Welcome to your ISSS Portal! Your Portal is your personal, centralized place to manage all of our immigration needs, and make your experience working with ISSS as efficient and easy as possible. We value your time and want you to be able to focus on being a student and pursuing your adventure in the US, not worrying about forms and documents, and we know this is an exciting step!
Please read on for more information on how to use your ISSS Portal!
Why are we now using a Portal System?
The Portal system solves many problems and inefficiencies students have when working on immigration documentation. It provides a secure place to exchange documentation with ISSS, it provides a long-term centralized storage area for all of your documentation, and it maximizes ease and efficiency of applying for different immigration benefits or requirements with ISSS.
Our goal is to make sure your time at UMBC is as little burdened by immigration processes as possible, giving you more time and energy to focus on being a student and having a great experience in the US, and we see this tool as promoting this goal.
We also foresee this streamlining as a method to maximize ISSS staff efficiency, resulting in faster processing times for students and increased availability for ISSS staff for other kinds of international student needs. We know you will agree that this is a big improvement!
Accessing your Portal:
To access your ISSS Portal, simply go to https://isss-portal.umbc.edu/ Click “Login” on the top right, and use your myUMBC username and password to access your account.
If you change your myUMBC username or password, your ISSS Portal login will also change – it will always match your myUMBC account information.
Applications:
You can find the different kind of applications under your visa category link on the left, and then narrow down your search with the choices there, such as incoming student or employment. Click on the application for the action you want to take.
You will usually be asked to select a term (for example, a semester or session) associated with your request.
Next, you will see a series of steps for your application. Please read the instructions carefully, follow the directions given, and only click SUBMIT after you have completed ALL requirements, to help us review your application as quickly as possible. Incomplete applications will result in a slower processing time.
If you are required to attach a document, you will be prompted to select the document type from the dropdown menu, which typically only offers choices that reflect required documents.
Some applications require you to electronically sign a statement of understanding – please read these carefully and ask ISSS any questions before signing!
Each item will be checked off automatically as you complete it. Once ALL requirements are complete, you can check the large SUBMIT button at the top of your application screen.
If your application requires a recommendation from someone like your academic adviser, you need to send the recommendation request, but don’t have to wait for a response to submit your application. However, we will not be able to process the application until the recommendation is complete. You can monitor whether the recommendation has been submitted in the application – after submitting, under the recommendation section, you can see “Requests” – this says “Complete,” which means you have made the request. Further down, you can see the name of each recommender you entered, and a check box – if the box is checked, they have completed their recommendation.
Other Features – your Profile
When you first login, you will be directed to your user profile.
The RECORDS section provides a history of all applications you have submitted to ISSS, and you can access the details. A “record” is an application and any action associated with it. This will also include all documents related to the application, and I-20’s produced as part of the application.
The SEARCH FORMS button on the top right will take you to a list of all application types available in your ISSS Portal.