General guidelines
STEP 1: DETERMINE SCHOLAR ACTIVITIES AND COMPENSATION
A Scholar is any non-U.S. citizen or non-permanent resident (“principal non-immigrant”) (i.e. someone who does not hold a U.S. passport, does not have legal residency in the U.S., and does not have a green card or permission to work in the U.S.), who is invited to Gonzaga’s campus in Spokane for a specified, temporary period of time to carry out research, teaching or any other scholarly activity determined appropriate by the inviting Dean and the Provost. Scholars already in the U.S. must be cleared prior to engaging in scholarly activities at Gonzaga. The amount of time they are expected to remain at Gonzaga, their purpose, activities, and compensation provided (if any) are factors that all could have visa implications.
Generally, a Scholar with a “purpose other than study” visa status can engage in “incidental study.” Other factors in considering whether study is “incidental” might be whether the study has become the principal purpose of being in the U.S., whether it interferes with the principal purpose of the individual’s immigration status, etc. If enrollment in classes becomes the primary objective for a non-student J-1 principal, or begins to interfere with accomplishing their J-1 objective, then their current J-1 category is no longer appropriate.
Compensation: A Scholar may be paid by Gonzaga or may be funded by an outside agency. If compensated by Gonzaga as a temporary employee, an additional process is required with HR well before the arrival of the scholar. If a Scholar is not considered as an employee of Gonzaga, some of these guidelines and recommendations may not apply.
STEP 2: DETERMINE VISA TYPE
Scholars need abundant time prior to coming to the U.S. to secure a J-1 visa, which requires immigration documentation, called DS-2019, to be generated by authorized ISSS personnel in the CGE. These personnel carry the title of Responsible Officer (RO) and Alternative Responsible Officer (ARO).
General eligibility criteria for a J-1 visa category include:
- The program is suitable to the Scholar’s background, needs, and experience;
- The Scholar possesses sufficient proficiency in the English language, as determined by an objective measurement of English language proficiency (typically carried out by Gonzaga English Language Center staff or official English language proficiency assessment score), to successfully participate in their program and to function on a day-to-day basis;
- The Scholar must have a Bachelor’s degree;
- The Scholar possesses adequate financial resources to participate in and complete their Scholar program;
- The Scholar participates remotely no more than 40% of the time (e.g., two days out of five) if their host department has instituted partial remote policies and Gonzaga has approved their hybrid program participation;
- The Scholar must carry insurance that meets Department of State requirements.
Gonzaga university can host Scholars that fall under one of the following two J-1 visa categories:
Short-Term Scholar: A foreign national who is a professor, research scholar, or person with similar education or accomplishments who enters the U.S. for a short-term visit for the purpose of lecturing, observing, consulting, training, or demonstrating special skills at Gonzaga. The Scholar’s proposal is for a duration of stay between one day and six months.
Professor & Research Scholar: The Scholar’s proposal must be between three weeks and up to five years.
Professors often perform research, and Research Scholars sometimes teach. The primary activity may shift from teaching to research and vice-versa within either category during the validity period of Form DS-2019 without any need to amend the DS-2019. Consult with ISSS (isss@gonzaga.edu) if you need help determining the appropriate U.S. visa type.
STEP 3: INITIATING THE INVITATION AND THE LETTER OF INVITATION
Gonzaga University academic units will go through a pre-arrival administrative and academic vetting process for hosting international visiting scholars. This process is captured in a step-by-step workflow to ensure the university meets both internal academic standards and the U.S. immigration regulations before extending an invitation. Refer to the checklist (pdf) when initiating the process of inviting international visiting scholars. It outlines required steps, documentation, and approvals needed to ensure institutional, academic, and immigration compliance before issuing an official invitation.
Once a Scholar is identified, and the Dean and Chair are comfortable with their credentials (with the signed checklist - pdf), begin drafting a letter of invitation (template - .docx). This letter of invitation will outline what Gonzaga and the School/College/Unit will provide this Scholar, and what Gonzaga’s expectations are for this individual (teaching a course, public lectures, research, etc.). Minimally the host School/College/Unit needs to provide an office (shared, if necessary), a desk, and a computer. Whether funded by Gonzaga or another agency, all the Scholar’s living and transportation expenses must be covered, and any sources outside the U.S. must be disclosed in the letter of invitation, which will be developed and negotiated by the relevant Dean, Chair (if applicable). Consult with the Associate Provost for Global Engagement if there are questions.
Identify School/College/Unit Hosts
For Scholars who plan to remain longer than three weeks, the responsible Dean and Chair will appoint a Faculty Host who will support the intellectual work of the Scholar and generally act as the scholar’s host for the duration of their visit. The Dean/Chair will also appoint an Administrative Coordinator in their area who will work closely with the ISSS team in the CGE to ensure that all logistical details are being considered and addressed. This includes, but is not limited to airport pick up, securing temporary housing upon arrival, and helping the scholar locate permanent housing for the duration of their stay.
For Scholars staying at Gonzaga for less than one week, the appointment of a Faculty Host and Administrative Coordinator takes on a different tone and visa type because of the short period of stay. The appointed Faculty Host and Administrative Coordinator will be named in the invitation letter along with their email contact information. The ISSS team has information and resources that will be made available to the Administrative Coordinator upon request.
STEP 4: U.S. VISA PROCESS
Once the Provost has signed the letter of invitation, the U.S. visa acquisition process begins.
• If the Scholar is not compensated by Gonzaga, and is therefore not considered a Gonzaga employee, ISSS staff in the CGE handles the visa process internally.
• If the Scholar is compensated by Gonzaga, and is considered a temporary Gonzaga employee, HR staff will handle this process.
STEP 5: MAINTAIN COMMUNICATION
Once the invitation has been issued, the Faculty Host should maintain regular contact with the Scholar to make sure that any questions or concerns they may have about coming to Spokane are addressed. Typically, this involves concerns over where they are going to live, and how they will get their work done. Sometimes family members accompany Scholars, who need to be accommodated in terms of schooling, language study, etc. The CGE will provide you with a checklist to follow to ensure smooth onboarding.
CGE will also maintain communication with the invited Scholar, to help them prepare for arrival in the U.S. The CGE will provide guidance and advice to the Scholar, and field general questions about living in the U.S., expectations about professional life at Gonzaga, etc. through a required orientation. The Faculty Host will be consulted if a question necessitates their interaction, and the Administrative Coordinator and Faculty Host will be copied on appropriate communications between CGE and the invited scholar.
STEP 6: PLAN FOR ARRIVAL
The week of arrival for any visitor to a new country can be stressful. The roles of the Faculty Host and the Administrative Coordinator are intended to help the Scholar acclimate and adapt to Spokane and Gonzaga.
The Faculty Host should plan to spend the first week after the scholar’s arrival taking the Scholar shopping for groceries, household items (if necessary), and helping them set up bank accounts, learn the public transportation system in Spokane, etc.
In addition, the Faculty Host should plan some fun activities to help acclimate the Scholar to Spokane and Gonzaga, help the Scholar to prioritize meetings, and alert the Scholar to appropriate departmental meetings and events as appropriate. Please take this opportunity to introduce the Scholar to as many people as you can and focus on helping them feel comfortable in their new environment.
Refer to the descriptions of responsibilities for the Faculty Host and Administrative Coordinator roles below. These responsibilities are all in collaboration with the CGE. The CGE will provide guidance and advice to Faculty Hosts and Administrative Coordinators throughout the entire process. For example, the ISSS team is available to consult and make recommendations for temporary housing upon arrival; methods for helping the scholar identify permanent housing, and other logistical needs. If necessary, and after consultation, the CGE may be able to identify a graduate student or other person who can help, but again, it is important that the School/College and academic department be intimately involved in the process of welcoming the Scholar to Gonzaga and to Spokane. The Scholar will be asked to attend an ISSS orientation and immigration information session.
Please contact the Center for Global Engagement (cge@gonzaga.edu) for an appointment to explore ideas or to explore inviting a Scholar to Gonzaga.