What is the application process for visiting scholars?

Visiting scholar application process and precautions

1. Domestic application

Prepare and submit application materials for government-sponsored study abroad. At this time, you may not have contacted your foreign cooperating tutors, or you may not have received your PETS5 scores. It doesn't matter. As long as you know what you want to do, forming a distinctive and innovative research plan is the most important thing you have to do at this stage. Important things. Only if you obtain the qualification for public dispatch can you proceed to the next step. Regarding PETS scores, of course, the sooner you register for the test, the better, so you have an idea of ??what to expect. For someone like me who lacks training in speaking and listening skills, I feel uneasy until I get the results! So just prepare to apply for the exam as early as possible.

2. Overseas application

While applying for domestic funding qualifications, you can apply for a cooperative mentor. Of course, the earlier you apply abroad, the better, so you can fully understand and prepare. However, the school and tutor you mentioned in the application materials are not necessarily the unit or research group you will eventually go to. As a state-funded study abroad program, foreign tutors are generally more welcome. After all, they will save a lot of expenses. Therefore, when applying for a mentor, try to apply for someone who is outstanding in the field and make several alternatives. If you have plenty of time, it is recommended to apply one-on-one in a targeted manner. If one application fails, then the next one will be applied. In related fields, considering the units and research groups that you are interested in, you will actually find that there are not many candidates to choose from, but there is no need to cast a wide net, unless you are eager to go out and have to go out! As a visiting scholar, you cannot go out just for the sake of going out. You can still learn a lot by finding a research group that suits your research direction. The materials you need to prepare at this time are mainly a self-recommendation letter to your foreign supervisor, introducing your current research progress, challenges you have encountered (the work you want to do), why you chose this research group, and attaching a detailed personal profile. Resume, mainly includes published papers and presentation list. As for some posts asking for letters of recommendation, I think it depends on the person. At least I didn't ask for these things. Instead, the foreign director repeatedly provided me with emails and later Skype to discuss the subject I wanted to do and why I chose his research group. After four or five months of tossing, I finally decided to go to my current unit. . As for the other school I wrote in my application materials, I was not very interested in what the foreign instructor asked me to do, or the technology involved in the topic he proposed could be completed in China, so I still put in so much effort. What are you going to do? Of course, his research concepts may also be very advanced, otherwise he would not have published a series of highly cited papers. In addition, one of the reasons why it took me four or five months to finalize an agreement with my current foreign guide is that I was not confirmed to be eligible for public dispatch until May. Before that, I was not sure when I could go, so I did not actively and in-depth discussions. Exact time for collaborative research. Maybe this way of handling it is not appropriate.

It depends on the person. After I obtained the qualification for public dispatch, I contacted the foreign guide as soon as possible and roughly determined the possible time of my visit. Then, things fell into place. He forwarded the application materials to the secretary responsible for this matter, and the invitation letter, DS-2019 form and other foreign materials were completed. You may need some documents such as proof of public financial resources and proof that the unit agrees to public funding. Just prepare them as required.

3. Interview preparation

After confirming that you have obtained the DS2019 form, you can start preparing for the interview appointment. First, you need to go to CITIC Bank to buy a stored-value phone card for visa appointment and make an appointment for the visa interview. For one person, 8 minutes (32 yuan) is enough. Considering that my wife would also come to the United States for a visa interview before the Spring Festival, I bought a 12-minute ticket. It turns out that 12 minutes (54 yuan) is enough for two people. At the same time, pay the visa fee at CITIC Bank. When paying, you must have your passport and tell him the visa type. After that, you can call the embassy phone number (4008-872-333) to make an appointment. The phone service is in Chinese. At this time, you should have your passport, visa fee payment number (!) and your personal information ready at hand, and prepare a piece of paper to record your appointment interview number, time period and other information.

Generally, there will be multiple interview times for you to choose from. For more detailed information on the visa appointment process, you can search online. Before the interview, you still need to do two things: 1) Pay the SEVIS fee. This is required by the United States for non-immigrants entering the country. The URL and method can be found by searching online. After paying online, print the receipt online! You have to hand it to them when you get the visa. 2) Fill out the DS160 visa application form online. If you search, you will find that earlier posts mentioned forms 156, 157, and 158. Now it has been updated to just fill out a DS160 application form. The specific process can be searched: A tutorial on filling out the DS-160 form for J1 visa application and a Chinese sample (pictures and text), which are very detailed. It should be noted that at this time, you need two 2×2-inch white background photos and their electronic copies. This electronic photo is required when applying for DS160! After completing the DS160 form, print the confirmation page!

4. Interview

Necessary materials for interview: invitation letter, DS-2019 (some people say that you need to sign in the lower left corner, but in fact it doesn’t matter if you don’t sign), visa fee, DS160 Confirmation page, SEVIS fee receipt, 2×2-inch white background photo (I haven’t found it useful, so keep it handy), proof of funds; resume (including list of published articles), research proposal (the visa officer will read it!), foreign studies Guide resume. Others, such as family photos suggested online, and the production of financial, social, family or other binding documents to help you prove your intention to return to China after a short stay in the United States, etc., just be prepared and be prepared. Anyway, the visa officer didn’t ask me for it. After all, visiting scholars have a two-year validity limit after returning to the country, so it is easy to get a visiting scholar visa. For possible questions during the visa interview, you can search "Visa 108 Questions". It needs to be added that personal information must be added on the DS160 confirmation page, which is "name and code, Chinese name, home address, zip code, work unit, unit address, zip code". This needs to be filled out at home. You are not allowed to bring pens, mobile phones, or bags to the visa interview, and there is no place to store them. However, it seems that some people will provide these services. It is unknown how safe they are. Therefore, it is best to put all the required documents in a transparent document bag, and take a bus card with you (you can call after the visa is completed!) In addition, many posts mentioned the "note" before the interview, but the Chinese Academy of Sciences does not have this procedure. , so don’t think about it! 5. Once the air ticket is booked and the departure visa is approved, your passport will be kept and you need to go to the designated post office to handle the EMS return business. It costs about 32 yuan (in the city). After you get your visa, you can book your flight. It is recommended that you first search for Air China routes directly on websites such as Ctrip. Since it is operated by the public, the flight you take must be (at least one section) borne by Air China! For example, in New York, there are Continental Airlines flights that go directly to Newark Airport, and Air China has direct flights to John F Kennedy Airport. But if you want to arrive at Newark airport, you must first take Air China to a certain place and then transfer! I unfortunately encountered this situation. So don’t take any chances. It’s very convenient to choose Air China’s route. Regarding insurance, it is strongly recommended to apply for it after arriving at the school, or as required by the inviting party. Some schools will have some preferential policies.

This process takes visiting the United States as an example. The situation in other countries may be different. It is recommended to search for more relevant information online to avoid accidents. I hope my answer can help you and I hope you will adopt it. Thank you