Policy on Dependents of Trainees

USAID Policyi

 Permission: USAID strongly discourages trainees from taking dependents with them when studying abroad.

o Section 252.3.4 of Visa Compliance for Exchange Visa (USAID ADS Chapter 252) says:

In order to avoid unnecessary liabilities and to minimize the possibility of non-returnees, USAID strongly discourages dependent travel. USAID Mission Director or USAID/W Office Director approval must be obtained using the Dependent Certification (form AID 1380-5) for all dependent travel regardless of the visa type used by the dependent for travel.

o A trainee applying to travel with a dependent must provide evidence that he or she has financial resources adequate to cover dependent expenses. Dependent expenses include a roundtrip airplane ticket, health insurance, and living expenses. According to Section 252.3.4 of Visa Compliance for Exchange Visa (USAID ADS Chapter 252), monthly living expenses for a dependent should be calculated at 50% of the monthly cost of living for the trainee. For example, if the estimated cost of living for the trainee is $1,500 per month, the expenses for a dependent should be estimated as an additional $750. If the dependent is a child in need of day care, then the cost of day care should be added.ii The health insurance purchased by a trainee for a dependent must be obtained through the USAID-designated provider of Health and Accident Insurance Coverage (HAC), according to Section 252.3.6.2.

o Without USAID Mission Director approval mentioned above, the US embassy will not issue a visa for a dependent.

o If a trainee wishes to apply to travel with a dependent, completing the forms, providing required documents, and submitting forms is the responsibility of the trainee.

 Costs: USAID is not allowed to bear any costs related to dependents, including travel, subsistence, health care insurance, etc. All costs related to dependent travel must be borne by the trainee.

 USAID Country Mission Policy: each country office of USAID must establish its own policy on dependents accompanying trainees. Contact Specioza Machume at USAID Tanzania for details (+255-222294490).

iAGRI Policy

 Under no circumstances is a trainee allowed to be accompanied by a dependent during the first year of study. Therefore, MSc trainees are excluded from applying for dependent travel since MSc trainees reside in the U.S. for only one year. For PhD trainees, application to bring a dependent can be made only after successful completion of one year of study in the U.S.

 An iAGRI-sponsored training candidate wishing to bring a dependent to the U.S. must first comply with USAID policy by (1) completing and submitting form AID 1380-5 to USAID Tanzania,

1 and (2) preparing a budget for dependent expenditures, including roundtrip travel, USAID- approved insurance, and living expenses, including childcare costs if the dependent is a child. Approval of the USAID Mission Director to travel with a dependent must be obtained and the budget for the dependent must be approved by both USAID Tanzania and iAGRI.

 Female PhD trainees with children age 4 or less at the time of the mother's departure from Tanzania for foreign study may apply for airfare to return to Tanzania for one month during the summer following their first year of study if they successfully complete the first year.

2 i This summary of USAID policy intended to provide a general guidance and should not be construed as legal guidance. It is the trainee’s responsibility to obtain relevant USAID documents regarding dependents. Those include, but may not be limited to, Visa Compliance for Exchange Visa (USAID ADS Chapter 252), available at http://transition.usaid.gov/policy/ads/200/252.pdf, and Participant Training for Capacity Development (USAID ADS Chapter 253), available at http://transition.usaid.gov/policy/ads/200/253.pdf. ii Estimates of child-care costs can be found on-line at http://www.daycarematch.com/child-daycare-articles/national- average-child-day-care-rates.asp. For example, according to this website, the average cost of care in a daycare center in Virginia per annum is $11,388 for an infant and $9,100 for a toddler. It cannot be guaranteed that these cost estimates will be accepted as reasonable by USAID or the US embassy. It is up to the training candidate to obtain daycare costs for the particular site where they would be located.