The passport is a government's permit allowing an individual to leave and re-enter their home country. International students/scholars/dependents should ensure that their passport is valid 6 months into the future at all times. 

Passport to Emory is a pre-departure onboarding program for students, with a particular focus on issues applicable to students on F-1 or J-1 immigration status, who will begin their undergraduate, graduate, or professional program in the fall. This free, in-person event offers helpful information related to immigration, pre-departure tips, campus resources, cultural awareness and so much more. Passport to Emory smooths the transition and prepares students for a successful Emory student experience.

Lawful permanent residents (LPRs), also known as “green card” holders, are non-citizens who are lawfully authorized to live permanently within the United States. Emory sponsors certain employees for employment-based permanent residency. International scholars interested in having Emory sponsor their permanent residency should first contact their hiring/host department who are responsible for initiating the process with ISSS.

Each summer, ISSS and their campus partners offer a summer pre-arrival webinar series for incoming international students and their families. Topics include the I-20 issuance process, immigration, off-campus housing, health and safety. Students and their family members are encouraged to attend as many of these webinars as they can. Recordings of most sessions are made available on the ISSS website for those who are unable to attend the live sessions. 

Occasionally, international scholars may be offered a promotion or a change in job title. Before an international scholar can begin a new position, they must receive approval from ISSS. The new department is responsible for initiating this process. 

Depending on the scholar's nonimmigrant status, a promotion may not be possible or the change may require an application to be filed with the US government. Therefore, it is important that scholars and their hiring department submit the request to ISSS as early as possible.