The Office of Academic Personnel (OAP) is pleased to announce that we’ve built an enhanced J visa request form, which is more user-friendly and allows for more efficient review. This form is live as of June 1, 2020. Here are a few of the highlights!
- Ability to see summary information about previous requests including request number, scholar name, start date, and request status
- More intuitive user interface
- Appointment information now comes prior to funding information (sections 3 and 4 swapped)
- Navigation links so you can navigate up and down through the request
- Request numbers are standardized to always use the Request Tracker (RT)/ticket number, even for invoices
- Better data validation, which should highlight common issues prior to OAP review
- Checks for “short-term scholar” category only used for visits up to 6 months
- Title-specific reminders based on title selected, such as information about the maximum appointment length
- Warnings related to start dates, funding and salary minimums
- Ability to submit documentation for scholars with previous U.S. visits
- Better behind-the-scenes tools for OAP
- Better invoicing
- Invoices will be generated and sent out more quickly
- Invoice file names will include the scholar’s name and request number
- Versioned invoices will be used to track corrections, e.g. when budget information changes
- Invoice numbers in MyFinancial.desktop (MyFD) will correspond to the Request Tracker (RT)/ticket number with line numbers and descriptions for each charge
This initiative is part of OAP’s strategic priority 3:“Get ‘Leaner’ on at least one complex process per year.” OAP reviewed common issues from past J visa requests to identify form improvements.
Thanks very much to ABC Shared Services and the College of Arts and Sciences Shared Services for providing feedback and identifying important user interface improvements.
The H visa request form is next in line for review and enhancement.
The new J-1 Visa Request form and the updated J Visa Intake Form are now available. If you have any questions or issues with the new form, please contact acadvisa@uw.edu.