A visiting foreign scholar is a person who comes to the university temporarily, mainly to teach, do research, or both. Visiting foreign scholars come to the University for academic enterprises, not for non-academic employment. Visiting foreign scholars sometimes become admitted to the university and take classes, but that is not the main purpose of their stay. To come to the University of Iowa as a visiting foreign scholar, a person in another country must first obtain a passport from his or her own government. The UI has no role in that procedure.
Departments have different approaches for deciding whether to invite a visiting foreign scholar.
In most cases, a particular faculty member has an affiliation with a particular scholar who is to be invited. The ISAF requires a signature from the particular UI faculty or staff member with whom the visiting scholar will be working, and also from the department chair. The J-1 visa is intended for, among others, scholars who want to come to the States temporarily to teach in a college or university, do research, or both. The UI's Office of International Students and Scholars issues IAP-66s on behalf of the university. The OISS issues IAP-66s on the basis of International Scholar Application Forms submitted by UI departments.