February 2010
Filing Tax Returns - information for international scholars
Dear Post Doc
It is nearly tax season in the United States, and all international students and scholars who were physically present in the U.S. for any part of 2009 must complete at least one tax form. In addition, F-2 and J-2 dependents must also file certain tax forms.
The Deadline for filing 2009 tax forms:
April 15, 2010 if you had any U.S. source income. (excluding bank interest)
June 15, 2010 if you had no source income.
If you were not present in the U.S. at all during 2009, you do not need to complete any tax forms at this time.
Each year Bechtel International Center, in cooperation with the Controller’s Office, purchases an online federal tax software package called CINTAX, and makes it available free of charge for individuals who are considered non-residence for tax purposes.
CINTAX allows you to determine your resident status for tax purposes as well as prepare your federal income tax return from any computer connected to the internet. We think you’ll find CINTAX the easiest way to file your 2009 federal income tax return.
CINTAX will be available for you to use in preparing your federal tax return early March 2010.
Unfortunately, CINTAX does not assist in preparing state tax returns, but information on filing a California state tax return can be found here: http://www.ftb.ca.gov/.
You must have a SUNet ID to get a ACCESS CODE for CINTAX. For more information please check the I-Center website at:
http://icenter.stanford.edu/taxes/CINTAX_link.html.
In the meantime, if you were employed in 2009 (receiving two paychecks on the 7th and 22nd of every month), you may have already received a W-2 form (Statement of wages/income) from each of your 2009 US employees. If you received a fellowship (receiving one paycheck every month), or if you had wages that were exempt from federal taxes because of a tax treaty, you should receive a 1042-S form by early March 2010. Some of you will receive both a W-2 and a 1042-S form(s). Keep these forms carefully. You will need them to file your tax forms.
Tax information is also available on our website at: http://icenter.stanford.edu/taxes/tax_info.html
Important Note: Please do not file your tax return through CINTAX until after you have received your Form 1042-S. Stanford will send out Form 1042-S at the end February. You must wait for all income forms before accessing CINTAX. If you file too early and don't disclose all income from all forms, an amended tax return must be filed. CINTAX does not prepare an amended return. So avoid this problem and file once you have all forms.
Regards,
Bechtel Advising Staff
--
Shalini D Bhutani, Ph.D
Associate Director
Bechtel International Center
584 Capistrano Way
Stanford, Ca 94305
650-736-9511
From Bechtel: Upcoming PeopleSoft Enhancements for Immigration-Related Services
All: Stay tuned for more information as the system is rolled out.
Rania
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To: Stanford Colleagues
From: Bechtel International Center
Re: Information on Upcoming Enhancements to the PeopleSoft
Immigration System
Feb 18, 2010
Dear Colleagues,
We are writing to let you know of the major elements in a new approach
to providing immigration documents and services using PeopleSoft.
Currently Bechtel staff are working with central IT to develop and
test this new system. Our goals are to provide more efficient
service to students and departments and to increase our efforts in
compliance.
In the next few weeks we will provide further information on this
system and ask for “volunteers” to help us test. Here are some of the
elements that are currently under development:
• An online work flow process for departments to submit DS-2019
application documents to Bechtel for post-docs, visiting researchers
and visiting scholars.
• An online work flow process for students to submit applications for
off campus work permission to Bechtel.
• An online work flow process that will provide checks and balances to
departments to better determine the accuracy and necessity for data.
• An online work flow process for approvals for scholar document
requests.
• An online process, through work flow as far as possible, for the
submission of application for H-1 visas.
• Adaptation of the current Bechtel in-house student tracking and data
collection system to PeopleSoft. This will include scholar data.
• An automatic alert system for individuals on H-1B visas when the
conditions of employment are changed in PeopleSoft. This will allow
Bechtel to work more closely with departments to ensure that H-1B visa
holders remain in status.
• Utilization of automatic emails to students.
We are excited about this new system and look forward to working with
you as we implement it. We will also be hosting some departmental
briefings and developing some on line training guides.
Best wishes.
Bechtel Staff
--
Shalini D Bhutani, Ph.D
Associate Director
Bechtel International Center
584 Capistrano Way
Stanford, Ca 94305
650-736-9511
Postdoc Administrator Update - February 2010
Postdoc Administrator Update – February 2010
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In this Issue:
1. Forms Update: Revised Language in the Reappointment Letter template
2. New Postdoc Orientation tomorrow– CANCELED February 18, 2010
3. Upcoming Postdoc Talks
4. Dean’s Fellowship Now Accepting Applications. Deadline: March 16, 2010 noon
5. New H1B Process
6. Postdoc Benefits Update
7. Housekeeping Details
(Access this issue, archives of past issues and other important memoranda from Postdoc Affairs online at the Administrator Blog http://postdocs.stanford.edu/admin/blog/)
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1. Forms Update: Revised Language in the Reappointment Letter template
Please update your file and use the current version of the reappointment letter template, online at
http://postdocs.stanford.edu/admin/Reappt_Letter_Template.html updated February 12, 2010. The new language is a clarification. No change in policy or procedures.
2. New Postdoc Orientation – CANCELED February 18, 2010
Due to various staff leaves in OPA, the Orientation session for February 18, 2010 is canceled. New appointees may attend the following session on February 25. Please plan accordingly.
3. Upcoming Postdoc Talks – Please forward to postdocs in your area!
Scientific Management Series: Talk #2: Jessica Notini on Negotiation Skills, February 18, 2010. 5-6 pm
Postdoc Academic Chat: Teaching as a Postdoc—Why It Really Matters. March 5, 2010. 12:15-1:30 pm
Registration required for both talks. Postdoc talks calendar for 2010 is now online at http://postdocs.stanford.edu/events/.
4. Dean’s Fellowships Now Accepting Applications. Deadline: March 16, 2010 noon
The spring cycle of the Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellowship is now open. These fellowships are awarded to postdoctoral scholars in order to carry on postdoctoral research training in the Stanford University School of Medicine and who are under the mentorship of faculty in the School of Medicine. With the goal to support current postdocs at Stanford and to facilitate the recruitment of new postdoctoral scholars, the partial support of a Dean's fellowship is often used as "seed" money while outside funds are sought, providing up to $20,000 in stipend for one year.
Information about the fellowship, including eligibility, application guidelines, selection process and funding policy may be found online at http://postdocs.stanford.edu/scholars/fellowships_dean.html
4. New H1B Process
Effective March 1, 2010, new changes to the H1B processing will be in place for better compliance and centralized record-keeping. Details of the new procedures and the role of the department administrator in this process are described in a memo from the Bechtel International Center, posted on OPA’s Administrator Blog at http://postdocs.stanford.edu/admin/blog/.
The changes affect the Labor Condition Application, the I-129 form and the public access file. The current process requiring Postdoc Affairs review and approval of all H1B requests and extensions remains unchanged. Please read Bechtel’s memo online at http://postdocs.stanford.edu/admin/blog/ if you handle ANY H1B petitions. Contact postdocaffairs@stanford.edu or Bechtel if you have questions.
5. Postdoc Benefits Update
The Stanford Postdoc Benefits website is now updated with 2010 Health Care Plan information. If you or your Postdoctoral Scholars have questions related to Postdoc Health Care benefits, please visit http://postdocs.stanford.edu/benefits/
6. Housekeeping Details
The OPA staff would like to update you and remind you of a few housekeeping details in 2010.
Several members of our group have been out or will be on various leaves in January and February. During this time, we appreciated your due diligence in utilizing our comprehensive website to get answers to your questions—including the little SEARCH box in the top right-hand corner that is quite useful and the Administrator Blog!
During those absences, OPA met the standard turnaround processing time of two weeks for new appointees, but please note the change regarding Orientation above!!
Remember that OPA is open to staff and postdoc walk-ins Monday 1:30 to 4 and Tuesday through Thursday 1:30 to 4:30 only or by appointment.
To ensure that your email message gets to the right staff member on the OPA team, if your message pertains to one of the commonly-used areas below, adding the applicable subject header followed by the subject of your email when writing to postdocaffairs@stanford.edu will expedite its processing. The common headers are:
[New Appointment] Last Name, First Name…
[Reappointment]
[Transfer]
[Visa]
[Termination]
[Benefits]
Lastly, the OPA team alerts you that PDFs sent directly from Xerox machines may not reach the inbox of postdocaffairs@stanford.edu. Please send important documents directly from an email account where you can be notified by the system if there is a bounce back!!
Produced by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Stanford University, 1215 Welch Rd., Stanford, CA 94305 | postdocs.stanford.edu | postdocaffairs@stanford.edu
Changes to Stanford Process for Submitting H1B Visa Applications
The following memo applies to H1B petitions for postdoctoral scholars. In addition to the changes below, approval from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for all Stanford-sponsored H1B petitions or extensions is a required first step in the process. Questions may be directed to postdocaffairs@stanford.edu.
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Stanford University Memo
TO: Departments That Utilize H-1B Visas
FROM: Bechtel International Center
RE: Changes to the Stanford Process of Submitting H-1B Visa Applications Effective March 1, 2010
February 9, 2010
We are writing to let you know about some changes to the internal administration of the H-B visa process. Over the past few months we have been reviewing Stanford’s H-1B process, and after discussing the issue with Office of General Counsel and HR staff, we have decided on the following procedures that will take effect on March 1, 2010.
In making these changes, our goal is to accomplish two objectives:
1. Ensure University compliance with H-1B regulations, especially in light of the increased potential for site visits by various federal agencies.
2. Centralize some of the record keeping of H-1B processing. We hope that this will remove some workload from departments.
These changes should reduce the paper flow to the I-Center and simplify procedures and responsibilities for departments.
Proposed changes
• The Public Access File
o Previously this has been kept in individual departments. Beginning March 1, the I-Center will keep and maintain Public Access Files for all new H-1 applications and extensions to current H-1Bs that are submitted to the I- Center after March 1. Departments will continue to be responsible for maintaining Public Access Files for existing H-1B’s.
• The 1-129
o Previously the hiring department has signed this federal form. Beginning March 1, I-Center staff will sign the I-129 for new and extension H-1B visa applications.
• Posting of Labor Condition Application (LCA)
o Previously I-Center has asked departments to ensure that they met the posting requirements for H-1B applications. Beginning March 1, the I-Center will handle all posting requirements for new and extension H-1B applications. LCA postings will appear on the Stanford Jobs website (http://jobs.stanford.edu/) under the LCA notifications button in the left navigation bar.
Simply put, the I-Center will now sign both the Labor Condition Application and the I-129 form, as well as maintain the Public Access File for all new and extension H-1B applications.
What will the departmental responsibilities be given these changes?
• We still expect departments to ensure accurate data information for the submission of an H-1B application, and to continue to sign off on an attestation that the conditions on salary, working conditions and other aspects on the Labor Conditions Application are met.
We are confident that these new changes will remove some of the concerns that departments have about their role in H-1B compliance. Please feel free to contact John Pearson (pearsonj@stanford.edu) or Shalini Bhutani (sbhutani@stanford.edu) if you have any questions regarding this new process. We will also be hosting some briefings at Bechtel to focus on these changes. Information on these workshops will be forwarded separately.
Looking Ahead: A new Peoplesoft Work Flow The I-Center is currently working with Stanford IT to develop a comprehensive immigration product within Peoplesoft. One component will focus on H-1B processing as well as developing an alert system that may allow I-Center staff to automatically alert departments and H-1B visa holders about timely extensions and other compliance aspects of the H-1B visa. We will be in touch as these changes become imminent.
With best wishes.
Bechtel Staff
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