When OISS is Closed
Emergencies (or what you may think is an emergency) may arise outside of OISS office hours. Normal OISS staff hours are 8:30 - 4:30 PM excluding holidays when the University is closed. During normal office hours, please contact OISS directly. Please follow the guidelines below when OISS is not open.
Immigration Related Emergencies
Examples:
- Trouble at the U.S. Port of Entry or stopped by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer
- Immediate danger of deportation from the U.S.
- Arrest
What to do:
- Call the Northwestern University Police Department (NUPD) at 1-847-491-3456.
- Inform NUPD you are an international student or scholar and that you have an immigration related emergency. Briefly provide specifics to NUPD.
- NUPD will contact the OISS Director or appropriate advisor to follow up with you.
- If possible, also send an email to intoff@northwestern.edu with details of your immigration related emergency.
Non-Immigration Related Emergency
Examples:
- Hospitalization
- Personal injury
- Automobile accident
- Victim of a crime such as robbery or assault
- Missing persons
What to do:
- On-campus if NOT life-threatening: Call NUPD at 1-847-491-3456 and explain the situation
- On-campus if life-threatening: Call 911 and explain the situation
- Off campus: Call 911 and explain the situation
- Once you are able, send email to intoff@northwestern.edu. OISS will provide assistance when the office reopens.
NON-Emergency, Immigration Related
If you are traveling without a valid travel signature:
- Complete the Travel Signature request in the OISS Portal and you will be able to access and print the document from the OISS portal. Normal processing time is within 5 business days.
- If you will be re-entering the U.S. in less than 5 business days, also send an email to INTOFF@northwestern.edu to explain your situation and urgency for an updated I-20/DS-2019 with a travel signature.
If your passport is lost or stolen while you are traveling outside the United States:
- Contact your local embassy to apply for a replacement passport.
- Note: some embassies require a police report in the case of a stolen passport.
- If you will be returning to Northwestern University, you will need to re-apply for a new visa stamp in the new passport. See Apply for a Visa Stamp for further instruction.
- You will not need to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee again. Go to the I-901 fee website and click on Check I-901 Status to print a copy of your I-901 payment confirmation receipt.
- You will not need to request a new I-20 or DS-2019 UNLESS something has changed from your most recent immigration document (change of program, name change, travel signature expired, etc.).
All other inquiries (on-campus employment, off-campus work authorization, etc.)
- Email your OISS advisor and they will respond after the office reopens within normal response time (5 business days or less).