Scholars

Purpose of the Visit

The purpose of the scholar’s visit is referred to as the program objective. The program objective explains what the scholar plans to accomplish and how this aligns with the department and USF.  The program objectives should focus on the scholar’s subject area and can be related to conducting research, lecturing, or learning new skills.  This program object will need to remain consistent throughout their stay at USF as a scholar.  

OIS recommends that the department faculty host communicate with the scholar about why they are coming to USF, their expectations, the length of the visit, and the funding source.  This lays the groundwork for a successful visit.  

When the department contact completes the scholar application, they will need to have the full address of the location where the scholar will engage in their academic activities. This is called the locational site. The US Department of State requires that we report all locational sites where the scholar regularly research, lectures, or works.  

Department hosts should set reasonable expectations for the start date of the visit.  The expected start date should take into account the length of time for visa applications, travel delays, and onboarding after arrival in the US.  The scholar is expected to arrive in the US at least two weeks prior to the expected start date. This allows time to complete their OIS Immigration Check-In, get a social security number, and complete HR paperwork.  If the scholar is delayed, they need to complete a J-1 Program Deferral Request in iStart.  This allows OIS to change the start date on the DS-2019.