Symposium Events | Office of International Services

OIS hosts one large Symposium every year, one Mini-Symposium, and monthly, online Lunch Series events throughout the year to help educate and train the Pitt faculty and staff about important issues related to immigration and our Pitt international community.

Annual Fall Symposium

This year's Annual Symposium was held on October 16, 2023 at the University Club. You can register here until October 2, 2023.

8:30am - 9:00am - Welcome and Continental Breakfast
9:00am - 12:00pm - Concurrent Sessions Begin
12:00pm - 1:30pm - Lunch and Remarks
1:30pm - Closing

Concurrent Sessions

Session I

Common Questions & Best Practices for Employment Related Work - BEGINNERS - OIS staff will review common questions and issues that come up for new administrators when preparing J and H requests. Topics to include: navigating My OIS, how much time to request in an H-1B filing, H-1B vs. J-1, the TN visa, J-1 categories, arrival and check-in process, when to submit case requests to OIS, and understanding the role of OIS.
EB-2 Labor Certification: What is the Department's Role - Representatives from Pitt’s Human Resources office and Dentons Cohen & Grigsby law firm will explain the department’s role during the labor certification phase of an EB-2 permanent residency application.
Mental Health Resources for International Students and Scholars - UCC Counselor Diana Ramirez will talk about new initiatives from the University Counseling Center aimed at international students. She can also provide community resources for international populations not served by the UCC – scholars and family members.

Session II

Common Questions & Best Practices for Employment Related Work - ADVANCED - OIS staff will review more advanced questions and issues that come up during the J and H request process. Topics to include: Change of Employer regulations, the different H-1B categories as they relate to when employees can begin work and when premium processing is needed, transferring scholars and employees both to and from Pitt.
Off the Beaten Path: Leaves of Absence, Suspensions, and Dismissals - OIS staff will discuss issues relating to leaves of absence, as well as academic suspensions and dismissals. Also included will be a discussion on enrollment requirements for international students in F and J status.

Session III

Administrative Processing and Visa Delays/Denials - OIS staff will discuss what happens when a student’s/employee’s visa application is denied or delayed by ‘administrative processing’ at the US Consulate. Also included is a discussion on visa stamping and general travel issues.
Employment Options for F-1 and J-1 Students - OIS staff will review when and where international students in F and J status can work. This will include on-campus and off-campus options.
Transitioning from OPT to H-1B - Attendees will learn about using OPT for work authorization, and how/when to move into H-1B status.

Spring Mini-Symposium

This year's Spring Mini-Symposium will be held on February 21, 2024 in the Lower Lounge of the William Pitt Union. You can register here until February 16, 2024. At registration you will indicate which sessions below you plan to attend.

11am - 12pm - Employment Visa Topics
12pm - 1pm - Lunch with Remarks
1pm - 2pm - OIS Process for Incoming Students

Lunch Series

Click here to register for any of the virtual Lunch Series sessions.

September 27 - What's New in OIS
October 16 - Symposium (see above)
November 15 - Social Security Number Process
January 17 - On-Campus Employment
February 21 - Lunch (in person! Details to come.)
March 20 - OPT Basics
April 17 - Transferring Scholars (In and Out of Pitt)
May 15 - H-1B Employees: Retaining Employees Long Term/Green Card Strategy

Recordings of Past Lunch Series

You can view recording of the previous Lunch Series for Admins below.