Application Process:

Inviting International Students and Scholars to UCSF

UCSF-sponsored student, exchange visitor program participation, employment, and visitor visas are governed by state and federal laws and regulations, along with University of California policy. These laws, regulations, and policy dictate guidelines to follow when inviting international students and scholars to UCSF.

All international students and scholars, regardless of the purpose and length of intended visits, must be processed through Services to International Students and Scholars (SISS). This includes international students and scholars visiting UCSF for lectures, conferences, seminars, informal and formal clerkships, and certificate programs. All international visitors must physically check in with SISS on arrival at UCSF.

1. Visits for international scholars may be requested by either a UCSF faculty member or from the visitor. A faculty member from the Department must be identified as a sponsor for each potential scholar and this person will be responsible for developing a curriculum and schedule for the scholar.
2. All applications must be reviewed and approved by the Department Chair (B. Joseph Guglielmo, Pharm.D.) before the visiting scholar arrives to participate in departmental activities.
3. All visiting scholars must submit; (1) a letter of introduction, (2) a current CV, (3) a statement of purpose that includes the objectives for the visit as well as expectations for potential application of the information to their home environment and (4) a specified duration for the visit. Upon completion of this educational experience, participants are expected to submit a written summary of their experience to the Chair of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy.
4. All visiting scholars in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy must be appointed to an administrative or academic position in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy. Examples of UCSF academic appointment titles appropriate for the J program are: Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee, Fellow, and Paid Direct; Research Associate, Research Associate: Research Fellow; Specialist Series-Assistant, Associate, and Specialist; Professional Research Series-Assistant, Associate, and Research; Professor in Residence Series; Adjunct Professor.
5. The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program is not intended for individuals with clinical responsibilities and the department must state on the request that there will be “no patient contact” or that there will be “indirect patient contact”. This must be approved by the SISS Director.

General Work Flow: Total processing time for application as a visiting scholar is approximately 4 months. See U:\SISS\J-1 Procedures\J-1 Work Flow.doc, see also C:\2003 4 FOLDER\Internl Students VISAS\J-1 Steps 7 27 06 Detail, Policy and Practice: J-1 Exchange Visitor Status

Visa requirements: J-1 for visiting Postdoctoral Scholars and Post Graduate Researchers (PGRs): Must complete REQUEST FOR CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR J-1 VISA (FORM DS-2019). It will be the responsibility of the faculty sponsor, working with the available administrative staff to see that all forms are completed and submitted in a timely fashion.

• Department must verify that the exchange visitor is eligible
• Verifies that exchange visitor is proficient in English
• Verify there are adequate financial resources for support-see J-1 Minimum Financial Support Sheet (SISS)
• Ensures that scholar obtains and maintains health insurance (see U:/SISS/J-1/Initial Pacaket/Hlth Insurance Req.doc and http://student.ucsf.edu/siss/j1_scholars/postdocbenefits.html

Immunity and TB: Visiting scholars, who interact with students or patients, will be required to demonstrate immunity to rubeola (measles), rubella (German measles), varicella (chickenpox) and tuberculosis. Those who interact with patients must adhere to the policies and procedures of the medical center: http://shs.ucsf.edu/docs/newstudents.html; see also UCSF Medical Center, Policy 4.07.01, Communicable Disease

Confidentiality: Since patient data are confidential and may not be revealed to unauthorized persons without the written consent of the patient, visiting scholars may be required to sign an agreement of confidentiality including any campus wide HIPAA forms.

Fees: Tuition for participation in training should be at the rate of non-resident student fees. Some examples are:

SEVIS Fee = $100.00 (http://www.fmjfee.com/index.jhtml)

Living expenses: an estimated living budget is available through SISS

Housing: To be arranged by visiting scholar. The Department should work to establish a file of available resources for individual visitors to review, however the responsibility will be up to the visitor to arrange and pay for all required rental fees. UCSF Housing Office: www.cas.ucsf.edu/cho. See also links at the end of the document for housing information.

Office space/supplies: To be arranged

Links and other helpful resources:

General UCSF Campus Information:

• www.ucsf.edu— Maps, resources, news, events, individual campus information
• SISS: http://student.ucsf.edu/siss or email: visa@itsa.ucsf.edu
• UCSF Global Health Sciences

General Tourist Information:

• SF Gate:www.sfgate.com San Francisco Bay Area news, entertainment and weather information. Includes link to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper
• www.sfvisitor.org San Francisco Convention and Visitor’s Service, touirist information
• http://unitedstatesvisas.gov Destination USA-US Department of State. Information on the visa application process with tips for living and studying in the US for students

Additional housing information:

• Craig’s List— www.craigslist.org
• Metro Rent— www.metrorent.com
• SF Chronicle newspaper— www.sfgate.com/rentals