Q: Is My Fulbright Grant Renewable?A: For those grantees holding cash awards administered by IIE, refer to your Terms of Appointment to determine if your award is renewable. If your grant is renewable, you will receive instructions on how to apply for renewal of your grant in late January.
Should your Terms of Appointment indicate your grant is not renewable, you will receive information next spring concerning departure arrangements and/or procedures to be followed in the event your sponsor will consider continuation of visa sponsorship for bona fide exchange visitor activities. Q: How Do I Extend My Fulbright Grant?A: For those grantees holding awards under Fulbright Program #01000, instructions are available outlining procedures to be followed in order to secure an extension of grant benefits (travel, if applicable; insurance benefits and visa sponsorship) for bona fide academic or training programs (where permitted.) The Request for Extension form must be returned to your IIE Regional Contact by May 1. Departure instructions are also available. Q: When Am I Covered by Health Insurance?A: Refer to your Terms of Appointment to determine your grant dates. These dates coincide with your health insurance coverage.
Grantees receiving health-insurance coverage as a benefit of their IIE-administered award should familiarize themselves with the provisions of the policy and their dates of coverage. You should have received information outlining your coverage. If not, please contact your IIE Regional Contact or download the Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges Brochure in PDF format.
For information on supplemental health insurance coverage and/or coverage for dependents, contact your IIE Regional Contact. Q: What Are My Reporting Requirements?
A. Academic- All grantees are required to submit an official university transcript to their IIE Regional Contact each semester. A copy of the unofficial Student Grade Report is acceptable for the first semester only. Some grantees are also required, under the provisions of their grants, to submit reports which include comments from their Academic Advisor. In these instances, reports are mailed directly to the grantee by IIE with specific return dates noted.
- In the event you are experiencing academic difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact your IIE Regional Contact. We will make every effort to ensure that you receive the assistance you require to successfully complete your academic objectives.
Other
Regardless of grant classification, you may not make any change in your program (field of study, degree, academic institution, visa sponsorship transfer) without first consulting your IIE Regional Contact.
Q: How Do I Obtain Work Authorization?
A. Academic Year - You may not accept on or off-campus employment unless authorized by your IIE Regional Contact. Employment is rarely permitted unless on-campus work is part of an award offered by your university; should you hold an IIE-administered grant, it would, in all likelihood, be reduced by the amount earned, should employment be authorized.
Exceptional requests for work authorization must be submitted in writing and should include the following information:
- Reason for request;
- Itemized monthly expenses;
- Amount and source of funds available to you; and,
- If you have dependents with you, how they are supported.
You should also submit a letter from your Academic Advisor indicating that part-time employment will not interfere with your academic performance nor delay degree completion.
Summer Employment
You are eligible to apply for summer work authorization provided:- You are not receiving grant funds;
- You are returning to U.S. academic studies in the fall;
- Funds earned are used to support yourself during the summer and/or coming academic year; and,
- Your sponsor permits its grantees to accept employment while in the United States.
Should employment or internships be required as a condition of your academic program, consult your IIE Regional Contact.
Q: Can My Dependents Join Me in the United States?A: Regulations permitting dependents to join grantees studying in the United States vary with program sponsors. It is generally recommended that they remain in their home country at least during the first semester of your grant.
Should you wish to have your family join you, you should consult your IIE Regional Contact first . If you are eligible to have your family join you, you must submit verification from the Foreign Student Advisor on your campus that you have sufficient funds (independent of funds allocated to your academic program) to provide for your dependents’ round-trip international travel, living expenses, and health insurance coverage. Documentation can then be issued supporting the issuance of J-2 visa(s) for your spouse and/or children.
Note: Since the United States Department of State has established minimum requirements for insurance coverage for J-1 and J-2 Exchange Visitors, you are now required to complete the declaration on the Information on J-2 Dependent/J-2 Data Sheets; your signature will indicate that you understand your "responsibility to provide insurance coverage for your family" that meets the insurance requirements set by the Unites States Department of State for all Exchange Visitor programs. Q: Can I travel outside the U.S.?A: For information concerning documents required when traveling outside the United States, please see the J-1 Visa Status and Travel Abroad.
Also, should you plan to leave the United States, please notify your IIE Regional Contact for re-validation of immigration documents. For those students holding cash grants, adjustments in monthly stipends may be necessary.
Note: Fulbright health insurance coverage is suspended whenever you travel outside of the United States; see Accident and Sickness Insurance. Q: How Do I File My U.S. Taxes?A. IIE has established an internal service called GRANTAX to assist grantees receiving cash grants administered through IIE. GRANTAX will mail you material and instructions needed to file your U.S. federal income taxes in the January following your arrival. The GRANTAX toll-free number is 1-800-282-9372 (1-800-2-TAXES-2.) For grantees receiving funds from other sources (e.g, university aid, campus employment, other scholarship organizations, etc.) you should be in touch with your funding source concerning filing of required taxes. For more information, please see Social Security Number and Income Taxes. Q: What Is the Best Way to Communicate with IIE?A. Since IIE must often discuss your individual requests with program sponsors, we ask that you submit a written inquiry whenever possible to your IIE Regional Contact.
E-mail is also an effective method of communicating. To reach IIE through the Internet, use the first initial of the first name and the full last name of any IIE employee with @iie.org. For example, if you want to contact John Doe at IIE, the Internet address would be: jdoe@iie.org. Include your E-mail address as well as your postal mail address in any IIE Regional Contact.
If communicating with IIE by telephone and you reach the voice mail system (operational 24 hours a day), please do not hang up. Instead leave your name, the school you attend, and your telephone number, together with as long a message as necessary. Your call will be returned during business hours. Q: How Do I contact Other Current Fulbrighters?A: Join the Fulbright Listserv.
If you would like to become a member of the group, send an E-mail to: listserv@lists.ufl.edu. Leave the subject line blank and as the message type: "subscribe fulbright-l . " Once you receive an acknowledgement, you can send a message to all the members of the group by addressing the E-mail to fulbright@astro.ufl.edu. If, after you are registered, you experience you should contact "fulbright-request@astro.ufl.edu."
To remove yourself from the list, send an E-mail to fulbright-request@astro.ufl.edu; leave the subject line blank, and as the message type, "unsubscribe." |
