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:
-
- Student’s name
- Exact date or dates
- 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
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):
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. Since utilities are not proof of an event or an action that the individual completes, rather, they are simply access at a given address to water, gas, electricity, or other utilities, these bill cannot be used to prove physical presence for a given time period.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. Since a housing agreement only shows that a person is contractually obligated for a unit of housing, be it an apartment, condo, house, or otherwise, and it does not demonstrate an action or event happening in-person, we cannot accept leases, rental agreements, home titles, property taxes, or any documentation that proves housing, as proof of physical presence.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. A W-2 is an annual summary of the income taxes for an employee, and that time period of a full year is too broad in order to prove regular proof of physical presence. In order for an applicant to prove state income tax deductions from their pay, and thus prove their labor was physically done in Utah, they would need to submit paystubs for the pay beginning and ending dates for the time periods they need to prove their physical presence.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. As with a housing contract, proof of property in Utah is not proof of the applicant’s physical presence that documents an action or in-person event that the applicant completed at a specific time and location in Utah.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. These records need to be unbiased, coming from some sort of third party. Since a personal statement from the applicant inherently has a conflict of interest, since the applicant writing the statement is the same person that stands to benefit from resident student status, we cannot accept this form of physical presence documentation.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. These records need to be unbiased, coming from some sort of neutral third party. Since a personal statement from the applicant’s associates inherently has a conflict of interest, since the applicant is personally involved with friends or family, we cannot accept this form of physical presence documentation. We cannot accept a letter from a landlord since they do not have accurate records of an applicants daily or weekly physical presence, only housing contract records which do not prove an in-person event or action, rather the contractual obligation to a housing unit.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. With the ease of online technology, any person from any location with internet access can make purchases with these types of independent contractor apps for travel, food or other services. As such, they are unreliable in proving that a specific person was transported or had goods delivered to at a specific location. They prove that a specific person purchased such services, but not that a specific person was physically located where the services happened.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. A photograph can be altered or manipulated in countless ways, and is an unreliable record to prove that a specific action happened at a specific location by a specific person. It is also not a verifiable document coming from a neutral third party.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. Social media posts can be created by anyone with login access to a social media account, and therefore cannot prove a specific person did an action at a specific location.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. Cell phone records are linked to a phone number, and not to a specific person, and thus they prove a cell phone was at a location, not a person.
Proof of physical presence records need to prove some kind of in-person action taken, some kind of event that a person does physically in a specific location at a specific time. These records need to come from an unbiased, neutral source. In the case of paystubs or employment letters, that source needs to be someone with access to an employee’s employment records who can verify the physical location of where labor is performed. For letters, that source is a direct supervisor or a human resources specialist. For paystubs, that source is the payroll manager who handles deductions for state income tax for labor performed. For self-employed people, there is not a neutral source for those records, since the person who is the supervisor and/or human resources is the same person who stands to benefit from gaining resident student status. There are no neutral third party sources of documents that can prove that a self-employed worker performed all of their labor within Utah, and therefore, someone who is self-employed needs to use other records, such as bank statements showing purchases made at physical locations in Utah, class enrollment records proving attendance at in-person classes in Utah, gym punch-in records in Utah, Residency office check-ins at our office window, etc.
Have Questions?
Visit us at:
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.
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Call us:
801-581-8761, Option 5 to speak with a Residency staff member