Connect with ISSS

Contact Us
About Us
Services
Processing Days and Professional Development Days

Contact Us

Virtual Drop-In Advising

At least two staff members will be available for questions during virtual drop-in. No appointment necessary. Visitors will be assisted on a first-come, first-served basis.
There's no drop-in on ISSS processing days.

Link: https://tamu.zoom.us/my/tamuiss

Monday and Thursday: 2pm - 4pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9am - 11am

If an ISSS staff member determines that an additional appointment will be needed to answer your questions, the staff member will schedule a follow-up appointment based on your availability.

Phone:

Phone: 979-845-1824
Emergency calls outside of business hours, press 2 in the call tree

Emails:

Students and General Questions: isss@tamu.edu
Scholars, Student Interns, and Remote Collaborators: j1scholars@tamu.edu
ISSS Events and Programs: isssprograms@tamu.edu

Office Hours and Location:

Open Monday-Friday

8:00am-12:00pm
1:00pm-5:00pm

1st floor of the Pavilion (by Evans Library)
International Student & Scholar Services
Pavilion 110
1226 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-1226

About Us

ISSS Mission Statement

Texas A&M University International Student & Scholar Services supports international students, scholars, and their families as they navigate the U.S. immigration system and life in the U.S. We educate on policies and regulations and provide programs to enhance the Texas A&M international community experience.

ISSS Commitment Statement

Bringing the World to Aggieland: Stronger Together
Howdy! We welcome our international students, scholars, and their dependents to the Aggie community. We strive to build and nurture a culture where being inclusive is who we are. We choose to embrace, encourage, and celebrate different viewpoints, perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds. We are proud of our International Aggies who are changing the world!

ISSS Values

Integrity – We are honest and transparent in our communication.
Teamwork – We support each other through challenges and successes and work together to serve our international community.
Accountability – We take ownership of our work and deliver on our commitments.
Relationships – We cultivate positive relationships with each other and the TAMU international community.
Excellence – We provide extraordinary service and continuously innovate.
Respect – We treat everyone with equity and dignity.

Meet the ISSS Staff

Services

Document Processing

ISSS document processing time is an average of 15 business days from the date a complete request is submitted.

Business days are Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm, when the university is open.

ISSS utilizes Terra Dotta software for student records and Sunapsis software for J-1 scholar/intern records. If you need to submit a request to ISSS, you may need to use these systems.

Students can view the public Terra Dotta site here: https://tamu-iss.terradotta.com/

J-1 Scholars/Interns can view the public Sunapsis site here

Busy Periods

The busiest months of the year for International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) are at the beginning and end of each semester. Due to the high volume of submitted cases to process, ISSS may exceed our 15-day processing time average during these peak processing seasons.

We recognize the impact that these delays have on our students and scholars, and we are working to mitigate the delays as much as possible. ISSS staff prioritize cases based on urgency and not necessarily when they are submitted. We know that you have deadlines to meet and we are considering those deadlines when prioritizing cases.

During these periods, please do not inquire about the status of your request until it has been pending with ISSS for at least 15 business days (not calendar days). Every inquiry by phone and email pulls staff away from processing.

Similarly, please do not utilize drop-in advising to check on the status of a pending application. These services are intended for advising and there is limited space available.

Document Pick-Up

ISSS will now use electronic signatures on I-20 requests. This means for most F-1 requests, students will only receive digital copies of their I-20s unless they specifically request a physical copy. F-1 SSN Endorsement requests will still receive a physical letter and I-20. F-1 Students will be able to download the digital I-20 in the ISSS Terra Dotta system.

At this time, electronic signatures will not be used for DS-2019 requests. ISSS will send out notices in the future when electronic signatures are implemented for J-1 requests. ISSS will continue scanning and uploading copies of issued DS-2019s for J-1 students in Terra Dotta. J-1 students can print the digital copies to use as needed. ISSS will still mail a physical copy according to the option selected within the J-1 request.

DS-2019s for J-1 scholars and interns are not scanned within Sunapis. ISSS will provide the physical DS-2019 to the scholar or intern.

All students and scholars can select ISSS front counter pick up or one of the mailing options below to obtain a physical copy of their document.

Front Counter Pick-Up

You can pick up your immigration documents at the ISSS office whenever the office is open. You will need to bring a photo ID (passport, aggie card, driver’s license, etc.). ISSS will not give you your documents if you forget to bring a photo ID

Important: Per Homeland Security regulations, ISSS can only give I-20s and DS-2019s to the person on the document. Third party pick-up by friends or family is NOT allowed.

Regular or Express Mailing

ISSS will mail documents using the mailing option you selected with your request:

Regular mail will not cost extra, but the mail also cannot be tracked once it leaves the ISSS office. It may take at least 2 weeks for you to receive your documents via this mailing option. ISSS will mail the documents to the address you provided in your mailing questionnaire.
Express mail orders can be purchased through eShipGlobal (Do NOT order through the FedEx, UPS, or DHL websites directly). You can choose different shipping speeds and shipping companies through eShipGlobal – these options will also have different prices that you must pay.
- Visit https://study.eshipglobal.com/ (do not visit the FedEx, UPS, or DHL websites directly) to create a user name and password and to set up an account. To request shipment, you will need your Texas A&M UIN, mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, and credit card information. If you have questions about how to use this service, review the Help section of the eShipGlobal website or e-mail support@eshipglobal.com.

Immigration Advising

ISSS staff members are available to assist with your questions/concerns through email, phone, and virtual drop-in advising. If your issue cannot be resolved via the other methods, a staff member will schedule a follow-up appointment to meet with you.

Please be aware that during busy periods, ISSS receives a high volume of calls, emails, and virtual drop-in visitors. We may not be able to assist everyone during scheduled office hours, but we will try to assist as quickly as we can.

The busiest months of the year for International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) are at the beginning and end of each semester.

Processing Days and Professional Development Days

Professional Development

We encourage our staff to participate in professional development opportunities, which may impact their individual schedules. Less frequently, there are professional development opportunities that involve all ISSS staff members. During these times, the office schedule may be impacted. Please refer to the list below for upcoming professional development and how it impacts ISSS office hours and services.

To be determined

Processing Days

To process the high volume of requests we receive, we schedule days for our staff to focus time exclusively on processing requests. We refer to these days as Processing Days. On Processing Days, ISSS will not provide Virtual Drop-In Advising. The lobby, phone line, and email account remain available.

Thursday, September 7
Wednesday, September 13
Tuesday, September 19
Monday, September 25
Friday, October 6
Wednesday, October 11
Monday, October 16
Tuesday, October 24
Thursday, November 2
Friday, November 10
Wednesday, November 15
Monday, November 20
Tuesday, November 28
Wednesday, December 6
Monday, December 11
Friday, December 15
Tuesday, December 19
Thursday, December 21