Visitor Requests

Visitor Requests

If you intend to host a visitor (scholars, grads, volunteers) whose visit is 30 days or more, you must submit a request for a visiting appointment in writing to Peter Shearer (IGPP) or Richard Norris (GRD) at least two months in advance, with a cc to Wayne and Iris. Visitors whose stay is between 5 – 30 days, a 30-day notice is required. You may request a visiting appointment for these visitors, but it is not required. Otherwise, the visitors should be placed in a volunteer appointment. The advance notice will provide the HR Office sufficient processing time to obtain an approved visiting appointment letter as well as avoid last minute requests. 

We are required to submit all visiting appointments (visiting  scholar  and  visiting  graduate  students)  via  an  online system  that   takes  at  least  5-7  business  days  to  process  and  then  receive  a  final approval.  The appointment is then entered in UCPATH which takes 5 -7 days to receive final approval. Further, if the visitor needs to apply for a J-1 visa (at least 50% of our visitors need one), the International Faculty & Scholars Office has a minimum 45-days processing time (otherwise a $200 rush fee is assessed).  On the business office side, we need to coordinate with the fund manager if payments are involved and assign space if available. With that said, the minimum amount of processing time needed for a visiting appointment with visa is 2 months.

All visitors (scholars or grads) are required to have and provide proof of medical insurance coverage for themselves and all accompanying dependents through the period of their stay.  Visitors can purchase health coverage through a UCSD sponsored vendor Garnett- Powers & Associates (http://www.garnett-powers.com/academics/sd/enrollment.htm) or purchase an alternate plan that meets the minimum coverage requirements (which first must be reviewed and certified by Garnett-Powers & Associates).   Each visitor will require Proof of Financial Funding that is non-UCSD support (e.g. scholarship letter, bank statement, etc.). Visitors’ minimum monthly financial support requirements are: Single $2400, Married (or single w/1 child) $3200, Married w/child $3600, Married w/2 children $4000. This also meets the J-1 Scholars standards established by federal regulations. For UCSD Visiting Graduate Students, you are responsible for supplementing visitor financial funding up to the minimum compensation level for SIO at $2,500/month (effective 9/2015) if their home institution funding is less than this amount.

For both visitors and volunteers, space is not guaranteed and will be assigned on an as- available basis. Visitors and volunteers must complete laboratory safety training before beginning work in the lab. Please note, we will not issue external building keycards to volunteers or visitors who do not have an official UCSD appointment.

The IGPP HR Office looks forward to working with everyone to meet your needs. If you have any questions, please contact us at  wfarquharson@ucsd.edu or imccrary@ucsd.edu.