Before an international visitor visits USU, the Office of Research asks that they complete its International Visitors Form to provide information about themselves and their proposed visit using its International Visitors Form.
To meet USU’s export compliance and research security obligations, the Research Integrity & Compliance (RIC) Office seeks to screen all international visitors to USU.
Responsibilities for USU Personnel Welcoming International Visitors
Share the International Visitors Form – Before you finalize the visit, ask that each international visitor (defined below) you plan to welcome to USU complete the International Visitors Form in Kuali Build. The form asks for the following:
- The international visitor’s name, email address, and country of origin/citizenship;
- The dates of the anticipated visit;
- The purpose of the visit and the spaces the visitors will access on campus; and
- The name and email address of the visitor’s USU host.
Escort and Supervise – Ensure the international visitors are escorted at all times when visiting USU facilities containing export controlled technology.
Visitors should not be given unsupervised access to USU equipment, lab space, or technical data. No keys, access cards, or passwords should be shared with international visitors.
Communicate with RIC – For questions or concerns related to the visit you are hosting, including to verify what activities may violate export controls, contact compliance@usu.edu.
Who is Considered an International Visitor?
For the purposes of this process, an international visitor refers to any non-USU employee or student (1) who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and (2) is visiting campus in the short-term. Some of the common reasons visitors come to USU include:
- To receive a campus or lab tour;
- As part of a foreign government or corporate delegation;
- To participate in, or present at a conference, lecture or seminar;
- To discuss research or academics with USU personnel; or
- To perform (i.e., musicians, artists, theatrical performers).
Please note: This screening does not apply to (1) Visiting International Scholars (coming to USU on a potential J-1 scholar, professor, specialist or student intern visa), or (2) International students seeking admission to USU. Those individuals are screened through existing processes between the Global Engagement and Research Integrity & Compliance Offices.
Why Does USU Screen International Visitors?
USU personnel are responsible for ensuring that export controlled technology is not released to international visitors while they are on campus, creating a deemed export (defined below).
Export control regulations are complicated; the level of restriction, and the countries to which they apply varies from item to item. Collaborating with the Research Integrity & Compliance Office to ensure international visitors are screened helps us determine if there are spaces the international visitor cannot go on campus, or if there are any technologies to which they should not be given access.
What is a Deemed Export?
A deemed export occurs when controlled technology or information is released to a foreign national within the boundaries of the United States.
Even though the technology is not being physically exported outside of the country, sharing it with a foreign national within U.S. borders may be viewed as a “deemed export” under U.S. export control laws.
What is a Release?
Export Controlled “technology” is released to a foreign national when “information necessary for the development, production, use, operation, installation, maintenance, repair, overhaul, or refurbishing” of export controlled items is shared with the foreign national. According to the regulations, this commonly occurs in one of two situations:
- Visual or other inspection by a foreign person of items that reveals “technology” or source code subject to the [Export Administration Regulation] to a foreign person; or
- Oral or written exchanges with a foreign person of “technology” or source code in the United States or abroad.