The Office of International Student & Scholar Services (OISSS) provides assistance for all international students and scholars at The Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus to obtain and maintain their appropriate visa status.

All international appointees regardless of rank must visit the OISS office. The following checklist is designed to help identify what steps must be taken to invite an international visitor to JHU and to ensure that the university remains in compliance with federal regulations governing the visitor.

  • Contact the International Office to determine the appropriate visa status for the appointee. A list of visa types is listed on the OISS website.
  • Require the appointee to visit the international office upon arrival for check-in.
  • Remind the international appointee to obtain an official Social Security Number
  • Check to be sure the international appointee completes the appropriate payroll forms and tax withholding forms (Form I-9, etc.)
  • Verify the international visitor's health insurance while the visitor is present in the U.S. (They are required to have health insurance)
  • Be aware of your appointees visa status expiration dates and visa extension requirements making sure he/she completes visa status extension document in a timely manner.
  • Remind the international appointee to communicate any changes in address, phone number, or e-mail to international office on campus.
  • Contact International office when the appointee terminates with The Johns Hopkins University and/or depart U.S.
  • Contact the international office with any questions or concerns regarding the international appointee.

In the case of international visitors, work eligibility supercedes any other criteria for the period of appointment. Therefore, appointments for internationals will coincide with work eligibility rather than the academic or fiscal calendar. We ask departments not to complete an ENTL placing these individuals on payroll until they have officially arrived at the university and have completed an I-9 verification with the International Office. The Director of the Office of International Student and Scholar Services has requested that his staff not provide temporary (dummy) social security numbers or anything else that would assist departments in circumventing the ENTL System and compromising JHU's federal grants by placing individuals on payroll before they enter the United States.

Dates of appointment requested in the Chair's letter should coincide with eligibility to work. If an individual does not arrive at the university until after the start date of the appointment letter, then the first date of employment is the date of entry into the U.S. with JHU visa papers. The I-9, and not the appointment letter, dictates the first date of employment. Appointments cannot be made retroactive.

Penalties for Non-compliance
If Johns Hopkins University is found to be in non-compliance with U.S. federal regulations governing international visitors, the university is subject to the following penalties:

  • Inability to admit international visitors in F-1 or J-1 Status
  • Substantial fines ranging from civil penalties to the revocation of all federal grants and contracts.

Payments to International Students and Scholars
Several issues arise when paying international students or scholars at the University. The payment must be consistent with their visa type and their status as stipulated on the immigration documents. For basic documentation information about employment authorization and payroll requirements for international persons for wages and fellowships, see http://www.controller.jhu.edu/tax/intlguide.html#8.

For payments, including honorarium, see
http://www.controller.jhu.edu/tax/intlguide.html#7.D

Forms for obtaining VISA Status
The most common visa types for appointed personnel are the J-1 and H-1B visas.

If your appointee is on entering the country on an J-1 visa, you must complete the Faculty Exchange Visitor Notification form (FS-2 FORM).

If your appointee is on entering the country on an H-1B visa (see http://www.jhu.edu/~isss/visachart.html), the Department is responsible for providing OISSS with the information included in the H-1b1 Departmental Checklist at: http://www.jhu.edu/%7isss/forms.html. The H-b1 applicant must submit to OISSS the documentation requested in the H-1b1 Individual Checklist at http://www.jhu.edu/%7isss/forms.html

Please note: All forms must be obtained through the ISSS office and require an original authorization signature

The Dean's Office will send out an official appointment confirmation letter. The department administrator or designee will complete the necessary payroll forms.

Upon arrival, the new appointee will need to complete an I-9 Employment Eligibility Form, either by visiting HR Payroll in 119 Garland Hall, or, if it is an international appointee, he/she will need to visit the Office of International Student & Scholar Services (3103 N. Charles St.)

Payroll (electronic) for International Appointees:

  1. Need accurate work location and OBJ (object code) on screens 3 and 5 respectively
  2. If citizenship is not "United States", complete ENTL screen 4 fields:
    • Citizenship
    • Alien number if known
    • Work (Authorization) Expiration Date
    • Visa Type
    • Last resident country, prior to U.S. entry, and
    • U.S. entry date
  3. Indicate "last resident country" even if the same as citizenship. Typically, must have been a resident in that country for 1 year or more in order to qualify as "last resident country".
  4. Use IRS country codes for "citizenship" and "residence". (find codes by typing "I" at the ENTL action line"



 

Joan Spoltore
A&S Human Resources Manager
237 Mergenthaler Hall
(410) 516-4138
FAX: 410-516-8480

Pat Posner
Human Resources Coordinator
(410) 516-7062
FAX: 410-516-8480

Nicholas Arrindell, Ph.D.
Director, OISSS

Noppadon Moapichai
Assistant Director

Gina Vachino
International Student and Scholar Advisor

Susana Rodriguez
Foregin Services Assistant

© 2006, The Johns Hopkins University. Website maintained by Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

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