Faculty / Researcher Services / Research Appointments & Visa InformationInformation for Faculty and Staff
Jump to a Section
- Getting Started
- Visa Types And Processing Times
- Preliminary Initiation Letter
- Initiate an Appointment and/or Visa
- Appoint System
The Customer Service Center is dedicated to providing focused expertise on Northwestern University’s appointment and visa process.
We collaborate with the International Office, Risk Management, Graduate Studies & Research and the Office for Research when processing your appointment and/or visa request. The information we request from you is required by these different offices for approval of the appointment and/or visa.
Contact us for
- Postdoc, research visitor, research staff and research faculty appointments
- Questions about any staff member or visitor who will require a visa
- Reappointments, promotions and salary changes, date and title changes
Getting Started
Funding
All researchers must have funding for the entire duration of his/her visit. A J-1 researcher can be funded by Northwestern or be sponsored by another institution (fellowship, scholarship, salary, sabbatical). Funding can be supplemented with personal funds. The following per-month minimum funding requirements apply to all J-1 requests: $1765 for individual; $525 for spouse; $442 per child. All proof of funding documents must be translated into English. H-1B researchers must be fully funded by Northwestern. The salary will be subject to US Department of Labor (DOL) requirements.
Health Insurance
All research staff and visitors must have health insurance coverage for the entire length of the appointment. There are three options for meeting these requirements:
- Northwestern University Benefits: if the research scholar is eligible for employee benefits, he/she must enroll within 31 days of the start date.
- Visiting Scholar Plan (VSP): research scholars not eligible for benefits will be enrolled in VSP. For more information on about VSP, please visit the Risk Management website.
- 3rd Party Insurance Coverage: 3rd party insurance coverage is only considered if the researcher has coverage that meets Risk Management's requirements to waive VSP. Individuals should send any outside insurance plans to us prior to purchase to ensure that all requirements are met. To have the 3rd party insurance coverage considered for approval, please email us a full copy of the policy in English. For additional details on 3rd party plan requirements, please see Risk Management's policy.
Position Titles & Descriptions
Research Staff and Visitors
Most scholars fit into the research staff and visitor categories listed on Northwestern's Office for Research website. If not, we are happy to work with you to find a solution.
Research Faculty
For research faculty positions, please review the McCormick Research Faculty Appointments Guidelines and Policy on Funding Sources and Terms.
Preliminary Invitation Letter
The researcher may need a preliminary invitation letter to submit to his/her sponsoring institution or to apply for a scholarship or fellowship. Jump to more information about Preliminary Invitation Letters.
Visas
If the researcher is not a United States citizen, resident, or currently authorized to work for Northwestern University, he/she cannot come to Northwestern to provide services without obtaining the appropriate visa work authorization document. Our office will assist with the corresponding visa process.
Jump to the more information regarding visa types and their processing times.
Processing Fees
- International Office: Please see below for a detailed breakdown of visa fees. Note the PI (Principal Investigator) is responsible for paying these fees; the researcher cannot reimburse for any visa fees. All visa fees must be paid on non-sponsored chartstrings, as per ASRSP policy.
- Visiting Scholar Plan: $53/week for individual; $168/week for family. The researcher can reimburse the department for VSP costs. Please note that the cost for this coverage must be charged to a non-sponsored chartstring and fees are charged by the fiscal year.
- FedEx (for international scholars): ~$50. Please provide a non-sponsored chartstring.
Visa Fees by Category
J-1 New or Extension
- International Office Fee: $230
- International Office Rush Fee: $200
J-1 (Dependent)
- International Office Fee: $0
H-1B
- International Office Fee: $1,100
- USCIS Filing Fee: $460
- USCIS Fraud Fee: $500 (for all H1-B requests except Extensions)
- USCIS Rush Fee* (reduces USCIS processing time to 15 calendar days): $1410
H-4 (Dependent)
- USCIS Fee*: $370
It is University policy that the PI or department pay for all International Office visa fees except for the USCIS Rush fee (which can be paid by the PI/department, scholar or both) and USCIS Dependent fee. International Office rush fees cannot be requested, but are charged when applicable.
*These fees can be paid by the scholar.
Visa Types and Processing Times
If your researcher is not a U.S. citizen or resident, s/he will need a visa stamp or work authorization document to enter the country and legally conduct research for McCormick. For a comprehensive look at each type of entry and/or work authorization, please see the visa types below along with the document types available.
For the most up-to-date information on visa timelines and fees, please refer to the International Office's website. Note that the Customer Service Center requires 2 weeks to process any appointment request prior to it reaching the International Office.
B1 Visa and B Visa Waiver
Purpose: scientific consultation and observation (absolutely no research)
Length: up to 90 days
Visa document name: n/a
Processing time: 4 weeks
J-1 Intern/Trainee
Purpose: structured internship program
Length: 1 day to 12 months
Visa document name: DS-2019 and DS-7002
Processing time: 7 weeks*
J-1 Visa Short-Term
Purpose: collaboration
Length: 1 day to 6 months
Visa document name: DS-2019
Processing time: 6 weeks*
J-1 Visa Research Scholar
Purpose: research exchange
Length: 3 weeks to 5 years
Visa document name: DS-2019
Processing time: 6 weeks*
OPT Visa Document
Purpose: training for current F-1 visa holders seeking post-graduate research and study in the U.S.
Length: 12 months + 17 months if eligible for OPT STEM extension
Visa document name: EAD card
Processing time: 3 months
Note: F-1 students must work on their OPT application with the institution that processed their F-1 visa. Once OPT (and/or STEM) is obtained, the CSC can process appointment paperwork in 2 weeks.
H-1B Visa
Purpose: research and employment
Length: 1 to 6 years
Visa document name: I-797 H-1B Approval Notice
Processing time: 5-8 months* (rush fees may apply)
*Due to processing delays at the Department of Labor (DOL) and United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), H-1B visa processing can take 3-4 months longer than the timeline presented above.
* If your foreign researcher is not currently in the United States, s/he will need additional time to make an appointment with their U.S. embassy, acquire a visa stamp and make travel arrangements. This will take an additional 1 week to 3 months depending on the researcher's country of origin.
For more detailed information regarding visas, please visit the Northwestern University International Office. Note the International Office's timelines do not include the time needed to process these appointments at McCormick.
Preliminary Invitation Letter
If a faculty member requires a preliminary invitation letter for his or her scholar, please email us at mccservice@northwestern.edu with this request and include the following information:
- Personal information of applicant, including name, birth date and domestic institution*
- Prospective NU position title of applicant (see VPR's website for guidance)
- Approximate Start and End date of appointment
- Brief job description
*Please note that the letter must include scholar's birth date and domestic institution only if they are to be funded by the China Scholarship Council.
We will prepare the letter and bring it to your department for signature within two to three business days.
Initiate an Appointment And/Or Visa
- Fill out the Appointment & Visa Request Form and email the Customer Service Center or deliver the completed form to your department Business Administrator. If you are bringing a staff member on an H-1B visa, please contact our office for an H-1B Request Form instead. For appointments as Visiting Pre-Doctoral Fellow, Visiting Post-Doctoral Fellow, and Visiting Scholar, please fill out the Research Visitor Vetting Checklist and include it with the Appointment & Visa Request Form. If you have any questions about these forms, please contact us.
- If you have any questions about Research Visitor or Research Staff position titles, please review the Research Staff Policy Guidelines or the Research Visitor Policy Guidelines published by the Office for Research. For Research Faculty positions, please review McCormick's Research Faculty Guidelines and Policy on Funding Sources and Terms.
- The CSC will reply to your request within 2-3 business days and bring the appropriate paperwork to your department for signature after receiving any other requisite information from the staff member and visitor.
- After the paperwork is signed, we will work to issue an offer letter and/or visa paperwork for the scholar.
Appoint System
The Appoint System is used to track the progress of all pending and active appointments and visas. The Appoint System is updated in real time allowing for departments to stay up to date and run reports on the status of their researchers' appointment and visa processes.
Authorized department staff can log in to the system using their NetID username and password.
Help Desk
If you have questions regarding the Appoint System or require access, please email the Customer Service Center.