What We Do
Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS), within Global Affairs, is helping to build a campus community that includes students and scholars from well over 100 countries and six continents. SISS serves more than 9,000 international students, faculty and researchers and their accompanying family members who come to UC Davis each year. We welcome the world to UC Davis.
We assist incoming and current international students and scholars, and their families with visa and immigration issues while they are at UC Davis. In addition to preparing the necessary documents to apply for a U.S. visa, SISS assists international students and scholars in maintaining their legal status while in the United States. SISS also provides orientation, assistance, information, and referral to international students, faculty, and researchers regarding financial, personal, cultural, and academic concerns.
For Students
SISS serves around 8,000 UC Davis international students from all over the world. One of the most important roles for SISS is to assist international students in obtaining and maintaining the appropriate legal status and employment authorization. SISS also provides students an orientation to the UC system, the UC Davis campus, and to the Davis community.
For Visiting Scholars, Professors and Researchers
SISS is a resource for immigration and visa information that influences a broad range of issues at the University. For the increasing number of family members accompanying our international students and scholars, SISS is a source of information and a point of referral to support their needs as members of the UC Davis community.
For Departments
SISS can assist any faculty or staff on campus with questions regarding international students and scholars; immigration issues; cross-cultural issues; and other matters. We act as a point of referral for departments for many other support services on campus, as well as many agencies off campus, such as the DMV, social security, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).