Orientation and Immigration Check-in for International Students

All new students are required to attend their respective orientation program, as well as complete their Immigration Check-in at OISS within 15 days of arrival in the U.S. Make your travel plans accordingly.

For details regarding the process for your specific program, please see below.

Please note that failure to attend both the international orientation and an immigration check-in with OISS will result in a hold being placed on your student record and may affect your immigration status.

Orientation and Check-in Process for Fall 2019

International MBA Students

A combined immigration check-in and orientation will take place during the pre-term period. This mandatory session is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Monday, August 5, 2019, OISS office & Sewall Hall 309. Students who miss the orientation/check-in must contact OISS immediately to schedule a make-up appointment. All MBA students are required to update their local address under the Mailing Address field in their ESTHER account as part of their check-in process. Please follow the formatting guidelines.

International Undergraduates & Undergraduate Exchange Students

The mandatory Immigration Check-In and I-PREP (international – Preparatory and Regulatory Education Program) will take place Friday - Sunday, August 16 - 18, 2019. These activities take place before O-Week. For complete details about the program, including where to stay, visit the I-PREP webpage. All undergraduate students are required to update their local address under the Mailing Address field in their ESTHER account as part of their check-in process. Please follow the formatting guidelines.

International Graduate Students

International graduate students have flexibility to complete the 4-step post-arrival process, comprised of immigration check-in steps and the mandatory Graduate International Orientation (GIO) held on Monday and Tuesday, August 19 - 20, 2019 in Herzstein Hall & Keck Hall. Please note that all steps must be completed by Tuesday, August 20, 2019.

Graduate Student Post-Arrival Process

(Please note that graduate students with a summer start date must check in within 15 days of their arrival and may not wait until August to complete this requirement)

Upon completing all 4 required steps, you will be in compliance and ready to begin your program at Rice University.

STEP 1: Document Check-in

1. E-check-in Option

Upload the required copies of your immigration documents to your OISS Portal account (**Not available for J-1 students). MUST be completed prior to moving on to step 2, Advisor Check-In.

2. In-Person Option

Bring originals and copies (OISS can assist you to make copies if needed) of your required immigration documents to OISS and complete the Check-in Form in person.

Required documents for either option include:

Completed E-Check-in form (complete and upload emailed copy to OISS Portal) OR completed hard copy Check-in Form (available at OISS)
Signed copy of I-20, pages 1 & 2 (*F-1s only)
Passport documentation (can be submitted as one or separate files/documents):
- visa stamp (if applicable)
- port of entry stamp (see example on the right)
- passport ID page (if different than what already submitted)
I-94 (download here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/)
Dependent documents (F-2s only) – F-2 signed I-20, visa stamp, I-94 for each dependent
Other status document (for example USCIS Approval Notice, EAD) as applicable for your situation

STEP 2: Advisor Session

Meet with an OISS advisor to complete your check-in process. The advisor will discuss the details of your immigration responsibilities, as well as walk you through the additional items to get you ready to begin your program. Please allow 1 hour – 1.5 hours to complete the check-in.

1. By Appointment Option

We offer check-in advisor appointments daily (Monday - Friday) at 2:00 p.m., and during August also at 10:00 a.m. Call 713-348-6095 or email oiss@rice.edu to schedule your appointment.

2. Graduate Priority Dates Option

No appointment necessary, all sessions begin promptly. Please arrive 30 minutes early to complete the document check-in process in person, or 10 minutes early to have your e-document verification completed prior to attending the advisor session.

**Graduate Priority Dates Schedule**
Date	Check-in Office Hours	Advisor Session Start Times
Thursday, August 15, 2019	9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.	10:00 a.m.; 11:00 a.m.; 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m.; 2:00 p.m.; 3:00 p.m.
Friday, August 16, 2019	12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.	1:00 p.m.; 2:00 p.m.; 3:00 p.m.; 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 17, 2019	9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.	10:00 a.m.; 11:00 a.m.; 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m.
Monday, August 19, 2019	1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.	1:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m.; 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019	1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.	1:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m.; 3:30 p.m.

STEP 3: ESTHER Address Update

All students are required to update their address in the Mailing Address field in their ESTHER account with their local address where they reside. Please follow the formatting guidelines, so that your address is properly accepted by SEVIS.

STEP 4: GIO – Graduate International Orientation

Graduate International Orientation (GIO) is a mandatory orientation program for all new international graduate (*non-MBA) and graduate exchange students. Students will review immigration regulations, graduate specific policies, and programs geared specifically to support the international graduate population. *Please note that MBA has a special combined check-in & orientation session designed for MBA international students that will take place during the international immersion week.

Graduate International Orientation will take place August 19 - 20, 2019

We recommend you arrive in Houston early. International students are permitted to arrive up to 30 days prior to the start date listed on the immigration document Form I-20 or DS-2019.

Any student unable to attend must notify OISS in advance and schedule a make-up session. Unfortunately, those students who do not attend will have a hold placed on their student record, which blocks them from registration until all check-in and orientation requirements are met.