Record Keeping & Definitions

Immigration regulations require that the ISSO collect data on all international employees and scholars. This data is collected so that we can insure institutional compliance and provide immigration processing and advice as appropriate. Since most the data we require is provided by either the host department or the scholar it is important that you share in the responsibility and provide accurate information and timely updates to the ISSO. While the responsibility to maintain immigration status and employment eligibility falls largely on the foreign national, the ISSO provides regular reminders based on the data provided. However, we rely on host departments and each scholar to communicate updates and changes to the ISSO.

ISSO Definitions

Scholar: A broad term to describe a foreign national who is engaged in academic teaching or research at BU. A scholar may be a paid BU employee or may be in an uncompensated Visiting Researcher position. For ISSO purposes both graded staff and temporary employees who are considered to be scholars. Thus, on our website, the term scholar and employee may be used interchangeably.

Appointment/Activity/Employment: The ISSO uses these terms interchangeably to explain the expected BU title, start and end dates, compensation (if applicable) and any other pertinent details associated with a particular foreign national in your department. Academic research and teaching positions that are conferred by the Dean of your school are typically referred to as ‘appointments’. While staff and temporary employees are not technically ‘appointed’, the ISSO does use this terminology when requesting confirmation about any job offer at BU. We may also use the word ‘activity’ to describe or request information about an uncompensated scholar.

Employment Authorization: The length of time that a foreign national is eligible to be employed in the United States. Employment authorizations are often limited or restricted and may or may not match the length of the scholar’s immigration status. Employment authorization for foreign nationals must be re-verified periodically. Some prospective employees may already have employment authorization incident to status so they may or may not require immigration sponsorship to support their activities in the host department.

Immigration Sponsorship: A term used when BU assists a foreign national to obtain a particular immigration classification to support their appointment/activity in your department. BU policy generally limits immigration sponsorship to teaching and research positions as well as qualifying staff positions. More details about immigration sponsorship policy and procedures is available or you can contact the ISSO if you have any questions.

Since every BU scholar has a unique immigration or employment status and terms to their BU employment or activity, the dates that we use for record keeping will vary. The start date we use for ISSO record keeping coincides with the first day of the activity. However, the end date that we use for our records is always the earliest of the following three dates:

Last day of ISSO immigration sponsorship: If the department has requested immigration sponsorship, the ISSO’s profile end date coincides with the end date of your requested sponsorship period. For example, if you have requested J-1 or H-1B sponsorship processing for a scholar, the profile end date noted in our records will match the dates in the immigration sponsorship request and ultimate immigration classification authorization that we obtained on behalf of your scholar. OR
Last day of Employment Authorization: If the offer of employment provided extends beyond the end date on the employment authorization document (EAD) that is presented to complete the I-9 employment verification, the ISSO profile end date will be the date of the EAD. For example, if your department hires a Postdoctoral Associate for a 2-year appointment but the scholar presents employment authorization that is valid for 12 months, the last day of the ISSO profile will be the end of the employment authorization and will not reflect the full 2-year duration of the appointment. This protects both BU as the employer and foreign national from engaging in unauthorized employment. OR
Last day of BU activity: If you are hiring foreign national who presents an EAD that is valid for a longer period than the intended appointment period, the ISSO will use the end of the BU activity for record keeping purposes rather than the end date of the EAD. This typically is the case for temporary hires. For example, if your department wants to hire a recent graduates for a few months in the summer, the ISSO profile for record keeping will reflect the end of the temporary employment even though the EAD may be valid for a longer period.

It is helpful for host departments and BU scholars to understand which date the ISSO is using as any subsequent communication from the ISSO will typically be based on one of these three possible profile end dates. Please contact us if you have any questions related to the ISSO record keeping or call us if there are any discrepancies or changes to the dates noted.

The ISSO’s record keeping system is separate from other BU systems. Therefore, when departments update something, for example, in SAP, this system update will not trigger any change in the ISSO system. Given that our database is not connected with SAP, it is important that the ISSO is notified of any changes to the initially requested employment, activity or immigration sponsorship request as changes in employment may affect the underlying immigration and/or employment authorization.

Record Keeping & Definitions

ISSO Definitions

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