International Student Adviser

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary:
  Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Building:
  Armstrong Hall
• Salary Range: $70,000 - $75,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

The International Student Adviser delivers immigration services to the international student community at Columbia University. Specifically, the incumbent advises on opportunities, rights, and responsibilities under the immigration laws of the United States, and confers with other University departments, legal counsel, or governmental agencies as necessary; advises international students on all immigration matters related to their presence at Columbia University; acts as Designated School Official (DSO) and Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) in issuing required US government documents to international students in order to obtain student or exchange visitor visas abroad, extend stay, apply for employment authorization, travel abroad, and re-enter the US successfully;

collaborates with staff, schools, departments and outside organizations (including vendors) to plan and coordinate collaborative events as needed.

• The International Student Adviser (ISA) acts as appropriate to issue required US government documents for international students to obtain student or exchange visitor visas, extend the students’ stay, apply for employment authorization, travel abroad, re-enter the US, and other benefits as appropriate;

• Consults with SEVIS Help Desk and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resolve processing or status problems;

• The incumbent will act as Designated School Official (DSO) and Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) in issuing required US government documents for international students to obtain appropriate F-1 or J-1 visas; and consult with the Associate Director on current federal regulations, policies, the Code of Federal Regulations, secondary references, and more complex immigration cases;

• The ISA advises and provides guidance to F-1 and J-1 students related to their opportunities, rights, and responsibilities on immigration regulations and university policies, including maintaining their legal status, extensions of stay, travel, transfers, and off-campus employment;

• Evaluates immigration documents and academic records to determine students’ eligibility for off-campus employment (Curricular Practical Training, Pre/Post-Completion Optional Practical Training, and STEM extension of OPT, and Academic Training);

• Prepares and issues all the necessary immigration documents needed for off-campus employment;

• Serves as a University liaison and works directly with the State Department, US Department of Homeland Security, consular officers, and immigration officials on matters relating to non-immigrant foreign students as needed;

• The International Student Adviser (ISA) assists in creating applications, forms, hand-outs and other types of communication materials related to various immigration procedures, and helps in streamlining and improving ISSO processes and services;

• The ISA makes recommendations for process improvements related to non-immigrant matters such as work authorization;

• Maintains and enhances in-depth knowledge of US immigration and school policies as they affect international students; evaluates complex regulations and applies them to individual cases;

• Presents at various school-specific orientations and immigration workshops, including Curricular…