Template for 12 Month J-1 Exchange VisitorInvitation Letter

  • Invitation letters should comply with the template below. While the letters can be customized to include specific departmental hiring requirements, language in the original template should notbe omitted as these letters have been approved by Legal Counsel, the Office of Access and Equity, Office of International Services (OIS), and UIC Human Resources. Portions in bold are to be filled in with the appropriate information.Specific instructions are provided in italics. Items marked as OPTIONAL should be removed if they are not applicable to the employee or appointment.
  • J-1 Exchange Visitors must provide a 100% (full time) effort. However, the appointment FTE (if applicable) in the HR Front End system should only apply to the amount of UIC funding. The overall compensation can be derived from a combination of sources, i.e. self-funding, governmental, the unit’s own institutional funding, UIC, etc. For specific questions regarding J-1 Exchange Visitors, please contact OIS for further immigration information.
  • This template should be used for the following status J-1 titles (i.e. J-1 Research Collaborator and Visiting Scholar).

Date

Name

Street Address

City, State, Zip

Dear {Name of J-1 Exchange Visitor}:

I am very pleased to invite you to join {Department} at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as a Choose an item.through the U.S. Department of State J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. This offer will include an appointment as a {UIC Job Title}. This is a temporary {Percent/FTE}appointment on a {Service Basis if applicable}effective{Start Date}through {End Date}at an {Annual}{Stipend}of {$$$}.

Yourinitial appointment may be subject to at least one year; however, the appointment may be modified to correspond with your work authorization. Term limits can be renewed in accordance with the University of Illinois policies. The renewal of this appointment is also subject to performance evaluation and availability of funding up through {Funding Source End Date}. During the course of your sponsorship, you will be supported and directly supervised by {Professor/Principal Investigator Name/Supervisor}.

Twelve-month Academic employees are paid on the 16th of each month. This type of appointment accrues up to 24 days of vacation. An additional 13 days of non-cumulative sick leave are also available for use (all of which are based on the academic year August 16 through August 15 and pro-rated for any partial year of service). If the appointment FTE is 50% or greater, up to 12 days of cumulative sick leave and additional floating holidays are also available for use (all of which are based on the academic year August 16 through August 15 and pro-rated for any partial year of service).

For appointments covered solely by Grant funding, the University reserves the right to terminate such appointments prior to the Period of Payment End Date if the grant(s) or other funding source(s) for the position ends. The University will provide prior notice, if applicable, in accordance with the notice periods set forth in the University of Illinois Statutes, the full text of which is available at:

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check and other applicable pre-employment assessments as well as documentation of eligibility for employment as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Appointmentsare subject to approval by The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, and are subject to the University of Illinois Statutes. Upon approval of the Board, the official terms of employment will be as set forth in the Notification of Appointment, which is sent via email once an appointment has been processed.

Please note that during the entire exchange program period, you are required to carry health insurance with coverage up to the level as specified by the U.S. Department of State Exchange Visitor Program as noted in 22 CFR 62.14.

[OPTIONAL: For appointments that are benefit eligible – this portion should be removed if effort is below 50% or appointment is not initially benefit eligible] In addition to your monthly salary, you may be eligible to receive a monthly insurance stipend in the amount of $166.67 until you have achieved substantial presence, which can be used to defray the cost of your self-provided insurance.

Upon arrival in the United States, you are required to check in with the University of Illinois’ Office of International Services (OIS) at the following address: 1200 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607. You may contact OIS directly at (312) 996-3121 or email them at .

[OPTIONAL: The following italicized paragraph is only for Departments charging administrative fees (please remove this section if fees are not charged)] The administrative fee for this 1-year period will be{Departmental Fee Assessment $$$} and covers{Description of Administrative/Program Fees}. Please note that you will be responsible for paying for airfare, housing, meals, and other personal needs.

We would appreciate learning of your intention to proceed no later than {Date}, by your return of a signed and dated copy of this letter. Once we receive the signed and dated copy of this letter, the college/unit hiring authority will contact you regarding next steps and the required documents to be completed. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions about the department, the University, or this letter.

We hope that you will consider employment at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

______

______

Signature Date

Return signed and dated letter to:

______

______

______