The Visitor Management System (VMS)

Visitors coming to Rice with external funding and requesting access to Rice privileges, will be processed through the Visitor Management System (VMS) and will be named Academic Visitors. Academic Visitors who are not U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents will have to complete the VMS process, as well as the steps outlined in Inviting an International Scholar, at least 90 days prior to the scholar's expected date of arrival.

VMS Process

For international Academic Visitors, you should first contact OISS to verify that the person has the required immigration status and documentation for OISS approval to be possible. Information on required documentation may be found under the webpage for the applicable visa type. If the visa type for the Academic Visitor is not listed, please email oiss@rice.edu for additional information.

Once the immigration documentation has been confirmed by OISS, you may proceed with the request in the VMS. For information and detailed guidelines, please see the Campus Portal webpage.

Important note: If the Academic Visitor has not secured a bachelor's degree (or bachelor's equivalent) by the time of arrival to Rice, the VMS process will not apply. Academic Departments will need to follow the Visiting International UG Researcher process for those who are currently working on the bachelor's degree.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Q: Who do I contact for questions pertaining to initiating, or updating, information in the VMS?
A: Please contact visitorhelp@rice.edu

2) Q: What role does OISS have in the VMS?
A: OISS reviews immigration status for the visitors in the OISS approval queue.

3) Q: Where can I find Guidelines for the Visitor Intake Process?
A: See the "Campus Portal webpage".