As the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues to streamline and digitize the entry process for international visitors, CBP is eliminating entry stamps in passports at many (and eventually all) ports of entry. Without a passport entry stamp, foreign visitors will only have the electronic Form I-94 as a reference of their lawful immigration status. The Form I-94 is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrival/departure record issued to aliens who are admitted into the United States. Having this information is critical to ensuring the foreign visitor is in the appropriate status for the correct duration.

Foreign visitors should be advised to check and download their Form I-94 soon after entry into the United States. This is especially important for temporary business visitors (e.g., B-1 visa), because the electronic I-94 only lists the details of the foreign visitor’s most recent entry to the U.S., not any previous class of admission (i.e., visa status). Thus, if the nonemployee departs then re-enters the U.S., their previous class of admission will no longer be available. Incomplete or missing electronic I-94 information may impact RCUH’s ability to process a nonemployee payment or the tax treatment of such payment.

Visitors may access and print their electronic I-94 from the I-94 website or on the CBP One mobile application.

Any questions may be directed to Charlene Gibo at [email protected].

Updated from April 3, 2023 posting: SOQ deadline and late submittal dates are extended.

Licensed attorneys who wish to provide specialized legal services to the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii (RCUH) for Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024), are invited to submit a Statement of Qualifications and Expression of Interest (SOQ) to RCUH pursuant to HRS § 103D-304.

RCUH is currently looking to contract for legal services in the following areas:

1. Employment:  Employment, employee benefits, disciplinary, termination, workers’ compensation and discrimination/retaliation issues. Services shall include but not be limited to:
   1. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
   2. Providing advice and recommendations regarding responses to claims asserted by current and former employees; 
   3. Participating in negotiations regarding items (a) and (b); and
   4. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.

Previous experience advising employers is essential, and previous experience advising government agencies is preferred.  

2. Immigration: Temporary visas and/or permanent residency applications. Services shall include but not be limited to:
   1. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
   2. Completing and filing permanent residency applications (previous experience representing both employers and employees in the permanent residency application process is essential);
   3. Completing and filing temporary visa applications and related documentation; and
   4. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.

3. Tax: Payroll, IRS compliance, foreign payroll and/or nonresident alien and foreign entity contractor payments (crossover immigration experience preferred), IRS compliance. Services shall include but not be limited to:
   1. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, internal policies, and other legal requirements.

4. Maritime: Charter, third-party vessel, and other marine-related agreements; marine insurance terms and policies. Services shall include but not be limited to:
   1. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto; and
   2. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, insurance policies/terms, internal policies, and other legal requirements.

Please email your SOQ to: [email protected] by Friday, May 12, 2023, to be eligible for consideration. SOQs received after May 12, 2023 will be classified as “late submittals” for the balance of the fiscal year as follows: a late submittal received May 13, 2023 through September 15, 2023, will be considered for services beginning October 1, 2023; a late submittal received September 16, 2023 through December 15, 2023, will be considered for services beginning January 1, 2024.

SOQ forms are available here.

Important Dates:

Online purchasing, payment, and travel transactions must be approved by Fiscal Administrators by 12:00 noon on Friday, June 30, 2023 to be included in FY 2023. The last check run for the fiscal year will be on Friday, June 30, 2023. Pending transactions will remain in the RCUH financial system, and will not be automatically deleted or disapproved.

From July 1 through July 5, online purchasing, payment, and travel transactions can be created, but Fiscal Administrators will not have the ability to approve transactions. Transactions will not be posted to project accounts until the financial system is reopened for FY 2024. The RCUH financial system is scheduled to reopen on Thursday, July 6, 2023. The first check run for FY 2024 is scheduled for Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 4:00 PM.

On an emergency basis only, manual checks can be issued during this period. Fiscal Administrators should contact RCUH Disbursing at [email protected].

Project reports will be accessible on the RCUH website. However, report balances will only reflect transactions posted through June 30, 2023, until processing resumes on July 6, 2023.

Please contact Maile Brooks at (808) 956-0508 or [email protected] if you have any questions.

The RCUH Financial Portal is back in operation and Fiscal Administrators may resume approving transactions.

On Tuesday, April 18, 2023, we encountered a system error which affected our end-of-day business processing. Vendor payments for transactions approved on April 18 will be processed in accordance with our normal processing schedule.

RCUH transactions approved on April 18 for UH Extramural accounts will be transmitted and posted to the UH Kuali Financial System on April 19.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

The RCUH Financial Portal is back in operation and Fiscal Administrators may resume approving transactions.

On Monday, April 17, 2023, we encountered a system error which affected our end-of-day business processing. Vendor payments for transactions approved on April 17 may be processed one business day later than normal.

RCUH transactions approved on April 17 for UH Extramural accounts will be transmitted and posted to the UH Kuali Financial System on April 18.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

On Monday, April 17, 2023, we encountered a system error which affected our end of day business processing. Vendor payments for transactions approved on April 17 will be processed when the issue is resolved.

At this time, online purchasing, payment, and travel transactions cannot be approved in the Financial Portal until the issue is resolved. We are working to resolve the issue and we will post an updated announcement when the Financial Portal is back in operation.

RCUH transactions approved on April 17 for UH Extramural accounts will NOT be transmitted or posted to the UH Kuali Financial System, and UH Project Fiscal Reports may reflect incorrect amounts and balances until the issue is resolved.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

The RCUH Financial Portal is back in operation and Fiscal Administrators may resume approving transactions.

On Thursday, April 13, 2023, we encountered a system error which affected our end-of-day business processing. Vendor payments for transactions approved on April 13 may be processed one business day later than normal.

RCUH transactions approved on April 13 for UH Extramural accounts will be transmitted and posted to the UH Kuali Financial System on April 14.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

On Thursday, April 13, 2023, we encountered a system error which affected our end of day business processing. Vendor payments for transactions approved on April 13 will be processed when the issue is resolved.

At this time, online purchasing, payment, and travel transactions cannot be approved in the Financial Portal until the issue is resolved. We are working to resolve the issue and we will post an updated announcement when the Financial Portal is back in operation.

RCUH transactions approved on April 13 for UH Extramural accounts will NOT be transmitted or posted to the UH Kuali Financial System, and UH Project Fiscal Reports may reflect incorrect amounts and balances until the issue is resolved.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

The RCUH Financial Portal is back in operation and Fiscal Administrators may resume approving transactions.

On Thursday, April 6, 2023, we encountered a system error which affected our end-of-day business processing. Vendor payments for transactions approved on April 6 will be processed in accordance with our normal processing schedule.

RCUH transactions approved on April 6 for UH Extramural accounts will be transmitted and posted to the UH Kuali Financial System on April 10.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.