All newly arrived international students and scholars whose immigration status is sponsored by Catholic University are required to attend and orientation session with International Student and Scholar Services. This orientation is separate from any orientation conducted by the academic department or School and focuses on issues surrounding:
- The immigration status and applicable regulations and
- The practical and cultural issues involved in establishing life in the U.S.
Under U.S. immigration law, foreign nationals are legally responsible for maintaining their immigration status. These orientation sessions are designed to ensure that they are informed of their responsibilities. Additionally, individuals in F or J status who do not check in with OIS may jeopardize their immigration status since OIS must confirm their arrival to the Department of Homeland Security. Failure to have their program participation validated will result in the cancellation of the immigration record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and put the individual on a look-out list for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
International Scholar Orientation: By appointment.
To schedule, contact Ivan Alvarado at (202) 318-5618 or via email at alvaradoi@cua.edu
Moving into the Residence Halls
International students who will be living on campus may be allowed to move into their residence halls early, provided appropriate arrangements have been made with the Housing Services office. For those of you who will be living on campus and need to move in early due to our international student orientation on Friday, January 10th, 2025, you will be allowed to move in on Thursday, January 9th, 2025. If this is your situation please email us (cua-ois@cua.edu) and let us know your name, CUA ID and arrival date AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!