For Faculty & Staff

Why does the VIRS pathway exist?

VIRS is the senate-approved pathway for all international students that are visiting UBC for research purposes (unless formally appointed as staff through Human Resources and will be obtaining a work permit). The pathway was created to offer a consistent status and set of support resources for faculty and their visiting research students, and to avoid risks associated with being on campus without formal affiliation.

VIRS students are admitted to the university with full-time student status for the period of the research studies. They obtain a university student number, online login and UBC student Card. The Login ID and the UBC Card are used to access our Libraries and related systems, online research tools, and may be used to access certain physical locations on campus (labs, computer labs, departmental lounges, etc).

VIRS students are also invited to an orientation meeting and some social events where they meet other VIRS students that are on campus.

Role of the UBC Supervisor

The role of the supervisor varies depending on the nature of the research and the arrangement between the student and the professor.

The basic expectations can be described as:

  1. Student selection
    It is the responsibility of the UBC host professor and/or department to determine the qualifications of prospective VIRS students to undertake research at UBC. Go Global reviews applications for basic eligibility, but we do not assess students’ academic history or English language ability.
  2. Provide a workspace and appropriate access to departmental facilities
    VIRS students should have a reasonable space to undertake their research. Upon arrival, the student will be able to obtain a UBC Card if needed to access facilities.
  3. Mentorship and accessibility
    Accessible to the student for consultation and discussion of the student’s academic progress and research. The frequency of meetings will vary according to the discipline, stage of work, nature of the project, independence of the student, full- or part-time status, etc.
  4. Discuss mutual expectations, deadlines and forms of communication
    It’s recommended that the host supervisor discusses mutual expectations with the student and defines a research plan.
  5. Departmental and safety orientation
    Ensure your VIRS student is introduced to relevant students, staff and faculty in your lab, or department and provide the student with relevant safety training.
  6. Report accidents and consider accident insurance
    Should any accidents occur involving the student, please report it on UBC’s Centralized Accident / Incident Reporting System (CAIRS). We recommend working with Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) if you have questions about safety and insurance for your VIRS student.

Paperwork for your Visiting International Research Student

Go Global provides admitted VIRS students with an official Letter of Acceptance which is sufficient for students to apply for immigration documents (study permit, visa). Additional letters from UBC carries the risk that visa officers may misinterpret the student’s status at UBC and refuse required immigration documents.

Occasionally, students require a letter of invitation to apply for an award/scholarship. In such cases, we are happy to provide a template to use for this. Please contact the Go Global advisor for VIRS at virs.okanagan@ubc.ca.

Finances

VIRS students may not have an employment relationship with the University in any capacity related to their research during their VIRS visit. Some VIRS students with valid study permits may work on campus in an area unrelated to their main research (e.g. café, store, restaurant, research unrelated to the main purpose of their visit).

There are three ways for you to provide money to a VIRS student:

  1. Cover the VIRS Program Fee
    Note that the fee may not be paid from a Canadian Tri-agency grant (i.e. SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) per grant policies.

    1. Indicate on the VIRS approval form that you will cover the fee. Provide account details to arrange an Internal Service Delivery (ISD) for the payment.
  2.  Reimbursement for expenses
    This would be done through your departmental admin and subject to the department’s financial policies and procedures. VIRS students are sometimes reimbursed for travel and living expenses, as well as the medical insurance that they are enrolled in at UBC (IMED).
  3. VIRS Grant (Award 21489) through enrolment services
    This would involve recommending your student for an award and transferring funds to Enrolment Services. The only restriction is that the source of funding cannot be from a Canadian tri-agency grant. Please contact our office for the steps and more information.