UNC-Chapel Hill works to maintain an open, welcoming atmosphere where visitors and scholars from all over the world can come to learn, collaborate, and perform research. In doing so, the University is required to monitor foreign visitor assignments to ensure that the access to controlled articles and related information is authorized by federal regulations.

The Export Compliance Office (ECO) conducts ECRS reviews for visa recipients to ensure that U.S. Government authorizations are either not required or are obtained for the proposed visitor.

The ECO reviews recipients of J-1, H-1B, H-1B1, or O-1 visas. ECRS approval is required before UNC Global International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) may process your visa request.

ECRS Visa Review Process

• The hosting unit submits an ECRS Visa Review Request Form to the ECO shared inbox.
• The ECO will analyze the information in the form for compliance with relevant regulations and policies.
• The ECO will conduct Restricted Party Screening (RPS) using the Visual Compliance software. RPS is conducted for the beneficiary and their affiliations from the CV/résumé. 
• Generally, the ECO will approve the request if: 
  • no RPS alerts have been received for the beneficiary or their affiliations; 
  • the beneficiary’s work assignment does not involve controlled technology or software; 
  • the beneficiary’s work constitutes fundamental research; and 
  • there are no intellectual property concerns. 
• If no additional information is required, the ECO will send an approval email to the requestor and any school administrators specified in the form. 
• If an export license or another form of government authorization is determined to be required, the request will be escalated to the Export Review Advisory Committee (ERAC) comprised of the Chief Global Officer, Provost, and Vice Chancellor for Research.
• In rare cases, after a consultation with the hosting unit, the request may be denied if it is deemed too great a risk for the hosting unit and the University as a whole. 

RESUBMISSION of the visa request is required if one (1) year has passed since the original ECRS approval. 

If any of the following has changed for the beneficiary, contact the ECO by email without submitting another request:

• scope of work;
• hosting unit;
• source of funding; or
• hosting faculty mentor.

Please reach out to the ECO if you have questions about the ECRS visa review process. 

For more information on UNC-Chapel Hill’s J-1 visa process, please see the ISSS J-1 Exchange Visitor Playbook.

For more information on Unpaid Volunteers, Interns, and Visiting Scholars, please refer to the UNC-Chapel Hill Human Resources webpage.