blue) will no longer be automatically waived from the standard SUNY International student insurance policy, as was the case in previous semesters.  Any student who wishes to file an application for a waiver from the standard international student health insurance plan will need to complete an international health insurance waiver e-form. You will be notified if your waiver is approved and your charges will be adjusted accordingly.

Please note that a submission does not guarantee approval.  A full review of your policy must be conducted to ensure compliance. Approved waivers are valid for one semester only. Students must submit a health insurance waiver request every semester.  The deadline for submission of a waiver request is October 15, 2025. No exceptions are granted.

7. Reminders about Publicly-funded Health Insurance

International students, scholars, and their dependents in F or J status should not enroll in Medicaid, the New York State Essential Plan, or other government-funded health insurance programs.

These plans do not meet the requirements to waive the mandatory International Health Insurance, and utilizing these programs may result in serious immigration consequences. Because these programs are subsidized by the government, enrolling in them could lead to a 鈥減ublic charge鈥 determination, which may impact your ability to:

    • Be approved for an F-1 or J-1 visa
    • Enter or re-enter the U.S.
    • Change or extend your immigration status in the future

If you are currently enrolled in one of these plans or are using benefits such as a debit card associated with these plans, we strongly recommend that you contact the insurance provider as soon as possible to cancel your enrollment.  If you have questions about the SUNY International Health Insurance plan, please review the information on the ISSS Health Insurance website or email intl.insure@binghamton.edu. 

8. Save the Dates: Fall 2025 International Coffee Hours!

Save the dates for the four Fall 2025 International Coffee Hour events! ISSS will be hosting these events with other campus offices that support our international community. Be sure to join us for an informal social program!

Fall 2025 International Coffee Hours

Wednesday, September 3

3:00-4:30pm

Old Champlain Atrium

Wednesday, October 8

3:00-4:30pm

Old Champlain Atrium

Wednesday, November 5

3:00-4:30pm

Old Champlain Atrium

Wednesday, December 3

3:00-4:30pm

Old Champlain Atrium

If you have any questions about International Coffee Hour, contact dsmith66@binghamton.edu. All are welcome! 

9. Be Aware of Scams

We have received recent reports of international students who have been targeted by scams:

    • Multiple students have reported receiving an email and/or phone call from someone claiming to work for a US government agency and requiring the student to complete an AR-11 Form to avoid imprisonment or removal from the US. These callers are often aggressive and threatening, and they may demand personal information and payment (gift cards, wire transfers, etc.) to resolve the 鈥渋mmigration鈥 matter. Form AR-11 is not required for F-1 and J-1 international students or scholars.
    • Many scams claim to be representatives from the students' home country or from individuals claiming to be US government agency officials. These callers often tell a student that they have violated the law in their home country or a US immigration law and must now pay a large amount of money to avoid being arrested or deported.
    • Students have received phone calls from what appears to be a 91制片厂 phone number but the caller then threatens their immigration status.
    • Students have received an email that appears to be from a 91制片厂 email account indicating an overdue fee and directing students to a self service payment portal. 91制片厂 will never send out emails with a self service payment portal. For more information about this and other email scams targeting 91制片厂 students, see the ITS Phish Tank.
    • International students have been targeted by third parties or agents promising to pay tuition on behalf of a student or their family, but the third party then takes the money and does not pay the bill or pays the bill with stolen credit cards. You should only pay tuition and fees using the options on the Student Accounts website, which includes information on international payment options.
    • Students have received emails appearing to be from a 91制片厂 professor or staff member, asking them to buy gift cards for books or lab equipment. 

The US Department of Homeland Security and other US government agencies will NEVER ask you to transfer money to an individual, pay a fee using security vouchers or gift cards, or provide payment over the phone or online. If you receive an email appearing to be from a university faculty or staff member, check with them by phone, in person, or using their 91制片厂 email to confirm the validity of the message.  

Email and phone scams can be very sophisticated. Callers might:

    • Appear to be calling from a US government or 91制片厂 phone number as scammers can 鈥渃lone鈥 a phone number.
    • Provide fake badge numbers or give a 鈥渃laim number.鈥
    • Tell students not to come to ISSS because they claim that ISSS will terminate their immigration record.

Please know that ISSS and the University Police Department are here to help you. If you receive a call like this, you should hang up immediately and call the ISSS during our . Do not provide any financial or identifying information to the caller. We will review your record to assure you that there are no issues, and we can help you in reporting the scam call if you wish to do so. If you receive a call like this outside of business hours, you should contact the University Police Department. The caller may threaten you or tell you that ISSS or UPD will terminate your immigration record if you call. This is not true. ISSS and UPD are here to help you. 

If you receive threatening calls or messages from someone claiming to be a government official or law enforcement official:

    • DO NOT give the caller any personal or financial information. Even if they have some of your information, do not confirm anything or give additional information.
    • DO NOT meet the caller in person.
    • Collect the caller鈥檚 contact information. If the caller will not give you that information or will not let you call them back, hang up.
    • End the conversation immediately if threats and intimidation persist.
    • Contact the ISSS Office and/or the University Police Department.

Please see the ISSS website for additional information about scams impacting international students. 

You can find additional resources online at , , .

 

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