Work Abroad Requests
Requests for work abroad are driven either by an individual employee’s personal reasons or by business needs. All requests will be carefully reviewed by Global Support Services to identify the best way to support the work abroad compliantly.
Types of Work Abroad Requests
Business-driven work abroad requests
Examples Include:
- A department requests that an employee conduct University-business in another country for a period of 30 days or longer.
- A department has identified a new hire in another country who can perform the job fully remotely.
- A department has a project or strategic initiative in a particular country or region and requires an employee to be based in that location.
- A faculty member will participate in a sponsored faculty exchange program at another institution.
Employee-driven work abroad requests
Examples Include:
- An employee has requested to work remotely from another country for a short period of time for personal reasons.
- An employee is relocating to another country for personal reasons and the department wishes to retain their services remotely.
When to Submit a Work Abroad Request
A Work Abroad Request is required for both current Penn employees who will work outside the U.S. for 30+ days, and for new potential hires who will work in a country other than the U.S. for any period of time.
Current Employees
Requests for current Penn employees to work outside the U.S. for 30 days or more should be submitted no fewer than 4 weeks before the anticipated departure/start date abroad.
New Hires
Requests for hiring a new employee abroad should be submitted no fewer than 6-8 weeks before the anticipated departure/start date abroad.
In more complex cases, 8+ weeks of advance preparation may be required before employment abroad may commence, so early notification to GSS is strongly advised. Departments should submit a New Hire Abroad Request as soon as discussions begin to ensure Global Support Services can support the request compliantly.
Who Can Submit a Work Abroad Request
Work Abroad Requests may only be submitted by a designated Requestor in one of the following roles:
- Direct supervisor of the employee who will work abroad
- HR or Faculty Affairs decision-maker from the employee’s school/center/department
- Finance/Business decision-maker from the employee’s school/center/department
Current Penn employees requesting to work abroad for 30 days or more should first contact their direct supervisor to initiate discussions and seek preliminary support. Employees may not submit a WorkAbroad Request to GSS on their own behalf.
Before Submitting a Work Abroad Request
Managing requests for work abroad is a collaborative process that requires thoughtful consideration by a variety of stakeholders including the employee, their supervisor, HR, Finance, and Global Support Services. Departments should carefully review the employment abroad guidelines and gather the necessary information and support prior to submitting a request.
Prior to submitting a Work Abroad Request to Global Support Services, the Penn department is responsible for ensuring:
- The request has support from the employee’s immediate supervisor, the departmental HR or Faculty Affairs decision-maker, and the departmental Finance/Business decision-maker.
- The employee has the proper authorization to complete work in accordance with the country’s immigration requirements.
- The employee can reasonably meet all expectations in the Flexible, Hybrid, and Remote Work Policy while working outside the U.S., including: employee will have an appropriate workspace; employee will have ready access to necessary technology and reliable internet; employee will keep work hours that will not disrupt business operations, regardless of time zone; and [for remote work requests only] employee’s work duties can be successfully performed remotely without disrupting business operations.
- For current Penn employees who are foreign nationals, the employee’s US immigration status permits the employment abroad to take place and, as required, the employee has approval from ISSS to depart the U.S. for the requested period.
- For positions funded by federal grant funding, the department has confirmed that the federal funding may be used to support activity abroad and has worked with their grant administrator and/or the Office of Research Services to determine any potential reporting requirements.
Submit a Work Abroad Request
Current Employees
For requests on behalf of current Penn employees, please submit a Work Abroad Request. To view a sample of the Work Abroad Request (Current Employees) submission form, click here.
New Hires
For requests to engage a new employee outside the U.S., please submit a New Hire Abroad Request. To view a sample of the New Hire Abroad Request submission form, click here.
For information regarding engaging independent contractors abroad, visit the International Independent Contractors page.