Office of International Students & Scholars

New International J-1 Scholars and Professors

The staff in the Office of International Students and Scholars is available to assist you in becoming comfortable in your new environment. We are prepared to help you with the following obligations:

Compliance with regulations from the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security as well as other U.S. and local government agencies (e.g., Social Security Administration, Department of Motor Vehicles, etc.).

Cross-cultural adjustments to your new environment
URI administrative processes

In the event that you may require assistance before arriving in the United States, feel free to contact our office click here

Research Scholar and/or Professor pre-arrival information:

Maintaining your J-1 status
Now that you have been admitted to the US as a J-1 research scholar and/or professor, the Department of Homeland Security requires that you maintain valid status by practicing the following good practices, click here.

Special Registration
All J-1 categories from certain countries are required to go through Special Registration with the Department of Homeland Security.

Employment
In general, this process requires the interaction of four university departments (sponsoring department, Human Resources, OISS, Payroll Office) and one government office (Social Security Administration). If you have been offered employment by URI, please consult your department secretary to receive information on the steps you must follow to complete the Human Resources and Payroll Office employment requirements. You will need the items listed below to complete this process. Your department secretary will assist you in understanding the employment requirements and forms listed below:
- Human Resources Forms (I-9, Drug Free Form, Internal Payroll form, W-4 Form, etc.)
- Payroll Office (Foreign National Information Form)
- Social Security Card (Social Security Administration)
- OISS (letter confirming your status at URI)

All foreign nationals MUST complete the Foreign National Information Form before they may begin their employment at URI. To complete the employment process at URI, please bring your completed form to the Payroll Office along with the following documents:

Passport
Visa
I-94
Social Security Card
I-20 (if an F VISA) or DS-2019 (if a J VISA) or your approval notice (if an H1B VISA)

The Payroll Office will enter the information from your documentation into our Windstar software to determine your taxability. The Windstar software will print out the necessary tax documents which you will need to sign. We will forward those tax documents to the Federal government for processing.

Mandatory Orientation
Remember to meet with an OISS staff person to complete the U.S. State Department MANDATORY New Scholar/Professor Orientation.

Dependents If you are interested in bringing a dependant from your home country, click here

University of Rhode Island • Office of International Students & Scholars • International Center • 37 Lower College Road; Kingston, Rhode Island, 02881

Office of International Students and Scholars

New International J-1 Scholars and Professors

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