ej pennypacker

Sorry in advance if this Q has been asked a million times before... But I'm a UK citizen, who is looking to work in the US, and is in the fortunate position of having a college interested in sponsoring me for a VISA for a paid faculity member position.

I have yet to have anything confirmed with the said college, but I was hoping someone could explain to me just what exactly is the process I am likely to take with this position.

- Do I have to download/apply in writing for verious forms?
- Will the college take care of the paper work for me?
- Will they provide me with all the papers *I* need to fill out?
- How much can I expect this to cost me (as the college said they are not in a position to pay for the VISA)?
- How long can I expect this to all take?
- Any advice please?

Many thanks in advance for your time.

EJ

denno

Hi,

Ingo, who posts regularly and helps out an amazing amount of people on here has a very good FAQ site on http://www.kkeane.com/ check out the H1B FAQ in particular which should answer most of your questions. Most people who come to work for a university either have a H1 (relatively straightforward)or an O1 (a bit more complex). You should also talk to the person at the college who is in charge of international students as the will be very familiar with your particular college's inner workings in terms of who needs to do what.
It is highly recommended that you get a lawyer to do your application. S/He will take care of most of the paperwork and make sure that there are no problem areas with your application.

Good luck!

D.

Ingo Pakleppa - See Web Site For Email

Excellent answer from Denno! The only thing to add is that the college is
responsible for filing all the paperwork, and usually will hire a lawyer
to do it. All you are supposed to do is provide your documents -
transcripts, diplomas, awards, publications, birth certificate, marriage
certificate, birth certificates for any children, etc.

You are also of course responsible for getting the actual visa - that part
of the process takes place at a US consulate in your home country.

At least that's the theory. It seems that some colleges (and other
employers) are not very experienced with immigration matters, and
sometimes don't have the budget for a lawyer, so in practice it may be a
good idea for you to educate yourself and follow up, or even hire your own
lawyer.

As for the cost, there are actually several individual items involved. The
application fee for the petition (filed by the college) is $130. By law,
the college is expected to pay that fee and not ask for reimbursement
(although note that I am saying "expected" rather than "required"). If
they want to hire you quickly, they would also have to pay a $1000 premium
processing fee - with that, CIS guarantees a decision in 15 working days.
Without that fee, expect to wait about eight months to a year.

Once this approval arrives, you need to get a visa stamped into your
passport at a US consulate. You should get corresponding visas for family
members at the same time. Each visa costs $100 plus, in some cases, a
reciprocity fee (the reciprocity fee is the fee that your government would
charge a US citizen for a comparable visa). I believe for the UK, there
probably is no reciprocity fee.

On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 18:30:49 +0000, ej pennypacker wrote:


    > Sorry in advance if this Q has been asked a million times before... But
    > I'm a UK citizen, who is looking to work in the US, and is in the
    > fortunate position of having a college interested in sponsoring me for a
    > VISA for a paid faculity member position.
    >
    >
    >
    > I have yet to have anything confirmed with the said college, but I was
    > hoping someone could explain to me just what exactly is the process I am
    > likely to take with this position.
    >
    >
    >
    > - Do I have to download/apply in writing for verious forms?
    >
    > - Will the college take care of the paper work for me?
    >
    > - Will they provide me with all the papers *I* need to fill out?
    >
    > - How much can I expect this to cost me (as the college said they are
    > not in a position to pay for the VISA)?
    >
    > - How long can I expect this to all take?
    >
    > - Any advice please?
    >
    >
    >
    > Many thanks in advance for your time.
    >
    >
    >
    > EJ

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