The International Student and Scholar Services team provides general immmigration information for the university community as well as information communicated to international students that may be of interest to the general community.
Note: This information does not include immigration advice for any individual. If you have specific questions, please use the Questions section on this page to connect with the appropriate office.
Everyone should be familiar with their rights on and off campus; ISSS recommends students utilize important information that is shared by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) as well as utilizing their immigration lawyer search tool should they be looking for external counsel.
We have been getting questions about what to do should an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer were to arrive in the area. AILA has published three Know Your Rights documents. Please see below for links to the documents.
ISSS advises students in F and J status as well as their dependents and scholars in J status only. Please note that we recommend speaking with a certified immigration lawyer should you have any questions beyond the scope of our office.
Students have asked what type of documentation they should carry. Please note that ISSS does notrecommend that you carry with you any original documentation including your passport.
F and J visa holders should carry:
• One original form of photo ID (issued from the state or from Ohio University).
• Color photocopies of their passport ID and visa stamp pages.• Photocopy of most recent Form I-20 or DS2019.
As a reminder, Ohio University’s Spring Semester begins January 13, 2025. Students are expected by the U.S. government to return prior to that date to fulfill in-person course requirements. If you are unable to return prior to the start of classes, we recommend that you return to the U.S. prior to January 20, 2025, as we are uncertain of potential changes to U.S. immigration policies.
Carry Essential Documents: Upon entering the United States (U.S.), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) may ask for evidence of your reason for returning to the U.S. To be prepared, make sure you carry all your documents:
At the border of the United States, USCBP makes the final determination to admit any individual into the country.
Need to apply for a new visa stamp? Before leaving the U.S., make sure you have a confirmed visa appointment.
Note: This information does not include immigration advice for any individual. If you have specific questions, please contact ISSS using the below information.
We appreciate your patience as we will answer questions as they arrive.
International Student and Scholar Services
Email: isss@ohio.edu
Phone: 740-593-4330
For Ohio University international faculty and staff , please contact the Office of Legal Affairs at patterson@ohio.edu or (740) 597-1774. You may also visit the Office of Legal Affairs website regarding essential travel information for H-1B and H-4 dependent visa holders.
This is intended to provide general guidance for Ohio University’s faculty, staff, and students in the event immigration enforcement officers visit campus. This is not legal advice, but rather guiding principles to ensure legal compliance while protecting the privacy rights of our faculty, staff, and students.
Please note, Ohio University cannot represent individual students or employees in personal immigration matters. It is recommended that you consult an immigration attorney.
Immigration enforcement officers may include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As a public university, OHIO campuses are largely open to the public. Immigration enforcement officers may enter public areas on campus without a warrant. However, public access is limited in certain areas of campus. Limited access areas may include university-owned buildings that require university-issued ID to enter, including classrooms, faculty and staff offices, laboratories, and residence halls.
OHIO campus community members should never physically interfere with an enforcement action or do anything to put themselves in physical danger.
Immigration enforcement officers are required to have a criminal judicial warrant or search warrant ( i.e. , signed by a judge) to lawfully enter limited access areas on campus without consent, such as a residence hall room.
If officers do not have a criminal judicial warrant, they may come to campus with an administrative warrant, which is not signed by a judge and does not authorize officers to enter limited access areas without consent. Please refer to the Know Your Rights information.
In any event, you should advise the officers that you must contact the Ohio University Police Department at (740) 593-1911 and the Office of Legal Affairs (740) 593-2626.
Immigration officers may visit campuses for reasons unrelated to enforcement. These reasons may include random inspection of I-9 employment verification records and/or performing administrative site visits for visa compliance reviews.
The Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) protects personally identifiable information (PII) in students’ education records from unauthorized disclosure. Ohio University may not disclose PII in education records without the student’s written consent except in limited circumstances.
Some PII, such as a student’s name and address are directory information, may be disclosed unless a student has requested confidentiality through MyOHIO Student Center. Other PII, such as a student’s class schedule, social security number, date of birth, and place of birth, may not be disclosed unless an exception to FERPA’s privacy requirement applies.
Accordingly, if you receive a request from officers for any information about an OHIO student, please contact the Office of Legal Affairs at (740) 593-2626.
If officers present a subpoena for the requested information, please contact the Office of Legal Affairs immediately. Do not accept service of a subpoena on behalf of the university.
OHIO sponsors many international students and scholars in F-1 and J-1 nonimmigrant status. FERPA permits institutions to respond to information requests from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to comply with the requirements of the F-1 and J-1 programs.
However, the information that can be requested and provided is limited to the categories listed in DHS regulations, and that request must be made to OHIO’s International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). ISSS maintains this information in the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS). For other information, international student and scholar records are entitled to the same FERPA protection that otherwise governs student education records.
If you receive a request for information about a student or scholar in F-1 or J-1 status, please contact ISSS at (740) 593-4330.
If immigration enforcement officers are present in your classroom, office, laboratory, or residence hall, please immediately contact OUPD and the Office of Legal Affairs.
If you are experiencing other non-emergency concerns, you may contact Legal Affairs. Other offices that can assist include:
Ohio University will continue to follow all state and federal laws. We will provide guidance should any legal developments change this information.
If you are an Ohio University international student or scholars with questions about travel or immigration, please contact the ISSS team.
Email: isss@ohio.edu
Phone:740.593.4330
If you are an Ohio University international faculty or staff member with questions about travel or immigration, please contact Erin Patterson in the Office of Legal Affairs.
Email: patterson@ohio.edu
Phone: 740.597.1774
Learn more about traveling as a J-1 student or scholar, including what types of documentation you must carry with you.
As an F-1 student, you must carry specific types of documentation with you when you are traveling. Review this page before you make plans to travel in or outside of the U.S.
Review the Traveling to Campus page to learn what types of documents to pack in your carry-on luggage, locating a U.S. Port of Entry and gain an understanding of what you may experience while speaking to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) at a Port of Entry.