Postdoctoral Onboarding

All new hire and rehire Postdoctoral trainees must complete their pre-employment portion/hire packet in the RFCUNY Onboarding system. The first step of this process is initiated by your Principal Investigator (PI). After the hire packet has been submitted by your PI, an email notification will be sent to you (from no-reply@rfcuny.org) with the subject Complete RFCUNY Hire Packet, inviting you to complete your pre-employment hire packet.

Please Note: If you have not received this email, check your spam folder first before contacting your PI.

Verification of employment eligibility is required before a new hire begins working, through Form I-9. RFCUNY ensures the accuracy of Form I-9 by validating completed forms through the E-Verify system of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration.

A job offer must be made and accepted prior to initiating the Form I-9 and E-Verify process. Section 1 of Form I-9 must be completed on or before the employee’s first day of employment. Section 2 of Form I-9 and E-Verify must be completed within three business days of the employee’s first day of employment.

Every new employee is responsible for completing Section 1 of the electronic Form I-9 and providing appropriate supporting identification documents to the employer (RFCUNY).

The PI or their Administrator reviews the documents and completes Section 2 of Form I-9 (on behalf of the employer, RFCUNY). Upon completion, the information is submitted to E-Verify.

In addition to Form I-9, the employees must review and acknowledge receipt of RFCUNY employment policies and procedures. They are required to electronically complete and sign the following documents Notice and Acknowledgement of Pay Rate and Payday (must be signed on or before hire date) RFCUNY Application for Employment, IRS Form W-4. Optional tax documents are IT-2104 Employees Withholding Allowance Certificate, among others.

A rehire is defined as any employee of RFCUNY reappointed after a break in service lasting 120 or more days. The applicability is determined by the last timesheet date of the prior appointment and the start date of the new appointment. Upon an offer of employment, an employee must complete a rehire packet in the RFCUNY Onboarding System. A rehire packet is required to reactivate an employee’s record in RFCUNY’s HR database.

As part of the rehire procedure, a Form I-9 must be completed for all rehires. However, the type of Form I-9 depends on the status of the employee's current I-9 on file (it is important for a PI to consult with their respective Human Resources Personnel Coordinator to make that determination).

Classification of an employee’s status is based on the number of hours an employee works during a two-week pay period. An employee’s classification determines the benefits an employee receives, and the fringe benefit rate charged to the sponsored award/grant. The employee classifications that may be recruited through RFCUNY’s PVN system include:

• Full-time (employee works 70 hours)
• Part-time A (employee works more than 38, but less than 70 hours)
• Part-time B (employee works 38 hours or less)

RFCUNY complies with federal regulations regarding the employment of foreign nationals (non-US citizens and non-permanent residents).

Hiring a foreign national and bringing them to RFCUNY in a timely manner requires specialized knowledge and advice. Human Resources handles nonimmigrant petitions filed with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of foreign national employees, including H-1B, E-3, and TN visas. Human Resources may also assist outside counsel with petitions for permanent resident status.  A PI who wishes to a hire a foreign national is urged to contact Human Resources months in advance of the start date if at all possible; petitions before USCIS are subject to delays that Human Resources is unable to control.

Please click on the link below for more information.