Processing Non-Resident Aliens and Foreign Nationals

If a foreign national is working on a UNC-Chapel Hill project outside of the United States, no Form PR-100 is required, regardless of whether the appointment is paid or unpaid. The EPAWeb New Employment action should indicate in the Comments section where the individual is located and what project they are working on for UNC-Chapel Hill. This information must be in the Comments section for Payroll Services to recognize that a PR-100 is not required and to approve the EPAWeb action.

EPAWeb requires a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN) to perform a New Employment Action for either paid or unpaid (e.g., zero rate) EPA appointments.  In many circumstances, foreign nationals newly arriving in the U.S. or those working for the University overseas do not have an SSN but need a temporary dummy SSN to enable processing in EPAWeb.  To download the temporary dummy SSN form, click here.

Note:  Other Affiliates do not receive EPA appointments, are not processed in EPAWeb, and therefore do not require a dummy SSN.  If a PID or Onyen is needed for an Other Affiliate (formerly Visiting Scholar), complete an Other Affiliate form and give it to the departmental HR Facilitator.  An SSN is not required to process this form.

In the EPAWeb Personnel Action System, the "Immigration Work Eligibility Expiration Date"  field is tracked for non-resident aliens and can be found on the completed I-9 form and on the individual's Visa. Please note that for foreign nationals working for the University outside of the U.S., this date is not applicable.  However, since it is required in EPAWeb for anyone coded as a non-resident alien, for such individuals, 01/01/9999 should be entered as the Work Eligibility Expiration date to permit completion of the EPAWeb action.

When a non-resident alien needs to be moved on or off the "E" payroll (typically for tax withholding status changes) with no other change in appointment details, salary or salary source accounts, this change will be made automatically by Payroll Services and no actions will need to be prepared by the department in EPAWeb.  Payroll Services will notify departments by memo when such a change occurs.

To initiate a New Employment Action in EPAWeb requires an SSN.  The below procedures apply to individuals who do not possess a U.S. SSN.

Paid Appointments:  For non-resident aliens who will be paid by the University but who do not initially have a social security number (SSN), processing in EPAWeb cannot begin until OISSS receives the PR100 form and issues a dummy SSN.  In these instances, an Advance EPA Appointment Transmittal Form can be completed to enable EPA appointment processing and credential verification to begin prior to the individual's arrival in the U.S.

Once the individual arrives in the U.S. and the necessary PR-100 is processed through OISSS and a dummy SSN is issued, an EPAWeb New Employment Action must be completed in order to process the individual on Payroll. When using this new EPA advance transmittal process, please note in Comments in the final EPAWeb New Employment action that appointment paperwork was routed previously using the Advance EPA Appointment Transmittal Form. 

Non-Paid Appointments:  Non-paid EPA appointments do not require the PR-100, a dummy SSN can be obtained from OISSS which will permit processing into EPAWeb prior to their arrival in the U.S. For specific instructions on this process clicking here.

The Alien Registration Number is only applicable to Resident Aliens (R), i.e., green card holders.  If you have questions regarding this number, please contact OISSS at 962-5661 or via email: oisss@unc.edu.

The non-resident alien must complete a PR-100 form which is then forwarded by the appointing department to the Office of International Students and Scholarship Services (OISSS), CB #5240.  The form should indicate that the individual will be receiving a salaried appointment.  That office will enter the PR-100 information into the Windstar database.  Payroll Services will confirm the PR-100 information in Windstar prior to approving any related salary action or lump sum payments in EPAWeb.  The PR-100 form is available by clicking here.

The PR-100 is not required for non-resident aliens who receive non-salaried appointments. These individuals may be entered in EPAWeb at a zero base rate and the action comments should indicate they are receiving a non-salaried appointment. OISSS may be consulted to ensure compliance with relevant immigration/Visa regulations.

Other Affiliates (formerly Visiting Scholar) is defined as any person who is not paid by or attending   UNC-Chapel Hill and requires University resources to work in conjunction with UNC-Chapel Hill.  They do not receive EPA appointments and though unpaid may be subject to different requirements by OISSS. Please consult OISSS regarding individuals coming into the United States under such arrangements.