Administrative guidelines for DCU undergraduate research internship programmes Application procedure Application procedures are specific to each Project manager/research centre. An example as used by the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute Ureka Site Programme is as follows: Applicants must be full-time undergraduates in their second or third (not final) year of a degree in science/engineering/science education or social science. They should also be enthusiastic, self-starters and interested in research. Applicants are then required to apply online by submitting: - An application form - Curriculum Vitae with two academic referees - A short essay outlining their interest in participating in the programme (400-500 words) The closing date for receipt of applications each year is mid-march, in order for students to start the programme at the beginning of June. Following receipt of all applications, shortlisted applicants are interviewed in person/via telephone before selection of final candidates. Once final candidates have been selected, they are contacted to make travel & accommodation arrangements and assistance is offered with the paperwork required for visa applications, if required. Travel & accommodation for overseas students Some internship programmes cover the full/partial cost of travel & accommodation for the students. In most cases it is more convenient for the student to make their own travel arrangements and a reimbursement can be arranged after their arrival. Accommodation is usually provided in on-campus/nearby student accommodation halls. For information about making a booking contact: DCU Campus Residences: Niamh Connolly Tel: +3531 700 5344 Email: niamh.connolly@dcu.ie Web: http://www.dcu.ie/accommodation/index.shtml If on-campus accommodation is booked out, the following alternative student accommodation (in the vicinity of the University) may have availability: 'Shanowen Hall': Mike or Alexsandre Tel: +3531 862 7768 Email: info@shanowenhall.com Web: http://www.shanowenhall.com/ 'Shanowen Square': Lorraine Noble Tel : +3531 862 3842 Email: info@shanowensquare.com Web: http://shanowensquare.com/ Immigration Regulations for non-eea (European Economic Area) nationals Student visa International students coming to DCU from a state not included in Table 1 (below) should contact the consulate, embassy or visa office in their home country to apply for a general visa (VA1) form. 1
Table1: List of countries whose passport holders do not require visas to enter Ireland: Andorra Guatemala Norway Antigua and Barbuda Guyana Panama Argentina Honduras Poland Australia Hong Kong (SAR) Portugal Austria Hungary Saint Kitts & Nevis Bahamas Iceland Saint Lucia Barbados Israel Saint Vincent & The Grenadines Belgium Italy San Marino Belize Jamaica Seychelles Bolivia Japan Singapore Botswana Kiribati Slovenia Brazil Korea (Rep of South) Solomon Islands Brunei Latvia South Africa Canada Lesotho Spain Chile Liechtenstein Swaziland Costa Rica Lithuania Sweden Croatia Luxembourg Switzerland Cyprus Malawi Tonga Czech Republic Malaysia Trinidad & Tobago Denmark Malta Tuvala Dominica Mauritius U.S.A. El Salvador Mexico UK & Colonies Estonia Monaco Uruguay Fiji Nauru Vanuata Finland Netherlands Vatican City France New Zealand Venezuela Germany Nicaragua Western Samoa Greece Macau (SAR) Grenada Maldives Visa (VA1) application forms should be accompanied by the following: 1. Original letter from their own University stating what course they're studying and when they are due back to college after their internship at DCU. 2. Original letter from the host School/Unit in DCU stating the scholarship they will be paid and details of any subsidies that will be paid for their accommodation & travel. The letter also needs to state that the host School/Unit will be booking accommodation on their behalf (if this happens to be the case). 3. Copy of their passport. On the VA1 application form, the students should enter the following: - Question 19: enter Training as the purpose of the journey - Question 20: arrival & departure dates should not exceed 90 days otherwise the student will have to register with immigration - Question 21: the host School/Unit will provide a scholarship & will subsidise travel & accommodation costs; the student may also need to provide evidence of additional funds if what the host School/Unit is providing is not deemed enough to maintain them during their scholarship - Questions 22 & 23: enter the host School/Unit contact details Students should note that it takes up to 8 weeks for their applications to be transferred to/processed by the Department of Justice in Ireland so they will need to apply for their visa as soon as they receive an offer from the host. For more information contact: Department of Justice, Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, The Visa Office, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland; Tel: +3531 616 7700 (helpline 2
open from 10.00am to 12.30pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday excl. public/bank holidays); Fax: +3531 616 7445; Email: visamail@justice.ie Transit visas Under the Aliens (Visas) Order 2003, the following countries also require Transit Visas to enter Ireland. Students should contact their local consulate, email:visamail@justice.ie or visit www.justice.ie for information relevant to their country. Afghanistan Albania Bulgaria Cuba Democratic Republic Of Congo Ethiopia Entry into the State Eritrea Serbia and Montenegro Ghana Iran Iraq Lebanon Moldova Nigeria Romania Somalia Sri Lanka Zimbabwe Non-EEA nationals are required to report to an Immigration Officer at an Irish port of entry. The onus is on the student entering the country to have all documentation relating to their reasons for entering Ireland for presentation to the Immigration Officer. If paperwork is in order, the Immigration Officer will grant entry for a maximum period of three months. IMMIGRATION REGISTRATION after entry to the State a) GNIB card (for students staying > 3 months) After entry to the State non-eea nationals intending to stay in Ireland for more than 3 months must then register with the Gárda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to obtain a GNIB Registration Card and a stamp in their passport (there are a number of different stamps). The fee for registering is currently 100 (there are certain exemptions). b) Stamp 2A (for students staying < 3 months) Non-EEA nationals staying in the country for less than 3 months, but who require a PPS number to claim tax exemption on their scholarship ie. via the Scholarship Exemption Form, will also need to register with the GNIB in order to get a stamp 2A on their passport. They will need to present this stamp when applying for their PPS number at the Social Welfare Office. (Students staying in the country for less than 3 months do not need to get a GNIB card and do not have to pay the 100 fee). The GNIB is located in Dublin city centre, beside O Connell Bridge at 13-14 Burgh Quay. The opening hours are: 8am-10pm Mon-Thur; 8.30am-4pm Fri. Telephone: (01) 666 9100 / (01) 616 7700; Email: gnib@iol.ie. The following documentation is required for immigration registration (GNIB card or Stamp 2A) at the GNIB: - Passport - Letter from DCU stating start & end dates of study programme and details of fees & stipend being paid - Proof of Irish address - Irish bank account - A bank statement from Irish/own bank account stating that there are funds in excess of 3,000-100 fee if a GNIB card is to be issued (i.e. staying in Ireland for more than 3 months) 3
Entitlement to take up casual employment Only non-eea nationals attending a full-time course of at least one year's duration leading to a qualification recognised by the Minister for Education and Science will be entitled to take up casual employment (defined as up to 20 hours part-time work per week or full-time work during college vacation periods). Access to employment is denied to all other students while they are in the country. DCU registration/student card Undergraduate interns are registered in the University as non-award students. To do this, they register in the normal way using an R26 form (available on Registry website). There is a fee of 78 for students to register. To streamline the administrative process after students arrive, it has been suggested by Registry that the R26 form is sent to the students by email in advance of their arrival and they should return this via post to the host School/Unit with the required number of passport photos. These can then be returned to registry in one batch & the student cards/accounts prepared before they arrive. Payment of student scholarships Once students have registered & have received their student card & ID the following must be done: Students must: - Apply for a PPS number from their local Social Welfare office (see below) - Open an Irish bank account (can be done on campus) - Complete DCU Bank details form & give to Project manager/supervisor - Complete Scholarship Exemption Declaration (SE) form & give to Project manager/supervisor Project manager/supervisor must: - Forward completed DCU Scholarship Authorisation Form (SAF), Bank details form & SE Form (all available on the DCU website under Research, How to Apply under Graduate Research then scroll down to the very bottom) to Jonny Hobson in the Graduate Research Office before the 15 th of the month* Although summer internships vary from 10-12 weeks, they must fit in with the postgraduate research scholarship payment system which operates on a monthly payment basis. Students are to remember that they will not be paid until the end of the first month of their arrival and should budget for this accordingly. *This is the deadline to be met for students to receive their scholarship at the end of that month (student scholarships are paid directly into their bank accounts on the last Thursday of each month). Applying for a PPS number Students must apply for their PPS number in person at their local Social Welfare Office. To find out which office you should attend phone 01 874 8444 (this information isn t available online). Applications for PPS numbers are only processed from 9.30am - 1.30pm, Monday - Friday. Students must bring the following with them: - Passport - 2 nd form of photo ID (e.g. driving licence) - Proof of Irish address the only documents which will be accepted are: ESB bill; NTL bill; Bord Gáis bill; Eircom bill; or accommodation lease agreement or rental agreement if organised through an estate agent - Non-EEA nationals need a Gárda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) stamp 2A on passport (or GNIB card if the student is staying in Ireland for longer than 3 months) 4
- Non-EEA nationals need a letter from host School/Unit stating their name, what they are doing in Ireland, how long they will be here and stating that they are staying in student accommodation (provide the address) which is funded by the host School/Unit PPS numbers typically take 10-14 days to be processed & will be issued by post to the address provided by the student. Opening an Irish bank account All students must have an Irish bank account into which their scholarships can be directly paid each month. Scholarships will not be paid into non-irish bank accounts. The most convenient bank to use is the AIB on campus. To open a bank account, students require the following: - Photographic ID - Proof of Irish address usually the AIB will accept a letter from the host School/Unit stating the student s address, but recently they have become more strict & are asking for a lease agreement/utilities bill in addition to a departmental letter. (When referring to the student in the letter, use the student s full name as on their passport) Bank details This is a 1-page form to be completed by the student the Graduate Research Office use this form to pay the scholarship into the student s bank account. A scholarship cannot be paid without this form. The form is provided on the DCU website under Research, How to Apply - under Graduate Research - and scroll down to the very bottom for the Bank details form. It should be given to the Project manager/supervisor to be sent to the Graduate Research Office with the Scholarship Authorisation Form. The Graduate Research Office is located in the Invent building which is across from the main DCU library. Scholarship Exemption Declaration (SE) Form Again this form is to be completed by the student and submitted to the Graduate Research Office. Information provided on the form will be sent to the Dept. of Revenue to apply for tax exemption on the scholarship. The form can be found at the same location on the DCU website as the Bank details form. Students will need to supply a PPS number on the SE form. The PPS number should be emailed to jonny.hobson@dcu.ie in the Graduate Research Office as soon as it is received do not delay sending the SE form to the Graduate Research Office because of the PPS number. Note that only the original version of the form will be accepted - no photocopies. Scholarship Authorisation Form (SAF) This form is to be completed by the Project manager/supervisor as an instruction to the Graduate Research Office to pay the student. It is available at the same location as the Bank details and SE form. The form requires details such as the student number, scholarship amount, sub cost centre from which the scholarship is to be paid, internship programme start & end dates etc. The form must be signed by the Project manager/supervisor & the Head of School/Unit. Project managers/supervisors should refer to the Notes for completion of Scholarship Authorisation Form attached to the SAF. Project managers/supervisors should check with the student before submitting the SAF if the student will be able to access their final scholarship payment (ie. the payment date would be the last Thursday in the month on which they finish their internship). Some non-eea students will not be able to access their Irish bank account in their native country and as a result tend to close their Irish accounts before they leave. In such circumstances the student can be paid double the amount in the month before they leave but this must be arranged at the outset of the internship. Note again that only the original version of the form will be accepted no photocopies. 5