Onboarding
Departmental administrators may have questions regarding the on-boarding process for a foreign national as a J-1 scholar. Keep in mind that not all J exchange visitors are employed.
As a general rule, your new foreign national, if employed, will need the same treatment as you would give to any new hire, with a few exceptions and additions. Human Resources has a useful website for bringing new employees on board. Most of the forms can be found here: http://www.hr.emory.edu/eu/managerstoolkit/index.html. See below for resources associated with common questions that arise during the on-boarding process for J-1 scholars:
Titles at Emory Given to J Scholars
The title given to a J exchange visitor may or may not match the J visa category that shows on the Form DS-2019. For example, a person in the J Research Scholar may have been hired as a “Research Associate” or an “Information Analyst”. The title given at the University does not matter with regard to the J status of the exchange visitor.
Arriving at Emory and Attending Orientation
New J exchange visitors should first report to their assigned department to check in with their supervisor and Human Resources representative. The department should provide information about the online orientation to new exchange visitors who are employed, and strongly encourage them to sign up for an in-person review session for medical benefits through the online orientation website.
All non-immigrant visa holders are required to check-in with ISSS and attend an orientation session. Instruct your scholar to sign up for the check-in and orientation on ISSS’s website and plan to attend during the first week upon arrival at Emory. Orientation sessions are held every Tuesday at 3 p.m. and Thursday at 9 a.m. Orientation takes place in the ISSS offices, Suite 130, North Decatur Building. The scholar should come with the original passport, I-94 card, and Form DS-2019, and should be prepared to stay for at least 2 hours.
E-Verify for J-1 Scholars
All employees are screened through E-Verify, an online identity/immigration status verification system. Human Resources Data Services will notify the employee if there is difficulty getting E-Verify approval for your new employee. Proper validation of the SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) record is a necessary part of the sequence to successful E-Verify for your J exchange visitors. Failure to report to ISSS for check-in and orientation could result in the automatic cancellation of your scholar’s status, making the SEVIS record “invalid” and thus imposing a problem for E-Verify. To avoid this problem, make sure your scholar checks in at ISSS during the first week of arrival to Emory.
Tax Issues for J-1 Scholars
Upon arrival at Emory or upon change of status, all non-immigrant visa holders should contact the Non-Immigrant Tax Specialist in the Comptroller’s Office. Ms. Chenault is the Non-Immigrant Tax Specialist for Emory University. Your employee should provide Ms. Chenault with their name, country of citizenship, non-immigrant status, and contact information. She will provide information for the scholars as to appropriate tax withholdings and any tax treaties they may qualify for. It is VERY important your employees contact Ms. Chenault, as they are at risk of being significantly over-taxed. Ms. Chenault can be contacted at mchenau@emory.edu or by phone at 404-727-7889.
Social Security Numbers for J-1 Scholars
J exchange visitors are eligible for social security numbers. DO NOT allow your new employees to go to the social security office to apply for a number until they have been in the U.S. at least 10 days. Non-immigrants are screened through a database called SAVE at the Social Security office and at the Department of Motor Vehicles. SAVE needs at least 10 days to be fully updated by the Department of Homeland Security after a non-immigrant enters the U.S. If a non-immigrant attempts to obtain a social security number earlier than that, they risk being moved to second-level processing, delaying the issuance of the social security card by 30 days or more. For information on Social Security Office locations and applications for social security numbers, please see: http://www.ssa.gov/.
Driver’s License
Some of your foreign national employees may desire to obtain a U.S. Driver’s license. Information for non U.S. Citizen drivers can be found here: http://www.dds.ga.gov/drivers/DLdata.aspx?con=1741471757&ty=dl
It is important to note that your employees must take their original DS-2019 to the Department of Driver Services (DDS) in order to properly document their status. Additionally, they should take their passport, visa stamp, and I-94 card.
Emory Card
Non-immigrant visa holders who are employees of Emory University will be issued their Emory Card at Orientation. Hosting departments can sponsor an Emory Card for J exchange scholars who are not Emory employees. Contact the Emory Card Office for more information.
General Notes
Many of your new foreign national employees, especially those coming directly from outside the U.S., will be unfamiliar with many of the practices associated with beginning employment in the U.S. and living in the U.S. Further, there will be many hurdles as they adjust to a new culture and lifestyle. Departments should be prepared to spend extra time with foreign national employees assisting with and explaining things like health insurance, Emory benefits, housing, transportation, taxes, etc. Our mission is to ensure that all foreign nationals have a positive experience at Emory and your diligence and patience in helping your non-immigrant employees plays an important role in accomplishing this.
With regard to J exchange visitors, it is Emory’s obligation to monitor the scholar’s program participation. ISSS relies on the hosting department (your department) to take the responsibilities of assisting exchange visitors in ways that enable their success in the program and reporting information as required by the U.S. Department of State and SEVIS.