Pre-Arrival and Post-Arrival Department Checklist for Visiting Scholars

Prior to a scholar's arrival, the hosting department should:

1. Obtain a curriculum vitae or resume or other means to establish whether the prospective scholar has the appropriate qualifications for working in the department.

2. Establish scholar's proficiency in English.

3. Determine whether there is an appropriate faculty host to assist the scholar prior to and upon arrival.

4. Determine the financial arrangements. If the University is not providing support how will scholar meet his or her expenses? The scholar must demonstrate that he or she has the equivalent of $1300/month for his or her expenses and an additional $5700 for a spouse and $3500 for each child.

5. Determine whether family members will accompany the scholar (or join the scholar at a later date.) Are the funds sufficient to support a family?

6. Consult with ISSS about appropriate visa type.

7. Complete and submit the Department Request Form for J-1 Exchange Visitor At Penn to ISSS with a copy of the department letter of invitation.

8. Notify scholar that medical insurance is required for him or herself and all family members, and whether or not the University can cover the cost of the insurance.

9. Provide the scholar with information about departmental activities and a visitor's professional obligations and privileges, i.e. what the department can and cannot provide with respect to office space, secretarial support, access to labs, computers, libraries, etc. Hosting departments and/or faculty must make certain that the international scholar understands what can be expected in terms of all the items noted above. With nonsalaried scholars, for example, US faculty host may assume that the invitation is enough and that once a scholar arrives he or she will be self sufficient. For some scholars this may be true, but for others there may be an expectation that they will have ample opportunity to interact with faculty once here. Precise and advance communication can help avoid such misunderstandings.

10. Arrange for temporary accommodations if needed.

11. Inform prospective scholar to wait for a visa document from ISSS. The scholar should not come to the US on any other visa.

Upon a scholar's arrival at Penn, the hosting department should:

1. Arrange for scholar to be met at the airport, if appropriate.

2. Refer scholar upon arrival to ISSS for: visa/employment verification, information regarding housing, campus and community life, safety, banking and other matters of settling into a new community. ISSS will also assist the scholar in obtaining a US social security number.

3. Encourage scholar to attend ISSS orientation for newly arrived scholar. (They will receive an invitation from ISSS.)

4. Confirm arrangements for medical insurance.

5. Arrange for appointment to University personnel/payroll system, even if the appointment is a courtesy appointment.

6. Assist with obtaining a PennCard and library privileges.

7. Arrange for scholar to have departmental and community contacts.

8. Inform scholar to contact ISSS regarding any of the following matters:

   • maintaining validity of passport
   • traveling outside the US
   • extension of immigration status
   • transferring to another US institution or program or changing employers (even within the University)
   • changing from one immigration status to another
   • obtaining employment permission for other than specified employment
   • obtaining employment authorization for spouse
   • obtaining information about English language classes and other support programs for spouses
   • obtaining information on US income tax obligations.