Staff
Sara E. Jones
Immigration Specialist
PART-TIME: Monday and Wednesday (all day), Thursday (morning only)
Office of International Services
708 William Pitt Union
412-624-7843*
Fax: 412-624-7105
jonesse@pitt.edu
* For appointments, please call the OIS Receptionist at 412-624-7120.
IMMIGRATION SPECIALIST
Sara is an Immigration Specialist in the Office of International Services (OIS) at the University of Pittsburgh. In that position, Sara is responsible for managing all immigration casework for, and providing related immigration services to, a portfolio of University schools and/or departments. The immigration caswork includes a broad spectrum of cases, ranging from cases involving international student issues to applications for employment-based US Lawful Permanent Resident status. Specifically, Sara is responsible for:
- Processing complex immigration casework for international students, international faculty, and international staff, requiring interface with various academic and administrative units throughout the University;
- Functioning as Designated School Official and Alternate Responsible Officer, recognized by the US Department of Homeland Security and US Department of State, and authorized to access the federal government's Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS);
- Functioning as liaison between OIS and other University schools/departments/divisions, community organizations, and US and foreign government agencies;
- Responding to internal and external inquiries regarding immigration matters;
- Representing OIS internally to various academic and administrative units, and externally to various local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as other educational institutions and organizations; and
- Advising and assisting international students and scholars with regard
to complex immigration regulations, as well as personal, social, and/or
academic concerns.
To view a chart listing all school assignments for all Immigration Specialists in OIS, see our OIS Immigration Services School/Department Assignments chart, which has been updated with new assignments, effective September 1, 2008).
NOTE: Questions regarding international admissions processes and procedures should be directed to the appropriate staff member in the OIS International Admissions unit.
Biography
Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh, Sara worked at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, N.J. as the Assistant Director for Admission and International Coordinator. She received a dual Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in English Writing and Spanish from the University of Pittsburgh.
Sara speaks Spanish and is also proficient in Portuguese. She has traveled to Brazil, Croatia, France, Italy, and Spain.
Professional Affiliations
Selected Appointments/Elected Positions
- Co-Chair, NAFSA New Jersey Annual Meeting (2003 and 2004)
- NAFSA Region X Conference Volunteer (2002)
Selected Awards/Honors
- Featured Soloist, Heinz Chapel Choir, University of Pittsburgh (1997-2001)