1. Support/Monitoring Issues affecting Fellow Grant Administration
IFP Global Meeting
Bangkok, Thailand
March 2006

2. Pre-departure
Reviewing grant materials with Fellow, including health insurance information
Obtaining visas
No need to wait for full grant document
If necessary, IIE can prepare “Embassy Letter” confirming basic placement & funding information provided in NoP
When departure is delayed IIE must be notified to cancel health insurance premium and adjust grant dates
University should also be contacted to confirm delayed start or deferral recommendations
If Fellows are delayed 2 weeks or longer, Grant Amendment required

3. Pre-departure (cont’d)
Communicating with other IFP Fellows and host university
IIE retains list of current Fellows with addresses to encourage correspondence among those attending same institution
Fellow is responsible for contacting university re. housing arrangement
IIE must be notified (in NoP) if tuition and/or housing deposits required and, if so, how they will be handled (by IP, PP or IIE)

4. Upon arrival at host institution
Receiving welcome letter from PP responsible for specialized monitoring
Sharing information with university officials
Fellow must give copy of Billing Authorization to Finance Office
Fellow should show copy of Grant Agreement to Academic Advisor, Program Coordinator and/or International Student Advisor

5. During academic program
Providing timely approval (30-day advance notification) of requests for:
Special disbursements (FF, DF, PEF, LT)
Need to minimize extra payments
Sandwich Program and Field Research
Impact on LA rates
Grant Renewal, Suspension & Reinstatement, Termination
Affect payment schedules

6. LSJI Participation
Fellows will be sent invitations for application to attend by LSJ Coordinators (this is NOT IIE-NY)
For Fellows completing programs up to one-month prior to LSJ, IIE will prepare Grant Amendments to provide 1-month extensions of living allowance and health insurance, only for Fellows staying in the Host Country until LSJI
Those in US on J-1 sponsored visas will receive visa extensions to coincide with new Grant End Date

7. For Fellows in the U.S. under IIE’s J-1 visa
Notifying IIE early of any dependents who will accompany/join Fellows
Submitting DS-2019 for travel validation and other reporting responsibilities related to SEVIS
Maintaining full-time status and good academic standing, including summer plans
Approving Employment and/or Academic Training requests in a timely fashion
Guiding process for filing U.S. taxes (for all US-based Fellows)

8. Nearing completion of grant period
Keeping IIE informed of:
Pending extensions (must be approved prior to GED)
Repatriation Plans (must be submitted 30 days prior to GED)
Note: Since no disbursements can be made after GED, IIE will notify IPs/PPs if any invoices are outstanding!

9. What we’ve learned Fellows have the best possible experience when:
Materials are finalized as soon as possible to give Fellow chance to review, ask questions, digest and prepare before departure
Host PAT ≠ Language requirements only!
An extra month of “Bridging” (where available) can make a world of difference, especially in intensive short Master’s programs
Family joins later
After about 1 semester once the Fellow has had a chance to settle in and get used to the demands of academic life