Preamble: For External PDFs, these steps are preceded by a Notice of Award [NOA] from a funding agency. The External PDF then notifies their Faculty Supervisor of the receipt of the NOA, who then directs the NOA to be sent to Research Accounting for processing (if the agency chooses to have SFU administer the fellowship on their behalf).

Faculty Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all steps are followed including the Letter of Invitation/Appointment and the Registration Form.

1. Determine the definition for this PDF: are they an External PDF or are they a Grant PDF? This can be determined through the source of their funding. If their primary source of funding is an external source then they are an External PDF. If they are being funded through a Faculty members’ grant, then they are a Grant PDF. This distinction will guide the creation of the Letter of Appointment (Grant PDF) or the Letter of Invitation (External PDF).

2. The faculty supervisor must write a Letter of Appointment or a Letter of Invitation to the PDF. Click here to see sample letters for both Grant and External PDFs.

3. This letter should be signed by both parties. Accompanying this letter should be a completed registration form. A digital copy should be emailed to the Office of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Fellows. Please email the documents to postdoc@sfu.ca. Once the two documents are received, the PDF will be registered. The PDF will receive their SFU ID in order for them to apply for an SFU email address, library and gym privileges. 

4. The next step is to ensure the PDF will be paid. There are three possible processes to follow at this stage, depending upon the PDFs funding arrangement:

a. Department Managers [DM] will use a Payroll Appointment Form (PAF), as with any new employee, for all Grant PDFs (found here on payroll’s website: http://www.sfu.ca/finance/departments/payroll.html )

b. Some External PDFs will have their funding sent to them directly from the external funding agency. In this case SFU is bypassed altogether and there is no need to process this PDF through the payroll office.

c. Some External PDFs will have their external funding administered by SFU, if the funding agency chooses to have SFU administer the funds on their behalf. An agency will send a Notification of Award to Research Accounting (see next section for clarification). Research accounting will then notify the Faculty Supervisor and the DM once the account is set up.  Next, a DM completes a PAF for the PDF. A copy of the Letter of Invitation from the Faculty Supervisor should be attached to the PAF when it is sent to payroll. Most Letters of Invitation for External PDFs will include the phrase “This is not an employment relationship”.  If the PDFs letter of invitation includes this phrase, please draw attention to this by writing that phrase (“this is not an employment relationship”) in the “comments” section of the PAF. This will alert the payroll team that this appointment should not be deducted CPP/EI.

*Sometimes a PDF will receive a combination of grant funding and external funding. In these cases the DM would create two separate FPP4 for payroll. The PDFs Letter of Invitation should be attached to the FPP4 when it is sent to the payroll office.