GVP Departmental Forms
ISO’s electronic Visiting New Student Intake Forms (VNSIF) play an important role in supporting international students who intend to study at the University of Rochester through the Global Visitor Program (GVP). F-1 Student and J-1 Exchange Visitor are the two visa categories UR is able to sponsor for students admitted through GVP. Students must use the VNSIF to request the Form I-20 (for F-1 study) or Form DS-2019 (for J-1 study) if they intend to study under the UR’s immigration sponsorship.
The VNSIF consists of two parts, the VNSIF Department Section and the VNSIF Student Section. After the student’s admitting department submits the VNSIF Department Section, the student will receive an email communication inviting them to complete the VNSIF Student Section.
Completing the VNSIF Department Section
The VNSIF Department Section will expect you to complete a short series of forms. Detailed guidance for completing each section is offered below.
When you are ready to begin initiating the VNSIF for your GVP student, please log in to URcompass, Departmental Services. You must then select the Visiting New Student Intake Forms (VNSIF) button to initiate a new submission. To initiate the VNSIF, follow the prompts to locate the student’s ISO record by entering the URID and date of birth.
Enter the departmental email address to be used for notifications related to VNSIF processing. This may be an individual user, or a shared office account. We recommend using a shared office email for continuity and support.
Enter the student’s email address to be used for notification that the VNSIF is available for their completion and submission. Please provide a personal email rather than a UR school email in case the student does not have easy, immediate access to their school email at the time they are ready to complete the VNSIF Student Section.
Note: Students need to initialize their UR Account through myIdentify Self Service and set up Duo two-factor authentication before accessing URcompass using their Entra ID. Please be sure students have been provided their URID and instructions to activate their record through myIdentity Self Service. Additional guidance on accessing URcompass is available here: https://tech.rochester.edu/services/urcompass-international-services-office-client-portal/.
Identify your school/unit, student’s area/field of study for their GVP activities, and term in which the student will begin their GVP activities.
Enter the relevant program dates to be listed on the I-20 or DS-2019:
- Program Start Date: Enter the date the student is expected to begin their required, in-person GVP activities.
- Program End Date: Enter the date the student is expected to complete their GVP activities.
Indicate whether the student is proficient in English, according to standard admission criteria, and how that determination was assessed.
Select the applicable GVP Expense Template, based on how many calendar months the student will be engaged in GVP from their program start date (for up to 12 months).
Enter the total amount of University of Rochester financial support the student will receive in their first academic year of study and mark the different funding types included in that amount (Scholarship, Assistantship, Fellowship, Other). Rank-order from LARGEST funding source (i.e. PRIMARY) to smallest funding source, all UR funding source(s).
If any fees from the template are waived, you can report this support as a Scholarship. When entering the amount of Scholarship in this case, please use the GVP VNSIF Financial Template Reference Tool to ensure you are using the exact numbers from the GVP Expense Template you have selected. It is okay to combine figures from the template if multiple fees will be waived, to report a single Scholarship in the NSIF.
Upload a copy of the student’s University of Rochester Offer Letter or Financial Aid Summary, if applicable.
Review reminders about next steps in the VNSIF process. Confirm form data is accurate and type your name in lieu of a signature. The submission of this form will “lock” the Department Section of the VNSIF and trigger an automated email to the student inviting them to access their VNSIF in URcompass and complete their required forms in the VNSIF Student Section.
Upon submission of the VNSIF Department Section, the student will receive an email with instructions to access the VNSIF via URcompass in order to complete the VNSIF Student Section. The message will include the funding calculations provided in the form, for reference and preparation of financial documents. The departmental contact email will also be copied on this message for reference, and all future messages related to the VNSIF.
If information in the VNSIF Departmental Information forms change subsequently, please contact ISO at urvisitor@rochester.edu for next steps. Our staff can set the form(s) back to draft status to allow for additional edits.
Please cancel the VNSIF in URcompass by submitting VNSIF Department Form 5 if, at any time in the VNSIF process, you conclude that the student will no longer attend UR through the Global Visitor Program. You may initiate a new VNSIF in the future, if needed.
If your student cannot arrive by the Program Start Date printed on their I-20 or DS-2019, please submit VNSIF Department Form 6: Adjusted Arrival Information to report the new GVP dates so ISO can issue an updated immigration document for travel and/or visa purposes.
Please note: If new dates are known before a document is issued, please contact ISO to request that VNSIF Department Form 2: Academic Program Information be returned to draft for your edits to the dates.