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Procedures for onboarding trainees & PDFs

Frequently Asked Questions

I have a new trainee or PDF – what do I do?
I have a new employee – what do I do?
How do I get an ID card?
How do I pay my trainee?
How do I complete a RI-MUHC Expense Report?
How do I complete a Purchase Requisition?

I have an international visiting trainee – what do they need?
What does my PDF need for a Work Permit?
How do I renew a PDF Work Permit?
What do I do when someone leaves the lab?

This page is meant for information purposes. Please contact our admin team for the latest up to date information.

Information needed for new trainees & postdoctoral fellows

Minimum information needed by admin team for new trainees in the labs. This applies to ALL new trainees, including undergraduates, summer students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

  1. Please complete Google form or send us the following information in an email.
    1. Full name of trainee
    2. Level of study (undergraduate, honors, MSc, PhD, PDF, etc..)
    3. McGill Department the trainee is coming in through
    4. Is the trainee co-supervised?
    5. Email address of trainee
    6. McGill ID (if applicable)
    7. Amount of stipend if trainee is to be paid
    8. Cost center for payment of stipend
    9. Does the trainee have external funding?
    10. Start date in the lab
    11. End date (initial end date is needed for Letter of Invitation or for supervisor authorization form)
    12. Is the trainee coming from Quebec? Out-of-Province? International?
    13. Title of project that student will be working on

Information needed for all visiting international trainees

All international trainees, regardless of visit length, will need to obtain a valid work permit. Trainees that come for less than 120 days may obtain a 120 day work permit exemption. However, all trainees will be required to register through McGill University. This applies to internships, undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral fellows.

  1. The admin team will help guide all requests related to the Department of Medicine. If your trainee is coming to McGill through another Department, our admin team can help guide you with the process as you work with your respective Department’s AEC.
  2. Please see the admin team for details, as each case is unique. Proper documentation is required to obtain either a WORK PERMIT or a 120 DAY WORK PERMIT EXEMPTION.
  3. For Visiting Undergraduate Research Trainees (Interns) – see information on the McGill website here: Undergraduate research trainees
  4. For Visiting Graduate Research Trainees – see information on the McGill website here: Graduate research trainees
  5. For Postdocs, see below.

Information required to obtain an ID card

The admin team will contact the trainee with the appropriate forms and CC the supervisor. ID cards can take ~1 week to be processed.

  1. Trainee will be required to complete the following forms (to be sent by email)
    1. Personal Information
    2. Confidentiality and Security Agreement
    3. Supervisor’s Authorization (completed with supervisor)
  2. Student must provide the following:
    1. Copy of McGill ID (if applicable)
    2. Copy of RAMQ, OHIP or other health insurance
    3. Copy of government-issued photo ID (if no RAMQ or OHIP)
    4. Copy of Work Permit (if applicable)

Documents required to obtain a Work Permit

The admin team works closely with the McGill Department of Medicine to process work permit requests. All international postdoctoral fellows require a work permit. These are general guidelines that may change on a case-by-case basis.

  1. Step 1: Confirm eligibility of the prospective postdoctoral fellow. The admin team will request the following documents.
    1. PhD Diploma
    2. Transcript to confirm date of conferral
    3. Passport
    4. Updated CV
  2. Step 2: Once eligibility is confirmed, the admin team will prepare the Letter of Invitation.
    1. Make sure the admin team has all basic information requested for all new trainees – see “Information needed for new trainees & postdoctoral fellows” section above
  3. Step 3: Provide the admin team with a cost centre for the CIC Immigration Processing Fee. Supervisor must complete and sign the Information on Foreign Nationals form. McGill processes the file on our behalf.
  4. Step 4: Once the file is complete, the information is sent to the trainee to apply for the work permit.
  5. Step 5: Once the trainee receives the work permit, it must be sent to the admin team so that the trainee can be registered at McGill. The trainee will also receive a form to obtain a permanent code.

Work Permits Renewals

The admin team must be advised 4 months in advance if the supervisor intends to have their PDF’s work permit renewed.

  1. Step 1: Admin team prepares Letter of Renewal. The following information is needed:
    1. Stipend Amount
    2. Start and End Date
    3. Cost Centre
  2. Step 2: Provide the admin team with a cost centre for the CIC Immigration Processing Fee. Supervisor must complete and sign the Information on Foreign Nationals form. McGill processes the file on our behalf.
  3. Step 3: Once the file is complete, the information is sent to the trainee to apply for the work permit.
  4. Step 4: Once the trainee receives the work permit, it must be sent to the admin team so that the trainee can be re-registered at McGill.

RI-MUHC Expense reports

Trainees and employees are responsible for submitting their own payment requests for reimbursement  (unless it is a travel award through the Meakins). Your supervisor needs to provide you with cost center (account) to use for the form.

Here is some information that should help with your submission.

  • You can find the form on the RI Portal / Payment Request
  • Submit all documents electronically.
  • Accounts payable processes reimbursement via Direct Deposit.
  • Include form & Void cheque with your request (form attached). You only need a void cheque if you are not currently paid through the RI-MUHC.
  • (Save as a draft until you are certain all is correct. Once submitted you cannot edit the form).

First window:
Your reimbursement request should always be in CAD$.
Category; “travel & meal reimbursement”.
Payment instructions:  direct deposit

2nd window:
 0 = travel advance, start & end date of conference, name & location of conference.

3rd window:
Expense Claim:  One expense line per receipt 
Cost center:  (account provided by your supervisor)
Category: Date of Expense:
Amount:  CAD$
Description:  say what the expense is & add the Euro or USD amount showing on the receipt.
For CASH Receipts in foreign currency, attach the exchange rate as backup.
Look up the exchange rate, pdf the page & attach to pay requisition.
https://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/exchange/currency-converter/

  • Be sure to upload each receipt with each line.
  • At the end, attach your credit card statement(s) and highlight the corresponding charges you are claiming. You can redact any other sensitive information that is not relevant to the reimbursement (balances, other purchases).
  • Attach the conference program if this is for travel.
  • All documents should be PDFs.
  • Tick off the answers to the questions
  • Your supervisor is your approver.

Purchase requisitions

  • ADD INFORMATION

When You Leave Leave the Lab

  • Inform your supervisor of your intended end date/date of departure.
  • For PDFs, If you leave before the end of your contract, provide a letter of resignation (ask admin team for a template).
  • Back up your lab data on 2 hard drives. Keep one copy in the lab and provide once copy to your supervisor – include all raw and published data.
  • Provide all lab books to your supervisor.
  • Empty and clean your desk, cabinet, and/or locker in the student room.
  • Return key and your ID card to the admin staff
  • Return any electronic devices that have been provided to you by your lab/supervisor