NEW - ISSO Portal
As of February 1, 2021, the ISSO's Terra Dotta software has gone through a major update called The New Student Experience. Known as the "ISSO Portal", this will be where students can help the ISSO to manage their immigration record and their F-1 or J-1 benefits. Please take a look at our FAQ below for more information.
All students will receive an email from the ISSO inviting them to login to their ISSO Portal account.
Please note that is for F-1 and J-1 students ONLY at this time!
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Previously, students needed to fill out different forms when applying for work authorization or requesting a new I-20. The ISSO Portal allows students to perform all of these requests from one convenient location!
Examples include:
- Work authorization: CPT, OPT, STEM OPT, and Academic Training
- Requesting an I-20 Reprint
- Updating your address and contact information
- Program Extension
- Transfer Out Requests
- Applying to add a dependent
- ISSO Check-In
- And more!
Each student's portal is customized to their particular situation, so you might not see all the options mentioned above. If you're not able to see an option it means it's not relevant to you at this time, but will become available once you're eligible.
We have added a link to the ISSO Portal on the sidebar of pages where you might need access. It can be found on the left-hand side of most pages. We have included a link below as well:
ISSO Portal
You will login with your Brandeis credentials, the same as you use for your email.
You will be able to log in with your Brandeis credentials to access the ISSO Portal in Terra Dotta. There, you will see important reminders and updates on the Welcome tab, as seen below.
On the Personal & Program tab you can review the information that we have on record and ensure that it's accurate.
You can submit requests as Contact Information Updates, I-20 Reprint Requests, or CPT and OPT Requests from the Control Center tab. Here, you can also view any pending requests that you have submitted.
Email us!
We are still fixing issues since the update has gone live. Please let us know if you encounter any errors so we can assist you.
Each student's portal is customized to their particular situation, so you might not see the same options as on your friend's portal. If you're not able to see an option it means that it's not relevant to you at this time, but will become available once you're eligible. This process will happen automatically.
Requests on the ISSO Portal, such as for an I-20 Reprint, CPT, or OPT, can be in several different statuses. Below are several typical ones and what they mean:
Pending: Pending means a request has been started but hasn't been fully submitted yet. It's similar to how if you start writing an email but don't send it, it will end up in your "draft" folder. We at the ISSO will not receive notifications about requests in "pending" status. If all the information in your request is correct, make sure to hit "submit"!
Adv_review: Some requests, such as CPT or OPT, require input from your academic or program advisor. You will enter their name and email address as part of the request and they will receive an email once you push "submit". When a request is in adv_review this means the advisor still needs to complete their portion of the application. If it's been a while since you submitted the request and it's still in "adv_review" status, you can politely remind the advisor to complete their portion. If they cannot find or didn't receive the initial email, let us know and we can send it again.
Submitted: When a request is in submitted status it will show up in our list of requests that need to be processed. Our normal processing time is 7-10 business days for most requests. An ISSO advisor will process it, reaching out to you if they have any questions or require anything further. Please note that this may be a different ISSO advisor than the your assigned advisor. You will not be able to make any edits to a submitted request, so let us know if there's anything you need changed!
Information for Faculty/Staff
