Requests for individuals to be appointed in the 02, 04, and 60 job categories must be reviewed by International Education and ISSS pursuant to UAB's international visitor process. This includes requests for 60 Volunteer appointments for current F-1 students. These international visitors can be funded by themselves, UAB, their home government, or any combination thereof.

UAB's comprehensive, campus-wide process for the onboarding of international visitors addresses not only the health and safety of both the UAB community and the international visitors themselves, but also assures that the international visitors’ time on campus can be mutually productive. A flowchart for the process may be found by viewing the International Visiting Scholar (IVS) Admission Tracking Process. This process must be followed for all 02/04/06 appointment requests on campus.

While responsibility for the management of international visitors’ UAB activities will remain with the host department/unit, the Office of International Education (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) will collect documentation necessary for on- and off-boarding according to applicable UAB policies and procedures.

ISSS will assist with immigration processing as necessary after 02/04/60 appointment paperwork has been cleared by International Education, generally only for J-1 exchange visitor invitations and review of immigration documents for other statuses. 01 Regular positions, 07 Residents/Fellows, and 20/21 Postdoc appointments still must be requested through usual recruitment, Office of Postdoctoral Education, GME, and HR channels.

If you are looking to invite someone in the 02 temporary, 04 irregular, or 60 volunteer category, please follow this process:

1. Step 1 IE – contact International Education (IE, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to work on the offer letter and complete the application packet available on the IE webpage. 
2. Step 2 ISSS – once the offer letter is finalized and the IE application packet is completed, please contact ISSS for the immigration part. Our forms can be found on our Documents Needed page.

Please contact IE and ISSS so a folder in Box can be set up to collect ALL the documents for both IE and ISSS.

Important Considerations

• The proof of English proficiency should be the first item to be cleared.
• ISSS office is responsible for the issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility for J-1 Status (or DS-2019), which will allow the Exchange Visitor to apply for a J-1 Visa at the US Embassy/Consulate. We do not issue visa.
• Visa processing times are unpredictable, especially with COVID, therefore ISSS still requires receiving ALL documents and forms (including those provided to IE) at least 2 –3 months before the desired start date.