Highlights from Announcements 11/26/18
Senate Dear Colleague on USCIS Unlawful Presence Policy
Last week the U.S. Senate sent a Dear Colleague Letter to the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Francis Cissna. The letter requests a reversal of the August 2018 policy memorandum which changes the accrual of unlawful presence for international students and visiting scholars (F, J, or M) visa holders who file a timely application for reinstatement.
If USCIS ultimately denies an application for reinstatement, unlawful presence would start accruing on the date of denial and not from the date of the application for renewal. In addition, J visa holders who file applications for reinstatement would “generally not accrue unlawful presence” during the time from they fell out of status to their date of reinstatement. Cornell’s federal relations office in DC encouraged the Senators from New York to sign the letter, although due to tight deadlines neither Senator was able to sign.
The federal relations office continues to work with the New York Senators and House Members on this and many other important immigration issues. ISSO has updated information and resources for international students.
Science Blender Podcast
Science is driven by people, each with a unique story to tell about their identity, upbringing, path to grad school, trials and successes in research! Listen to these stories from a diverse group of graduate students, and learn about their scientific adventures through Science Blender, the podcast that blends a person with their science! Founded and produced by graduate students, and funded as a Robert Frederick Smith Initiative. Listen to us on the web, Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Google Play or your favorite podcast app! If you want to learn more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook!
Read the Chronicle story about Science Blender
Student Spotlight: Claire Fox
Interested in what other graduate students are doing both on and off campus?
Check out our student spotlights, Q&As with current students about their research, hobbies, and experiences at Cornell.
Claire Fox is a doctoral student in evolutionary biology from Charlottesville, Virginia. Having learned about Cornell’s ecology and evolutionary biology program, she attended Cornell as an undergrad before continuing on to a Ph.D. program.