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Is your department looking to hire someone who requires a Visa to work at PLU? Are you interested in bringing a scholar from another country to do research with your department at PLU? Please review the list of Visa options below to assist you in finding the right category for your international visitor or faculty member.
Honoraria
PLU welcomes applicants for full-time tenure-track positions who are foreign nationals. The job is required to meet Department of Labor wage requirements, and PLU is required to have immigration status of foreign faculty approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, ("USCIS") before they can begin work for PLU.
An H-1B Visa is a specialty occupation Visa category. This category is appropriate for tenure-track faculty at PLU. For visiting professors, the H-1B Visa is not appropriate. H-1B is employer-specific and position-specific.
The university has developed procedures to aid search chairs and committees in hiring international faculty. The procedures are designed to aid faculty involved in the search and hiring process and to convey a sense of the university's support. Please review this document in its entirety. It is equally important to follow HR’s Procedures for Recruitment & Selection of New Tenure-track and Multiple-Year Visiting Faculty. Following these procedures will ensure that the search is in compliance with PLU regulations, as well as federal immigration regulations.
Please notify the Director of Human Resources and the Provost if a foreign national in the pool of applicants rises to the level of semi-finalist.
The H-1B employee must meet the minimum qualifications for the position at the time of filing the H-1B petition.
Due to processing times, the Visa request process should be done well in advance, to ensure that the the employee is able to start the date the department requests. A departmental request for assistance with filing an H-1B must be done no less than two months prior to start date. The Provost Office will cover the costs of filing an H-1B for tenure-track faculty..
Period of eligibility in H-1B status is six years, with an extension to be requested after 3 years of employment on H-1B. Because H-1B is position-specific, please email Allyson at the Wang Center in advance of any title change or major responsibility changes. Return-home transportation costs are paid by PLU if the H-1B is terminated prior to the end of the authorized stay.
Please refer to the following checklist for filing the H-1B.
Visiting Scholars and professors are a valued part of the PLU community. The Wang Center is here to provide assistance with campus logistics, as well as support with immigration services.
The broad purpose of the Exchange Visitor program is to promote international educational and cultural exchange in order to develop mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries.
PLU is authorized to support the following categories on a J-1 Visa: Professor, Research Scholar, Short-Term Scholar, Specialist, and Student.
The sponsoring department and the Wang Center will review the qualifications of the prospective Exchange visitor to ensure that his or her English language proficiency and academic background are suitable for the intended activity. Please allow three or four months in advance of the start date to allow for document preparation and visa processing.
The broad purpose of the Exchange Visitor program is to promote international educational and cultural exchange in order to develop mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries.
PLU is authorized to support the following categories on a J-1 Visa: Professor, Research Scholar, Short-Term Scholar, Specialist, and Student.
The sponsoring department and the Wang Center will review the qualifications of the prospective Exchange visitor to ensure that his or her English language proficiency and academic background are suitable for the intended activity. Please allow three or four months in advance of the start date to allow for document preparation and visa processing.
Individuals on J-1 status are not permitted to be tenure-track. Some J-1 scholars are subject to a two-year home residency requirement and may not be eligible for an extension of stay. J-1 Research Scholars and Professors are not permitted to remain on J visa status for more than 5 years.
Funding: The Exchange Visitor (EV) must be substantially funded by sources other than the EV's personal or family funds. Institutional, governmental, or agency funding can be supplemented by the individual’s personal funds, although the individual’s personal funds may not be the primary source of funding. While visiting professors hired by PLU will receive a salary for their teaching, PLU is not required to fund Exchange Visitors. Additionally, the EV is required to carry Health Insurance that meets the Department of State minimum requirements. The EV can purchase EIIA insurance coverage through the Wang Center.
Please complete the Departmental Sponsor Form if your department is looking to host an exchange visitor.
If hiring an individual from Canada or Mexico, the TN classification may be appropriate. TN classification is available to Canadian and Mexican citizens who seek to enter the U.S. on a temporary basis to work in a professional-level job under provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The individual may qualify for a TN if the position in the U.S. falls under the NAFTA professional job list. The TN is employer-specific and the individual must possess the qualifications of the position. The TN category is a a non-immigrant category and TN status can be given in three-year increments.
The TN classification is generally not recommended for tenure-track positions, as the TN status is intended to be temporary. Please allow at least one month to process TN status for Canadian workers, and additional time for Mexican workers. The sponsoring department will need to provide a TN support letter for the individual applying for TN status.
Occasionally, an applicant may be near PhD completion and eligible for OPT employment. OPT, which is a benefit of F-1 status, is generally valid for 12 months, although individuals in STEM fields are eligible for a 17 month extension. A candidate with OPT status may work at PLU in a faculty or staff position. If a future employee is on F-1 and has "OPT" authorized, PLU's primary responsibility is to issue a properly worded contract. If a department hires someone in a tenure-track position, a change of status to H-1B should be filed by PLU.
While it is important that proper non-immigrant documents (EAD Card, I-20, Visa) from the individual be provided to HR before the start date, OPT status generally does not require additional approval from USCIS, and therefore does not require turnaround time to process.