DIS verifies funding amounts and sources to ensure that Visiting Program participants meet NIH policy and immigration requirements. To avoid case processing delays, Institute/Center (IC) administrative staff should review all funding sources for accuracy and ensure minimum funding levels are met for the entire duration of the scientist's anticipated stay at NIH before submitting a case to DIS. Requirements differ based on the whether the funding is provided by the NIH or another entity:
NIH Funding
Fellows must meet
stipend pay band requirements and most employees must meet
Title 42 pay band requirements. For certain NIH designations, cases submitted to DIS require the funding to be noted on multiple documents. Verify that the funding amount is consistent on all documents. When hiring or extending a Clinical Fellow, make sure to include on-call pay, if applicable.
Immediately notify DIS of any changes in the amount or source of a scientist's financial support. If the change occurs after his or her arrival to NIH and is significant in terms of amount or source of funding, DIS may request the IC to submit a case.
Non-NIH Funding
Special Volunteer,
Guest Researcher, and
Research Collaborator are commonly used NIH designations that can be fully supported with non-NIH funding. Please review the appropriate Manual Chapter (linked above) for more information about each designation.
If the foreign national receives non-NIH funding, include evidence of funding from the outside source. Examples of evidence of non-NIH funding are: personal bank statement, financial letter of support on letterhead from an outside organization, and scholarship or grant award documentation. If there are multiple sources of non-NIH funding, list each source on the appropriate form (Form 829-1 or 590) and provide evidence of funding for each source.
Special note on funding ranges: if an individual presents a funding letter that indicates a range of funding (e.g. $1300-$1700), the lower amount is used to determine whether the scientist meets any applicable funding requirement.
If the foreign national receives a grant or other type of outside funding after they arrive at NIH, notify DIS.