Coming to SLAC on LTA?

Contents

Introduction

There are two pieces of advice which are very important for any considering a long term attachment at SLAC:

• Get yourself organised SOON - there's lots to do, some of it takes ages to get done, and many steps require the one before to be completed first
• Get in contact with the UK Liaison, Jean Sutherland, as soon as possible, and stay in touch with her throughout the process

Visas

The US embassy in London is also online here: http://www.usembassy.org.uk/

To stay in the US for more than 90 days you require a visa. The usual visa obtained by a UK national working on LTA at SLAC for a UK employee is the J-1 and a J-2 for his/her spouse. The J-2 visa allows the spouse to work while in the USA.

If your partner is not a legal spouse, the other options appear to be: B-2 — a tourist visa, or enter (for up to 90 days) on the visa waiver programme. If you remain on the visa waiver program, you could try leaving the country for a weekend holiday after 89 days and then returning for a further waiver period of 89 days to account for a 6-month LTA. But be aware that you might not get readmitted - at least not without a lot of stern questions! Note that you cannot get a J2 visa for a non-married partner.

Getting a visa is a several step process and may take up to four months. The process starts with sorting out your dates and getting approval for your LTA through your institute. After that you'll need several documents from your institute and from RAL/PPARC before applying for a US Dept. of State form called the DS-2019 from Stanford University. This is obtained through the SLAC International Services Office (Rm 240, Building 41), visa@slac.stanford.edu. Having completed that step, you can then apply for the actual visa. The steps that need to be followed, in more detail, are:

Before applying for your LTA, you will need to choose the exact dates of your intended trip, being mindful of other commitments such as a RAL summer school for graduate. (Bear in mind that at the end of your LTA you can always apply for an extension which, if supported by your supervisor, will almost always be approved.) Getting approval requires your department PI to make a case for your to do an LTA and for it to be approved in an appropriate meeting. Such meetings happen every few months. Students need to apply to their sponsor (PPARC for most UK students) for permission to travel with written support from their supervisors. In the case of PPARC, when your trip is approved, you will receive a letter notifying you of this and detailing the total funding available to you for that period. RAL should provide PostDocs with a similar letter. This letter will be needed for subsequent steps in the process.students.

You should also complete the LTA application form, "Visitors Application for Overseas Visit", as approval is required for the LTA before RAL/PPARC can prepare letters outlining the funding you will receive while on LTA (which are required for a later step in the application procedure).

As soon as you know you're going to go on an LTA, you should contact the UK Liaison (currently Jean Sutherland) and tell them all about when you intend to come and what dates. You should also inform Robyn Mosset, at International Services Office (Rm 240E, Building 41) at SLAC.

The UK Liaison can help you with the rest of your application procedure and help to arrange things from the SLAC end. Be sure to give the Liaison the information in Step 5 when requesting items like a SLAC invitation letter.

A good piece of advice is that you should send copies of all papers, emails, etc to the UK Liaison during this application process. She will help in smoothing out any problems that come later in the process if kept informed about everything.

You need to fill in a DS-2019 application. This is a Certificate of Eligibility for J-1 status. You can get this from SLAC's International Services Office at 650-926-4123 (prefix with 001 if in UK), or email Robyn Mosset at SLAC.

This form is straightforward to fill out - the only information that you will need to research is to fill in the section stating How much you will be paid, and who by, in $US per month while at SLAC. This will either be paid by CLRC or by PPARC depending on your status. Don't forget to include your regular salary as well as an estimate as to how much RAL/PPARC will pay for your rent and utilities, to convince the US Embassy that you have sufficient funds to manage in the US.

You can obtain this information from the LTA contact at Rutherford, Louise Merrison (RAL ext 5395), or Steve Dawson at PPARC.

Fax this form to either/both of the UK Liaison (Jean Sutherland, 650-926-3677) or International Services (650-926-4999). Faxing both ensures that the UK Liaison can follow up the application and that the international Services Office have everything they need.

The DS-2019 will be ready about 2-3 weeks after all your information in Steps 4 and 5 have been submitted. It will then be Fedexed to you.

You can apply for this letter from the LTA contact at Rutherford, Louise Griffiths (ext 5395), or Steve Dawson at PPARC.

If you are a research associate, you will also need to obtain a letter from whomever pays your regular salary (e.g. home institute) stating what that salary is — SLAC need it for processing your application.

The UK Liaison can help arrange this. You will need to give her the following details:

• who you are: research assistant, grad student, etc.
• who the principal investigator at your institute is
• your email address
• your address at home and your institute address and contact phone numbers — specify which address to be used to mail the invitation letter
• your supervisor's name and email address
• what you will be assigned to - in detail (don't use the word "work", as this can cause problems at immigration)
• what dates you are coming and going
• where you are coming from
• why you are coming to SLAC
• if you are bringing a spouse or dependents

Once you have the DS-2019 you have to take it to your appointment at the US embassy together with:

• completed visa application form(s) available from embassy (best to phone them (get number from their website, explain clearly what you require, and ask them to post you the appropriate forms);
• receipt showing payment of 46 pounds into US embassy bank account;
• passport(s) valid for duration of stay;
• the Letter of Invitation from SLAC, which comes with DS-2019;
• LTA letters from Louise Merrison at Rutherford (or Steve Dawson at PPARC) outlining funding and medical insurance;
• proof of reason to return (e.g. a letter from your supervisor stating your need to return to the university, a letter demonstrating house ownership, ...)
• if you are a postdoc funded by RAL, you will also need a letter from the finance department of your home institution stating your annual salary (preferably with a note saying they'd continue to pay it while you were in the US) - RAL cannot provide this. You could also get them to mention the amount of "Inner London Weighting" that you will be paid while at SLAC, as this will also facilitate getting your home institution to actually pay this.

An in-person interview is required at the US Embassy in London to obtain a visa. This appointment usually takes approximately a month to obtain, but could take longer.

The DS-2019 form is extremely important. Sign it in the appropriate place at the bottom. You'll need it at the check-in desk on departure and at immigration on entry. It will be required at the SLAC International Services Office on arrival, for social security numbers, for reentry to the US after breaks overseas, etc. Always keep it with your passport.

Related links:

• Christina Edgar's visa webpage outling full details of her experiences as a PPARC-funded graduate student applying for a visa for herself and her husband

Housing

Long-term housing is most easily obtained through the SLAC housing office (housing@slac.stanford.edu). It can be done completely remotely through e-mail, the housing office will view the property, or property can be viewed while on short term visits to SLAC.

The current housing allowances from Rutherford Laboratory for furnished accomodation, or unfurnished plus rental of furniture, are approximately:

• Single Person $1600 rent + $300 furniture allowance per month
• Couple $2000 rent plus $400 furniture allowance per month
• Family $2500 rent plus $400 furniture allowance per month

The deposit on the property can be claimed in advance from RAL/PPARC and will be recovered from you when you complete your LTA. It is also possible to obtain an advance on the first month's rent. A copy of the rental agreement or lease has to be sent to Rutherford (given to the UK Liaison) for regular payments for rent to be made to your account.

If suitable accomodation is not immediately available, SLAC Guest House expenses will be paid for a maximum of fourteen nights. If the SLAC Guest House is not available, then hotel expenses will be paid for a maximum of fourteen nights.

Currently, PPARC will not pay for any car rental for your initial arrival on an LTA. RAL will consider claims for car rental on a case-by-case basis, but you should put in a strong case to get reimbursement. However, you will probably find it very useful to rent a car for the first week to get yourself acquainted with the area and to sort out initial shopping and rentals.

Note that lease agreements in the US usually require at least 9 or 12 months' contract - which can be a problem for shorter visits. Fortunately there is an exception - Park Towers. This property sometimes has a large waiting list, and you should act fast to get onto the list.

If you choose to change your place of residence during your LTA you must request permission to make this change before handing in notice at your present location. One student changed recently but was required to pay all additional rental and furniture costs above the amount payable to the original residence. Note also that relocating to San Francisco will cost you up to $300 per month for a parking space!

Park Towers

Finally, if you rent an apartment in Park Towers, ask for a large room, as there are two sizes, and one is considerably smaller.

Removals

"... maximum allowance of 1100 kg packed not to exceed 6 cubic metres in volume".

When family members accompany personal an additional 300 kg is allowed, packed so as not to exceed 2 cubic metres in volume.

You are expected provide 3 estimates, although note that since many UK shipping companies use the same US agent, this might be difficult. If this occurs, it should be sufficient to provide CLRC with a written document stating that you were unable to obtain three estimates for this reason. CLRC will pay the transport firm directly for the transportation costs and insurance. (They will also pay for you to insure your possessions for up to 10K pounds.)

PPARC prefer their students to use Luker Brothers whose contact number is Tel: 01865-762206, Fax: 01865-750625. You can also arrange shipping with them by email through Dave Dineley.

Warning. It can take up to 12 weeks for your possessions to get to/from the US!

For visits exceeding 12 weeks, PPARC will fund transport of possessions home up to 1 cubic metre if shipped with Luker Brothers. Students funded through PPARC should contact Luker Brothers directly for all personal shipments. Their telephone number is 01865 762206. A caveat about using Luker brothers is that they insist on doing all the packaging themselves or your possessions won't be insured - but some people have had bad experiences... However, if you don't go with Luker Brothers, PPARC won't pay anything towards the shipping costs for students at present.

When having items shipped, removal companies like Luker Brothers engage other firms to transport items across the US. When your belongings arrive, you will probably face an approx $40 tax charge, but do not pay these drivers any money for shipping when they deliver as Luker Brothers should pay them directly, and it can take a very long time to recover that money.

Note for PPARC students: you can claim for shipping of 1 cubic metre to England. PPARC will not pay for any "extra baggage" fees even if you don't use Luker Bros. to ship unless you produce a good case. If you have only a small amount of luggage to ship, you can often convince PPARC to pay for it to be flown as excess baggage, but you should make sure you obtain agreeement for this in advance.

Furniture Rental

Another recommended place is Cort Furniture at 626 San Antonio Rd., Mountain View. Tel: 650-966-1758, Fax: 650-966-1366. Recently some folks rented enough furniture for a one-bedroom apartment for $140 per month, delivery included. This is a little further drive than Brook, but the payoff may be worth it!

PPARC students, who are paid a lump sum now to cover items such as furniture, are recommended to purchase furniture rather than rent it, as about 3 months' furniture rental is the same as a the second-hand price for a whole suite! One student recently furnished his apartment for $900 with good-quality items from Cort Furniture (who provide very comfortable couches). Futons are perhaps better purchased from somewhere like Ikea.

Utilities

Gas and Electricity

The meters (outside the house) are read once a month with a bill arriving a few days later.

Garbage

Also BFI collect recyclable material (paper, cans, glass and plastic) without charge. They will deliver coloured recycling boxes and these are collected fortnightly.

More information can be found at, http://www.bfipeninsula.com/

Telephone

Phone calls are billed monthly. They have several plans, a flat rate $15 per month for free local calls, or $8 per month and 3c for the first minute and 1c per minute therafter. (Local means a 12 mile radius)

Warning: You must choose a long distance / international carrier. (Calling the UK on a normal domestic phone without an international carrier costs $1.75/min!) You can ring them and find their rates. They change all the time so call for current fees. Here are a few:

• AT&T 1-800-222-0300
• MCI 1-800-825-5624
• Sprint 1-800-767-7759
• Vartec 1-800-583-8811

As an example, our carrier AT&T has a monthly fee of about $3 plus calls. Phone calls to the UK are 12c per minute. UK calls are fairly standard in price between companies, but calls to other foreign locations can very significantly, for example, MCI charge $1.40/min to New Zealand, but AT&T charge only 16c/min! However, you can also get air miles with MCI for most airlines - useful if you are accumulating miles with trips to and from SLAC.

Any subsequent changes to service requirements costs $15.

Don't forget to arrange delivery of your telephone directories from Pacific Bell when you get your phone connected.

You may also want to consider getting DSL (high-speed internet) at home. This costs about $50 per months, with a $100 connection fee. Ask other people with experience of this at SLAC to decide if it's worth it for you and which company to go with. Note that the minimum contract is about 6 months.

Similarly for mobile phones, most companies in the US have minimum contracts of 2 years, so you'll have to shop around, or find a pay-and-go merchant if you will be here for less time than that.

If you are assigned to a task that requires you to be on call to the BaBar experiment, you may be able to get DSL through SLAC, and you may also be given a mobile phone for work use.

Social Security

Forms are available from the SLAC International Services Office. Social Security offices are located in Redwood City (2121 Broadway at Middlefield) and Sunnyvale (438 South Murphy Ave). Take along passport + visa, DS-2019, and SLAC offer letter.

The US is running out of social security numbers, and J-2 and B-2 visa holders are no longer given Social Security numbers, but instead need to go to the Social Security office and obtain a letter stating that they are ineligible for a social security number but have permission from Social Security to obtain a license. Take this form to the DMV when applying for your license.

The social security number is posted to you in about 2–6 weeks.

Driving

The DMV (Department of Motor Vehicules) in Redwood City can be contacted on (650)-368-2837. The centre is located at the junction of Main and Brewster. Their website is well written and accurate also. The web site for obtaining a driver licence for new residents is found at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/newtoca/newtoca.htm

Call to book an appointment for the written test. Remember to bring your birth certificate (not essential), passport, DS-2019 form, I-94 card, $24 and UK license if you have one, when applying for a license. The SLAC International Services Office has copies of the DMV driver handbook and copies of past tests. The UK Liaison has copies of example written tests with answers to help you prepare.

Once you have passed your theory test, book a practical test (approximate 2 week wait). At this time your social security number will be required.

On passing you get a temporary license (piece of paper) and the actual card takes 4-6 weeks to arrive. A social security number is not required for a temporary driver's licence.

The Californian Law vehicle code can be found at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=veh&codebody

It is difficult to recommend a mechanic, as most people's opinions can change very rapidly, however, one mechanic in Redwood City which has been recommended recently is at these map coordinates.

Most people coming to SLAC buy cheap second-hand cars. These can be found at the SLAC flea market, the su.market newsgroup, through hand-me-downs from other students, in the newspapers, ... In California it is required by law that all cars have a smog test (emissions test) just before sale - ensure this is a condition of your car purchase. If you are pulled over with a non-working headlight or similar, you can receive an instant fine. In California, you are required to have car insurance and to have proof of this insurance in the car with you at all times, as well as the vehicle's registration and your drivers licence.

Inevitably some cars die, and you may be unable to sell your old vehicle. The local wreckers yard is in the Yellow Pages. If you cannot get your car there, it'll cost at least $100 to have it picked up. Even if you can get it to the yard, you may be required to pay to have it taken off your hands (usually about $75) or, if the model is a useful one for parts, you may get up to $100 back for it.

Related links:

• Christina Edgar's driving webpage outling full details of her experience obtaining a California driver's license

Insurance

When you go to see her, remember to bring proof of insurance in the UK and a copy of your bachelor or doctor degree from your university. She will use this to show driving history and offer a discount. One student just paid $300 for 6 months. By going elsewhere, he could have paid double.

Also, a person recently obtained car and renter's insurance from AAA. Joining AAA is recommended for drivers, particularly anyone who might be considering purchasing a second-hand car. Membership also entitles drivers to many discounts at hotels, restaurants, attractions, and is well worth the cost. It also includes towing options for breakdowns - free towing for less than 50 miles with basic membership, and free towing of unlimited distance with a more comprehensive coverage package.

Most secondhand cars are either bought from colleagues through word-of-mouth, or from su.market, a Stanford student newsgroup. su.market is also used to purchase other second-hand gear - for example, TVs.

Medical Insurance

Note as part of the LTA agreement you "must take advantage of the services in this country before you depart and claims for routine dental, opthalmic or optical treatment are not expected within three months of your departure."

On anything not covered by the medical insurance policy, you can pay charges as they occur and claim from Rutherford, UK prescription charges are deducted from the claim.

If you want to go skiing, or participate in any other high-risk sport, make sure you extend your coverage, as the basic PPARC/RAL coverage isn't sufficient for this.

Banks

Opening a bank account in the US is easy. Those nearest SLAC at the Sharon Heights shopping centre are Wells Fargo and Bank of America. However, bank charges for checking (current) accounts vary significantly, and you will get additional charges for using ATM machines belonging to other banks (Bank of America is most numerous, but also charges for accounts with less than $1000 in them - however they are very friendly and helpful, Washington Mutual has practically no charges).

There is a Stanford Credit Union that you can join and open an account.

Rutherford/PPARC can pay monies directly into the account in dollars which is very useful when getting rent paid, but incurs the cost of a wire transfer, so it is best to make claims of bulk amounts, e.g. monthly. For direct transfers to America, they require the bank address, account number and wire routing number.

It is worth investigating different ways of transferring money from UK banks to US banks. Wiring is expensive and simply writing a UK cheque works. For example, wire transfers into Washington Mutual cost $10, while transfers into Bank of America cost $15, and some others can cost $30. Transferring money out of US banks incurs a larger charge.

If you decide to not open a US bank account, it is highly advisable that you get a good visa card. You can then deal strictly in cash, although there is usually a 1.5% or more charge for cash advances with VISA or Mastercard. All you would need to do is transfer money from the UK bank account to your visa account once a month (usually manageable on the web). This eliminates other wire and bank transaction fees. Something to think about.

Shopping

The UK Liaison will help you with this, by taking you on shopping trips on your arrival (by arrangement, and as time permits).

The best places to go to for basic household requirements - kitchen utensils, towels, rubbish bin, etc., are Walmart and Target. The closest of these stores to Palo Alto and Menlo Park are huge stores in Los Altos - a few miles down El Camino Real. To get there, you'll need to either drive or bus. The latter option is ok if you're not bringing too much stuff back, as the buses are very frequent along El Camino. There is a free "Shopping Express" which travels to and from the Los Altos shopping centre fairly regularly in the weekends. The Shopping Express leaves from the Palo Alto Caltrain station, and also goes near the Menlo Park Caltrain station.

For food, Safeway is the best bet. There are two 24 hour Safeway supermarkets in the region: one on El Camino Real which is huge, between Palo Alto and Menlo Park, and one in Sharon Heights shopping centre, which is about a 15 minute walk from SLAC. They have an excellent range, mostly at reasonable prices (apart from bread, which is surprisingly expensive in America). Other good food options include the slightly more expensive WholeFoods supermarket which is on Emerson street in Palo Alto (cnr Emerson and about 3 blocks south of University Ave), which has great fruit and veg and deli foods, as well as a huge range of health-food products. Also there is Andronico's which is a similar place and is at the back of the Stanford Shopping Centre, as well as Draegers - a specialty delicatessan in Menlo Park, which is rather expensive, but has some very nice items. Another option is "Trader Joe's" which is on Menlo Ave (parallel to, and one block over from, Santa Cruz Avenue) which has much organic food, as well as normal items, much of it at very good prices.

For gift and clothes shopping, the Stanford Shopping Centre is a good bet. There is a large range of shops, including many more upmarket choices.

Finally, University Avenue and California Avenue in Palo Alto (and to a lesser extent, Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park) are the main general shopping areas with restaurants, cafes, sports shops, stationers etc.

Things to do

Nightly Subsistence Allowance, Tax, and Overseas LTA Allowance

To obtain a 'no-tax' code in the UK you must fill in form P85 which you get from your tax office and they should contact your employer.

NSA (COLA) is not subject to Notional Tax if the individual continues to pay UK Income Tax. However, once an NT (No Tax) Income Tax code is issued by their tax office, they should notify PPARC/RAL as they will then become liable for Notional Tax (as your PPARC/RAL representatives for further details about this). Also, if individuals receive a tax rebate from their tax office this money will be due to CLRC/RAL, as this could mean that for a period they will have not paid either UK Income Tax or Notional Tax which would not be fair. They must pay one or the other.

Overseas LTA Allowance (formerly known as "inner London weighting") is paid by RAL to research associates in addition to their usual salary. This is about UKP1700 per year. The inner-London weighting should be paid by your institute in addition to your usual salary (but experience shows you should make sure yourself that this is being paid!). Overseas LTA Allowance is not payable to those individuals who are employed by London Universities as they will already be receiving it as part of their normal salary package.

SLAC/Stanford admin

Report to the UK liaison. Currently this is Jean Sutherland. Jean's office is located in building 40, room G210 (upstairs), phone 650-926-3227, fax 650-926-3677. It is best to phone to make an appointment before visiting, since she has limited office hours. She will be able to help sort out any details with RAL, PPARC or SLAC.

Report to the SLAC International Services Office with your DS-2019, passport, visa, I-94 card. You will have to fill in several forms. Ask them for a cardboard Stanford Visiting Scholars card, which enables access to Stanford facilities. Your entry into the US must be reported to keep your visa documents valid. The SLAC International Services Office does this reporting for you after you check in with them.

Register at the SLUO (Slac Users Organisation) which is located at the main entrance to the central lab annex (building 84) where you can schedule to do your GERT training. You will need this training to obtain your SLAC badge and dosimeter.

It is also good to check in with the housing office if your accommodation was arranged through them - just to make contact and make them aware you have arrived.

The GERT and safety training sessions take approximately four hours. Once passed you can take the certificate and get a dosimeter (film badge). You need to take these courses in order to take BaBar shifts.

You also need to check in at the SLAC security trailor to get your SLAC id badge which must be worn out of hours, and must be carried at all times within SLAC. It is obtained at the same place that you get a dosimeter once you have finished GERT training. See here for more information.

If you own a car you must get a decal to enable you to have access to SLAC. The decal is a number to identify your car, to gain easier access at the main gate after hours. This is available from the same trailer as you get the dosimeter.

The Stanford International Centre on campus (the Bechtel International Centre) provides information on work permits, work, courses etc. for visiting staff's families. For more information contact Gwyn Dukes on (650)-723-1834.

If you have a DS-2019 (formerly known as IAP-66) form and plan to take a trip out of the US and then return during your LTA, you should notify the SLAC International Services Office of your intent to travel. They will prepare a travel memo for you that you will have to take to Stanford campus as instructed by the SLAC International Services Office before you travel and carry with you while you are outside the US to enable you to reenter the country.