Check-in and orientation at the Office of International Affairs

Link to OIA web site

Good morning! Today’s post is exclusively for those students who currently hold or will hold an F-1 or J-1 visa upon enrolling at Ohio State (if you have any other visa type, please e-mail and let me know!). By now, you should have each received pre-arrival information from the Office of International Affairs. If you have not, please review this information online at https://oia.osu.edu/pre-arrival-and-orientation.html.

When you arrive to Columbus, you will need to complete a mandatory immigration check-in with the Office of International Affairs. Check-ins are only held during the business week (Monday-Friday). If you have already registered for your check-in – great! If you have not, please contact me for further assistance.

When you registered your check-in, you should have been assigned to an orientation session. Because the Department’s orientation and GTA training program begins on August 11th and runs through August 21st, we need all of our incoming international students to attend an orientation session before or on August 10th. If you have been assigned to an orientation session on August 17th, please contact me for further assistance.

It is important to note that check-in and orientation are two separate events. At check-in, you will receive information about the following:

  1. How to maintain your immigration status
  2. OIA Orientation
  3. Placement tests (Tuesday’s post will explain more about placement tests for international students)
  4. Required health screening
  5. BuckID
  6. Parking permit
  7. Resources on and off campus

At orientation, information will be provided about campus safety, academic conduct, immigration, and cultural adjustments as well as resources and programs to welcome students and help them prepare for Autumn semester.

The Office of International Affairs should be your primary resource for issues concerning your immigration status. The staff in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s Graduate Studies Office may be able to provide limited answers to basic immigration questions, but will always refer international students to the Office of International Affairs for additional assistance. Before traveling to the US, please thoroughly review the pre-arrival information on OIA’s web site and familiarize yourself with what to expect during your first few days on campus. We’re excited to welcome all of you to Ohio State!