Visiting Scholar & Postdoctoral Research Associate Request

Invitations to International Visiting Scholars and Postdoctoral Research Associates

Responsibility to Request Authorization to Visit

All Texas State employees intending to invite, or host international visiting scholars, or hire postdoctoral research associates, are required to notify and obtain authorization from the Associate Provost via Faculty Records. Authorization must be obtained prior to the arrival of the International Visiting Scholar or hire to the Postdoctoral Research Associate.

No Authorization to Access Controlled Information, Controlled Physical Items

No international visiting scholar or postdoctoral research associate may have access (whether verbal, written, electronic, and/or visual) to controlled information or controlled physical Items unless expressly permitted via an approved TCP, license, or an authorization in writing from RIC. It is the responsibility of the Texas State employee supervising the international individual to ensure compliance with export control restrictions and to promptly disclose and report to the RIC any violations.

RPS of International Visitor Scholars and Postdoctoral Research Associates

RPS of subjected international visitors and postdoctoral research associates includes RPS of the international visitor’s employer and/or sponsoring entity. RPS is needed whenever a written or verbal invitation to visit Texas State is made to an international visitor or postdoctoral research associate regardless of whether:

  1. The individual is present or not in the United States.
  2. Texas State needs to sponsor the individual for immigration purposes under the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program.
  3. Texas State does not need to sponsor the individual for immigration purposes because he or she is traveling or has entered the United States under the Visa Waiver Program a B-1/B-2 visa or other nonimmigrant visa status as indicated on a properly annotated I-94.

Procedure to Notify and Request Authorization to Visit

Texas State employees inviting, hosting or hiring International Visiting Scholars or Postdoctoral Research Associates must complete, prior to the visit or employment, a “Export Control Screening Request form” and attaches (1) the scholar’s vita, (2) a copy of the passport or visa, (3) official transcript of highest degree, and (4) Security Sensitive Form. The request is then sent to the school director/department chair.

The school director/department chair will review the request and determine if any actions are necessary for protecting intellectual property/technology transfer (i.e., signing non-disclosure agreements). The school director/department chair will sign the request form and send to the college dean. The dean will review, sign, and forward the request to the Associate Provost via the Faculty Records office.

Faculty Records staff will review the request and determine if any additional actions or documentation are necessary and forward the request to the RIC. Next, the RIC will conduct a RPS and review the sponsor’s research to ensure that the visitor will only be assigned work that has been categorized as “fundamental research”. The RIC will sign the export control screening form and forward to the Associate Provost via the Faculty Records office.

Faculty Records will review the request and send it to the Associate Provost for approval. If the request is approved, Faculty Records staff will notify the faculty sponsor, school director/department chair, and the dean. Faculty Records will forward a copy of the approved request to the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) to initiate visa process.

The RIC will conduct RPS on the individual and report hits that cannot be ruled out on secondary screening to the Empowered Official. If there is no RPS hit, RIC will forward a copy of the approved form to Faculty Records and International Student and Scholar Services (if requested) to initiate the immigration process.

Change in Nature, Purpose, or Duration of Visit

In the event it is anticipated that the nature, purpose, or duration of a visit will change, the host is responsible for completing, submitting, and obtaining approval of an updated request form prior to the effective date of the change.