Welcome to OISS! – #YouAreWelcomeHere
The Office of International Students & Scholars is here to support all Rice internationals and the Academic Departments with all matters related to immigration, international compliance, and cultural adaptation.
OISS Fall 2021 Newsletter
The OISS Fall Newsletter is here! Each semester we publish a newsletter just for the Rice international population, with articles on immigration resources, cultural information, and opportunities for involvement. We also have all of our previous newsletters available online and you can check them out in the newsletter archives.
Click here to read the OISS Fall 2021 Newsletter!
OISS Services
OISS has returned to campus! In addition, our office space has expanded! We are still in Lovett Hall, Entrance A, but now OISS has a reception desk on both the First (Room 101) and Second (Room 201) floors to assist you faster, and in a less crowded manner. Document pick-up still requires an appointment, but now with expanded hours. To schedule a document pick-up appointment please visit https://oiss.rice.edu/getdocs.
Please note that due to our reduced staffing on-campus, OISS is closed daily 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. for lunch.
Document Submission
We encourage you to continue using our online options:
• CPT requests: https://oiss.rice.edu/applyCPT (netID login required)
• OPT requests: http://bit.ly/optrequest
• STEM OPT Extension requests: http://bit.ly/stemdocs
• Other document submissions: http://bit.ly/oissdocs
Appointments
Appointments with an OISS advisor are currently available by phone, zoom, or in-person. When scheduling an appointment, please specify your preferred option and we will accommodate accordingly. To schedule an appointment please call 713-348-6095, email oiss@rice.edu, or visit https://oiss.rice.edu/appointment. Please also see information about our Virtual Walk-in hours.
In-person appointment reminder: OISS follows the Rice Face Mask Policy regarding indoor meetings. Individuals who are fully vaccinated are exempted from the indoor face mask requirement when gathering in groups of less than 10 people, but those who are not fully vaccinated must wear a mask when indoors. OISS also invites even fully vaccinated people to wear a mask if they choose, as we want everyone to feel at ease and comfortable during indoor meetings.
Virtual Walk-ins
OISS is hosting virtual office walk-in hours via Zoom, Monday – Friday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
To get the Zoom link, please visit https://oiss.rice.edu/virtualoffice (netID login required).
Visit https://oiss.rice.edu/covid19 for the OISS Coronavirus FAQ page.