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January 2026 Newsletter Content Overview
- Payments and Procurement
- Car service reminders
- HR/Payroll
- Annual Attendance Incentive Program
- Spring 2026 Roster Report
- Foreign National Services
- Reminders to visa holders on passport validity and I-94 best practice
- U.S. Department of State Immigrant Visa Pause
PAYMENTS AND PROCUREMENT
Car service reminders
UW Travel Services requires itemized receipts for all car services (such as Uber, Lyft, and taxis) for both UW and non-UW travelers.
Car service class upgrades, such as Uber Comfort and Lyft XL, also require a signed administrative approval letter with a business justification. Priority pickup upgrade fees and wait time fees are seen as personal convenience and continue to be non-reimbursable.
HR/PAYROLL
Annual Attendance Incentive Program
Each January, the Annual Attendance Incentive Program (AAIP) allows UW employees with a sick time off balance greater than 480 hours as of January 1 to be compensated at 25% value for any unused sick time off accrued during the previous calendar year.
Reminder to CAS departments that program and activity tags for these balance buybacks can be found on the Administrative Gateway. Please check the Earnings and Actuals reports in Workday to ensure that costing allocations for these AAIP requests are applied to the appropriate worktags.
Spring 2026 Roster Report
The Spring 2026 Roster Report was sent out on January 15, 2026, to departments using AST HR/Payroll services. Completed reports are due back to AST on February 17, 2026.
Additionally, we sent invites to AST HR/Payroll-supported units for an online information session on the Spring 2026 Roster Report. Please drop by with any questions you have about your department’s roster report.
- Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
- Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- Zoom Link: https://washington.zoom.us/my/jballew
Contact Jim Ballew (jballew@uw.edu) for more information.
FOREIGN NATIONAL SERVICES
Reminders to visa holders on passport validity and I-94 best practice
Units, please share the following reminders and best practices with your international scholars:
- Always maintain a valid passport during your time in the U.S. and be proactive with its renewal.
- When returning to the U.S. from international travel, always check your I-94 record for accuracy of your visa status and the “admit until” date. Any discrepancies requiring correction or other action should be handled immediately.
Please have your international scholars check their I-94 record with every entry, and contact the Foreign National Services team at teamcas@uw.edu with any questions or items requiring correction.
For more information on I-94 records or maintenance of visa status, visit the following Academic Personnel & Faculty webpages:
- I-94 Arrival/Departure Record
- J-1 visa holders: Maintaining J-1 Status
- H-1B visa holders: Maintaining H-1B Status
U.S. Department of State Immigrant Visa Pause
On January 14, 2026, the Department of State announced that it would be pausing immigrant visa insurance for a list of 75 countries. “Immigrant visa” means visas for persons applying at U.S. consulates abroad to come to the U.S. as permanent residents; it does not include nonimmigrant visas like J-1, H-1B, TN, E-3, or O-1, and should not affect immigrant visa processing inside the U.S. Because UW-sponsored visas are nonimmigrant visas, they should not be affected by this pause.
As always, please fill out our General Inquiry Form (preferred) or email teamcas@uw.edu if you have any questions or concerns.
Administrative Support Team
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