Proof of Physical Presence for Residency - Utah Admissions
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What documents prove physical presence for Residency?

Proof of Physical Presence for Residency

Proof of Physical Presence Requirements

For residency applications that require proof of physical presence for a 12-month continuous timeline, students must submit:

  • Proof of their physical presence in the state of Utah for:
    • A minimum of 12 months immediately prior, within no more than 23 months (one year and 11 months) immediately prior, to the term the student is applying for resident student status
    • With no more than 29 days total with presence unaccounted for or outside of the state of Utah
    • Students are expected to report any days they leave the state of Utah with documentation
    • Any days that a student cannot prove their presence in Utah by one of the accepted methods will count against the 29 day total
  • ALL SUBMITTED DOCUMENTATION is subject to review; acceptance is not guaranteed

What do the documents need?

Documents must contain all three required pieces of information on each document to be accepted:

    1. Student’s name
    2. Exact date or dates
    3. Exact location of the student completing an event (in-person, physical event; documents for a location itself (and not for the location of an event that the student did), such as for housing, are not accepted.  This includes rent payments, housing contracts, mortgage payments, property taxes, utilities payments, property ownership documentation, etc.)

Any document, that cannot prove the student completed a specific event, at a specific location and date is invalid as proof of physical presence.

Proof of Physical Presence Documents

Types of Accepted Documents

University Class Transcripts

  • Completed semester transcripts showing in-person enrollment at the University of Utah
    • Student must be present for at least one in-person class; no transcripts that show only online classes are accepted
    • Residency staff opens these up with the student’s University of Utah records; student does not need to submit University of Utah transcripts
  • Or transcripts from another Utah institution
    • Residency staff must be able to verify classes were taken in person, not online
    • Residency staff must be able to verify semester beginning and ending dates (first day and last day of finals respectively)

In-Person classes only

Proof from first day of semester until last day of finals

Proof of work - Paystubs

  • Dated pay stubs from a Utah employer for each date range the student wishes to prove
  • Official paystubs only; spreadsheets, personal checks, or other non-official documents are not accepted
  • Paystubs must show all three required pieces of information:
    1. Student’s (employee) name
    2. Pay begin and end dates
    3. Proof of labor done in Utah via Utah income tax withholding/deduction
      • Income tax withholdings for other states are counted as proof of labor being done outside of Utah
      • Student’s/employee’s address not counted as proof of physical presence
      • Company’s address not counted as proof of physical presence
  • See an example of acceptable paystubs here
  • *Please see “The following CANNOT be used…” below for information regarding self-employment records.

 

Proof for the pay period dates

Must show work done in Utah via state income tax deductions

Proof of work - Employer Letter

  • A signed and dated employer letter on letterhead specifying:
    • Name of the student/employee
    • Dates of beginning and ending of employment with a Utah employer
    • Exact location of where work was done
  • Letter must come from company personnel with access to student’s/employee’s beginning and ending work history; a direct supervisor, human resources, or other administrative personnel
    • Personal emails or letters from company staff not accepted; official letterhead required in order to verify the company’s information
  • See an example of an acceptable employer letter here
  • *Please see “The following CANNOT be used…” below for information regarding self-employment records.

Letter must come from the company

Must have dates and location of work in Utah

Proof of in-person purchases - bank statements

  • Bank or credit card statements, in the student’s name, showing the student made in-person, in the state of Utah, purchases at least once every 7 days or fewer (Example calendar of every 7 days) for the date range the student wishes to prove.
  • The student is required to prove that they were physically at a location making a purchase; these purchase records MUST be able to be documentarily linked to the individual student.
    • Bank accounts with multiple account holders must be able to provide statements that can specify who made each purchase, either by means of displaying distinct card numbers for purchases, or by means of separating all of the purchases by each different account holder’s name.
    • If the bank statement cannot prove who made which purchases, as well as where and when, then that document is not acceptable as valid proof of physical presence for the student.
  • Purchase records must have proof of physical location for each purchase.
    • Online purchases are not accepted.
    • Online service purchases (Uber, Lyft, Doordash, GrubHub, etc.) are not accepted.
    • Online fund transfers (Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, etc.) are not accepted.
    • Direct deposits and electronic transfers not accepted.
    • In-branch or physical ATM deposits or withdrawals may be accepted, if the bank statement shows the physical location, in Utah, where a deposit or withdrawal was made, and if it shows that it was made by the student applying for residency.  Generic information that omits either or both the name of the person and the location cannot prove the physical presence of the student for that event, and thus it is invalid as a proof of physical presence.
  • See an example of an acceptable bank statement here

In-person purchases, made by the student, at locations in Utah

Every 7 days or fewer

Residency Office Check-ins

Office Check-Ins at Residency Office

Every 7 days or fewer

Gym punch-in records

  • Gym records in the student’s name
  • Verifiable name and contact information for the Utah-located gym
    • Residency staff must be able to independently verify that the gym is located in Utah, especially for a national franchise such as Planet Fitness, VASA, etc.
  • In person visits to a Utah gym at least once every 7 days or fewer (Example calendar of every 7 days) for the date range the student wishes to prove

Must have proof of being a Utah location

Every 7 days or fewer

University of Utah Programs outside of Utah

University of Utah-sponsored programs with supporting documentation and institutional verification

  • These can include:
    • University of Utah sports
    • University of Utah study-abroad
    • University of Utah-sponsored internships
    • University of Utah Asia Campus

Acceptable documentation (see University of Utah Institutional Policy, page 9, “STUDENTS ON UNIVERSITY OF UTAH SPONSORED PROGRAMS”):

  • Submit a signed and dated letter on letterhead from the University of Utah organizing department with the student’s name, student’s UNID identification number, the exact dates of the program, and where the program was physically located
  • This letter MUST VERIFY:
    • The internship, courses, study abroad programs, or athletics are required by the University
    • Details of how these programs satisfy the requirements for the student’s major and/or area of study
  • Letter needs a U of U staff member contact information and signature

Programs from University of Utah affiliates are not accepted (clubs, faith groups, sororities/fraternities, etc.).

Must be required University of Utah programs

Letter needs a U of U staff member letterhead and signature

Community Organization - Official letter

  • In some cases, a signed and dated letter on letterhead from a religious, volunteer, or educational leader or a coach, doctor or therapist specifying the dates of presence in Utah may be used (subject to review)

Subject to review from Residency staff

No guarantee in advance if accepted

Community Organization - Official documentation

  • In some cases, documents proving an event happened within the local community may be used:
    • After-care Summary from a health care visit
      • Doctor
      • Mental Health
      • Hospital
      • Outpatient treatments
    • Log-in reports from volunteer service
    • Sign-in sheets from verifiable local organizations (clubs, sports teams, meetings, volunteer groups, etc.)
      • Local organization must be independently verifiable via internet, phone, email
      • Sign-in documents must contain organization’s official information and contact details

All documents are subject to case by case review; no guarantee of acceptance upon submission

Subject to review from Residency staff

No guarantee in advance if accepted

Other

  • Other official documents that contain all three required pieces of information on each document may be accepted:
    1. Student’s name
    2. Exact date or dates
    3. Exact location of an event (in-person, physical event; documents for a location itself, such as for housing, are not accepted, rent, mortgage, utilities, etc.)
  • Examples may include:
    • Airline boarding pass with departure/arrival airport
    • Ski passes to Utah ski resorts

All documents are subject to case by case review; no guarantee of acceptance upon submission

 

Subject to review from Residency staff

No guarantee in advance if accepted

Examples of Proof of Physical Presence Documents

Paystubs

Paystub example 1

Paystub example 2

These show:

  • Proof of student’s name
  • Proof of exact dates (pay begin and pay end dates)
  • Proof of labor done in Utah (Utah state income tax deductions)

Employer Letter

Employer Letter example 1

Employer Letter example 2

These show:

  • Proof of student’s name
  • Proof of exact dates (beginning hire date and work until date)
  • Proof of labor done in Utah (Employer’s confirmation that the work was all done at a Utah location)

Bank Statement

Bank Record example 1

This shows:

  • Proof of student’s name
  • Proof of exact dates (dates of transaction)
  • Proof of purchases done in Utah (Utah address, or a store locator code that proves the store is in Utah)

Utah TC-40 Tax Return

Utah Income Tax Return TC-40

This shows:

  • Proof of tax payer’s name
  • Proof of exact dates (tax year)
  • Proof of Utah residence (marked “Yes” under “Full-Year Utah Resident”)

Letter for Move to Utah for full-time employment

Verification letter for a move to Utah for a full-time job

This is a criteria requirement for the Move to Utah for Full-Time Employment reclassification policy.

The following CANNOT be used to demonstrate proof of physical presence (this list is not exhaustive):

Have Questions?

Visit us at:

Student Services Building,

201 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Office Hours (All times are Mountain Time Zone):

  • Monday – 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
  • Tuesday – 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (Staff Meetings every Tuesday morning 8:00 to 10:00 A.M.)
  • Wednesday –  8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
  • Thursday – 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
  • Friday – 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

2024-2025 Holiday Schedule

Call us:

801-581-8761, Option 5 to speak with a Residency staff member

Email us:

residency@utah.edu

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