How do I hire a post-doctoral fellow?

The following information is for faculty members and department staff appointing a post-doctoral fellow (PDF). Although PDF supervisors are responsible for the appointment process, they may receive assistance from their unit or department staff, who should be kept updated on all PDF appointments. Before appointing a PDF, please read the Post-Doctoral Fellows Policy and Procedures policy, updated in January 2026.

If you have any questions relating to PDFs, please email the PDF administrator at postdocadmin@uvic.ca.

Summary of the hiring process

To appoint a new PDF:

• Complete the Hiring Request Form. See the Hiring Request Form Checklist for what information is required in the form. The form will also directly request approval from the relevant academic unit head (e.g. Chair) or Research Centre Director.
• If the PDF is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, contact the immigration consultant (immigration@uvic.ca). They will advise on how long it may take for the PDF to obtain a work permit and will provide you with the required Due Diligence Form.
• Approve, sign and send out the letter of offer. The PDF administrator will send you a letter of offer for review based on the information provided in the Hiring Request Form. If you approve, sign and send to the prospective PDF for their signature. Return a signed copy to the PDF administrator.
• Approve the payroll appointment. After receiving the signed copy of the letter of offer, the PDF administrator will set up the PDF’s onboarding and payroll. Review the payroll paperwork and approve to finalize the appointment.

Eligibility

Please ensure that your prospective PDF is eligible to be appointed as a PDF according to the PDF Policy (HR6310). To be eligible:

• The PDF must have completed their PhD prior to the start date of their appointment.
• The PDF must begin their appointment within five years of completing their PhD. Exceptions are permitted as outlined in the policy (Section 7.00). Eligible reasons include parental leave, time spent outside of academia, and securing a competitive external fellowship. To request an exception, email postdoadmin@uvic.ca with the date of graduation and the reason for the request.
• The PDF may not have a term length at UVic exceeding three years. To request an exception for up to a total of five years, email postdocadmin@uvic.ca.

Salary

The median salary for PDFs at UVic is $60,000 per year. As of January 2026, PDFs paid from funds held by the faculty member (Internal PDFs) must be paid a minimum salary of $50,000 per year for a full-time appointment. Other points of comparison include the minimum for Aspiration PDFs at $60,000 per year and the Tri-Agency Canada Postdoctoral Research Awards valued at $70,000 per year.

For Internal PDFs, please ensure you have sufficient funding to pay the salary, the mandatory employment-related costs (MERCs, includes CPP, EI, etc.) and the employer’s portion of the extended health and dental benefits. The MERCs and benefits may be up to an additional 20% of the PDFs salary.

PDFs may be involved in teaching or laboratory instruction with their supervisor’s written permission. Teaching appointments are held separately from PDF appointments and are subject to the appropriate collective agreement. When a PDF holds a teaching appointment, their research appointment will be reduced below full time to keep their total appointment at full time. Teaching appointment salaries are set by the relevant collective agreement and may be used to meet the minimum salary requirement.

Details of the hiring process

You must complete the Hiring Request Form to hire a PDF. The Hiring Request Form Checklist provides a list of all required information. Each item on the checklist has a corresponding question on the form. Before completing the form, please ensure you have all of the required information as progress on the form will not be saved.

PDF appointments must be approved by the relevant academic unit head (e.g. Chair) or Research Centre Director in accordance with the PDF Policy (HR6310). The approval process is done through the Hiring Request Form. You will need to provide the NetLink ID email (not the shared mailbox or role-based email) of the approver when submitting the form. The form responses will automatically be sent to the provided email for approval.

The form responses will be used by the PDF administrator to complete a letter of offer. If needed, the letter of offer will be reviewed by the immigration consultant. A draft of the letter of offer will then be sent to you for approval and signature. Once the appointment has been approved by the relevant academic unit head or Research Centre Director, you can send the letter to the prospective PDF for signature. Please then return a copy of the signed letter to the PDF administrator (postdocadmin@uvic.ca).

Upon accepting the offer, the PDF will receive centralized onboarding information through UVic Careers. They will be able to complete their Employee Information Form to provide required personal information to payroll, including their SIN. They will also receive a link to the Post-doctoral Fellow Handbook, and the Post-doctoral Fellows Guide to Benefits and Premiums, as well as the forms required to enroll in benefits. Finally, they will be asked to complete two mandatory trainings, the Health and Safety Orientation and the Awareness and Prevention of Workplace Bulling, Harassment & Discrimination training. You should ensure the PDF receives information about their direct work environment, their academic unit or research centre, and any additional trainings they must complete for their research.

Once the PDF has completed their Employee Information Form, the PDF administrator will submit the appointment to payroll. You can review the paperwork and approve to finalize the appointment.

International PDFs

International PDFs who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents will need to apply for a work permit and/or visa. This can take several months or more. Contact the immigration consultant at immigration@uvic.ca early in the process to get an estimate of how long this process may take.

If the PDF requires a work permit, you will also need to obtain an Offer of Employment number and pay the $230 Employer Compliance Fee. You will need to provide a FAST account to pay this fee as part of the Hiring Request Form.

In addition to the submitting the Hiring Request Form, you will also need to obtain and complete the Due Diligence Form by emailing the immigration consultant at immigration@uvic.ca.

Extending or modifying and existing appointment

You must provide a new letter with details of the new appointment when extending or modifying an existing appointment. You may use an extension template if you are extending the appointment or changing the salary.

Use the provided template if the PDF is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. For PDFs on a work permit, contact the immigration consultant at immigration@uvic.ca for the template as it may be needed when applying for a work permit extension.

Once the letter has been signed by both you and the PDF, complete a PSCR and submit it to payroll. Attach the signed letter and add the PDF administrator as a contact (postdocadmin@uvic.ca). A PSCR should be used for both Internal and Award Recipient PDFs.

Other information

Relocation assistance

• Please review the relocation assistance section of the procedures (HR6310) before offering relocation assistance. The research funding you use must allow for relocation assistance, and the expenses claimed must be deemed eligible by the Relocation Assistance Policy HR6405.
• If you’d like to provide relocation assistance, you can put the maximum amount you would like to provide in the Hiring Request Form, which will then be documented in the letter of offer.
• To process relocation assistance, submit a Travel Expense Reimbursement formusing the form submission portal. Attach a copy of the letter of offer documenting the assistance offered and add the PDF administrator (postdocadmin@uvic.ca) as a contact. Do not use the Relocation Assistance Form, which applies for faculty relocation expenses.

Canada Postdoctoral Research Awards (CPRA)

• If a prospective PDF is applying for a CPRA, you should submit an RASF.
• If the PDF is successful, they should email the PDF administrator (postdocadmin@uvic.ca) with any paperwork that requires an institutional signature, as well as the Notice of Award.
• You will then receive an OAM with the relevant FAST account and can complete the Hiring Request Form.
• The PDF will normally be appointed as an Award Recipient PDF with their award paid out as a stipend without any deductions.

Advertising PDF positions

• UVic does not have a central web page for advertising PDF positions. If you would like to advertise a position, please ensure the posting is in compliance with the policy on Employment Equity (HR6100) and the Pay Transparency Act, which requires employers to specify the expected salary or salary range on all publicly advertised job opportunities.