51¹ÙÍø.

51¹ÙÍø sponsors some employees for work-related visas and/or permanent residency, though the college does not usually sponsor for staff and will provide sponsorship for visiting faculty positions only if the visitor has been given an offer and accepted it in writing by March 15 of the previous academic year. The decision to provide immigration sponsorship must be approved by the Dean of Faculty for any faculty positions or by the division leader/VP for any staff positions.  Once approved by the Dean or division leader/VP, visa procurement is managed through Human Resources.

Anyone inviting someone from outside the US to work with students, teach, or even speak on campus on more than a single occasion needs to coordinate with HR to make sure that the proper work authorization is secured for the visitor.

H1-B

H-1B visas are specialty occupation visas for temporary employment. To secure an H-1B visa, the college must demonstrate that the job in question is one that requires special preparation, and that the person being sponsored has the required preparation and education. H-1B visas are available only for positions which require at least a Bachelor's degree. 51¹ÙÍø offers H-1B sponsorship only for full-time tenure-track faculty positions and, very rarely, for visiting faculty positions. Students, temporary, part-time and/or staff employees are not eligible for H1-B sponsorship.

A decision about whether a faculty position will be eligible for sponsorship for an H-1B visa will be made by the Dean of the Faculty in consultation with the department chair during the hiring process. An H-1B visa is valid for up to three years, and can be extended for one period of three years. Transferring an H-1B visa from another employer is a process similar to securing an H-1B. If the college decides to hire someone who is working for another employer on an H-1B visa, we still must go through the H-1B application process.

If the college decides to sponsor a faculty member for an H-1B visa, the college will pay all associated legal fees and filing fees for the employee. Visa expenses for the employee's family members are the responsibility of the employee.

The process for securing an H-1B visa takes three to six months.

Permanent Residency ("Green Card")

51¹ÙÍø sponsors only full-time tenure-track faculty positions and renewable faculty positions for permanent residency. Students, visiting scholars, visiting faculty, temporary, part-time and/or staff employees are not eligible for sponsorship for permanent residency sponsorship.

In order to secure permanent residency for an employee, the college must be able to prove that no more qualified US citizen is available for the position.  Thus not every tenure-track faculty position is eligible for sponsorship. A decision about whether a position will be eligible for sponsorship for permanent residency will be made by the Dean of the Faculty in consultation with the department chair during the hiring process.

The decision about whether to actually proceed with the application for permanent residency on behalf of the new employee will depend upon the employee's performance in the first year on the job.  Should the college decide to go forward with sponsorship, initial application will be made 15 months after the initial job offer in order to take advantage of the competitive recruitment process so the position does not have to be reposted.

If the college decides to sponsor a faculty member for permanent residency, the college will pay all associated legal fees and filing fees for the employee. Immigration expenses for the employee's family members are the responsibility of the employee.

We begin the process of securing a green card 15 months after the initial offer of the tenure track position, and the process itself takes a minimum of least 15-18 months. Depending on the availability of immigrant visas for the employee's country of origin, it could take much longer.

Sponsorship for Non-Immigrant Visas (J-1, TN, etc)

With the approval of the division VP, 51¹ÙÍø may sponsor work-related non-immigrant visas for certain positions. The decision to provide non-immigrant sponsorship must be approved by the Dean of Faculty for all faculty positions or by the division VP for all staff positions prior to posting of the position. Once approved by the Dean or VP, visa procurement is managed through Human Resources.

If the college decides to sponsor a new hire for a non-immigrant work-related visa, the hiring division will pay all associated legal fees and filing fees for the employee. Visa expenses for the employee's family members are the responsibility of the employee. 

The process for securing a non-immigrant visa varies with the country of origin, but 51¹ÙÍø does not meet the government threshold required to sponsor J-1 visas directly and does not currently have access to J-1 sponsorship. Please allow a minimum of 15 weeks to secure a TN, or O visa.