It is no surprise, then, that students and scholars from other countries often have difficulty with their tax forms. Unfortunately, delaying work on the tax forms does not make them easier to understand. It just makes the whole situation more stressful. The OISS Handbook for Foreign Students and Scholars contains a brief overview of the U.S. income-tax system. As the Handbook says, the OISS cannot provide assistance with income tax matters.
OISS staff lack the required knowledge and training.
The Handbook suggests other sources of information and assistance. The Coralville Public Library also has some forms. The volunteers are undergraduate accounting students, members of an accounting-student organization. That number is in operation 24 hours daily, seven days each week. This number includes 19,431 visas issued during 1998 for work in 1999.