Staff
George Omwandho
Immigration Specialist
Office of International Services
708 William Pitt Union
412-624-7127*
Fax: 412-624-7105
goo3@pitt.edu
* For appointments, please call the OIS Receptionist at 412-624-7120.
IMMIGRATION SPECIALIST
George is an Immigration Specialist in the Office of International Services (OIS) at the University of Pittsburgh. In that position, George 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, George 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
Born in Kenya, Omwandho grew up in culturally diverse surroundings. He spent most of his childhood in Kenya, and three years in Tanzania studying philosophy and religious studies. After graduating from Spiritan College (Tanzania), Omwandho returned to Kenya to work as a teacher in Nairobi, teaching English and religious education under the auspices of Benedictine Missionaries. In 1996, Omwandho moved to South Africa under the umbrella of the Catholic institution, where he worked with various ethnic communities as a teacher and community organizer among the Zulus in Durban, South Africa.
In 1997, Omwandho moved to Germany where he studied German language and Spanish philology at Wuerzburg University in Bayern (Southern Germany). While in Germany, he had a chance to live in other European countries such as Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. Of these countries, he enjoyed living in Germany and Italy. In Germany, he worked as a program coordinator with high school students in the Diocese of Wuerzburg.
In 1999, Omwandho moved from Germany to the United States as an international student. It was not an easy experience to assimilate into the American culture; however, after a few years of graduate studies at Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey, the United States has now become his new home. In May of 2005, Omwandho graduated from Seton Hall University with two master degrees: M.A., in Diplomacy and International Relations, and Master of Arts in Public Administration (MPA) with specializations in International Economic Development and Management of Nonprofit Organizations. In December 2006, Omwandho completed Graduate Certificate program in Healthcare Administration at Seton Hall University. Omwandho has done numerous research projects on immigration issues, healthcare topics in the U.S. and internationally as well as global politics with specific focus on Indonesia, Africa, and China.
Omwandho has held various positions as Customer Service Specialist, Immigration Research Assistant, Counselor, Supervisor and Program Specialist both in New Jersey and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). Omwandho speaks different languages including German, Intermediate Spanish, Swahili and some Italian.