Advising for International Students
Getting the Right Advice
The Office of International Student Services provides specialized F-1 Visa SEVIS advising for current PCC F-1 international students.
The SEVIS team is available for in-person and virtual appointments. To schedule an appointment, please email us at oiss-sevis@pcc.edu.
F-1 Student Advising
What is a SEVIS Coordinator/Designated School Official (DSO)?
The OISS International SEVIS team provides you with a number of important benefits and services. Our primary function is to ensure that you maintain your legal status while studying at Portland Community College (PCC) and to provide you with the necessary support to be a successful student.
A SEVIS Coordinator is also known as Designated School Officials (DSO’s). As DSO’s, we act as liaisons between PCC and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through: the Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Department of State, embassies and consulates abroad and more!
What can my SEVIS Advisor assist me with?
We encourage students to visit with their SEVIS Advisor when unsure of regulations/situations pertaining to their F-1 visa. It is your responsibility to understand and comply with the terms of your immigration status during your stay in the United States. A violation of the immigration regulations (for example, failure to maintain a full-time credit load or unauthorized employment) could jeopardize your F-1 status and legal stay in the U.S. Plan ahead, become more familiar with your F-1 visa type/the regulations and prevent an emergency by establishing a good relationship with your advisor. We welcome your questions!
SEVIS Advisors provide students with current information regarding compliance with DHS requirements, including student and exchange visitor status, travel, employment regulations and much more.
You must talk to your SEVIS Advisor/DSO when any of the following situations apply to you:
- Changing your major, program, degree or educational level
- Transferring to a new school
- Taking annual vacation
- Taking a leave of absence
- Traveling outside of the United States
- Moving to a new address
- Changing your name
- Working in the United States
- Requesting a program extension
- Having trouble maintaining status or need to take a reduced course load
- Having a Terminated SEVIS record or other discrepancies on your SEVIS record
- Having trouble applying for a driver’s license
- Having any other questions related to your program of study and time studying in the United States
Academic Advising
Each student is assigned an Academic Advisor based on their academic pathway. These advisors can help you plan your schedule each term, see which courses you must take to graduate, provide prerequisite overrides, and more.
How to schedule an appointment with your Academic Advisor
To schedule an appointment with your advisor, you can do this through Navigate 360, which you will find on my.pcc.edu under the Quick Links section.
In the Navigate 360 menu, choose “Appointments”, select the “My Team” tab, then click the blue “Schedule an Appointment” button.
This page is maintained by the OISS SEVIS Coordinator.