Sponsoring and Extending a Visiting Scholar Without J-1
The application process for scholars without a J-1 Visa Document is detailed below.
Before You Sponsor
a scholar who is coming to Columbia to do independent, non-collaborative research only. See the University's description of a Visiting Scholar in the Faculty Handbook.
- a scholar conducting collaborative research. If collaborating, an officer-level research appointment is appropriate.
- a visitor coming to Columbia to perform a service for a very short period and leave—such as to conduct a workshop or give a lecture. If the visitor needs an immigration status allowing the visitor to be paid, contact us so we may determine which status is appropriate.
The Visiting Scholar Designation is normally held for up to one year. The duration of the designation cannot exceed the duration of the scholar’s legal status in the United States.
- You will first need to log into the Scholar Sponsorship Portal (SSP) to obtain approval of the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs for the Visiting Scholar designation.
- Upon the Provost's Office approval, we will issue the UNI within 5 days.
Submit application 3 months before the start date.
This allows time for us to confirm the appropriate visa classification for the visit.
Please review the University policy.
How to Sponsor
CUIMC departments should contact ISSO-CUIMC.
Gather your documents
Log in to the Scholar Sponsorship Portal (SSP) with your UNI and password to submit your request
Contact us if you are a department administrator requesting access to the SSP.
Learn more about the SSP
To learn about the process and the VP Academic Appointments review step, please visit our SSP Overview page.
For online help and tutorials, visit our SSP Department Guide.
Receive the Visiting Scholar UNI
Within 5 business days of approval by VP Academic Appointments, we will send the UNI with activation instructions to your scholar by email and copy you.
Do not put Visiting Scholar data into DIA! We authorize UNI creation and provide your scholar with guidance on ID card issuance. Visiting Scholars do not appear in the Columbia University directory.
Extending a Visiting Scholar Without J-1
Before You Extend
Generally, Visiting Scholar/Scientist designations should not exceed one year.
How to Extend
CUIMC departments should contact ISSO-CUIMC.
Gather your documents and information
Log in to the Scholar Sponsorship Portal (SSP) with your UNI and password to submit your request
Contact us if you are a department administrator requesting access to the SSP.
We will contact the scholar when the UNI account has been extended
Within 5 business days of VP Academic Appointments approval, we will send the Visiting Scholar confirmation of the UNI extension and guidance on extending the ID card and copy you.