H-1B Specialty Worker

Penn State will sponsor full-time academic faculty positions (professors and researchers) in H-1B classification up to a maximum of six (6) years. The H-1B visa is most used for tenured or tenure-line positions, as well as other academic positions requiring a Ph.D. 

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW:

• Penn State will sponsor the following titles for H-1B:
  • Professor – all ranks
  • Lecturer
  • Instructor
  • Assistant / Associate Teaching Professor
  • Teaching Professor
  • Assistant / Associate Research Professor
  • Postdoctoral Scholar
• Penn State will not sponsor H-1B under the following conditions:
  • staff positions
  • part-time employment
  • a period longer than the position offered (guaranteed funding)
• The position must require a Ph.D. Requests for an exception must be forwarded to the Associate Vice Provost of Global noting the exceptional nature of the request.
• The salary offered must be the higher of either the US Department of Labor’s prevailing wage determination or the actual wage paid to similarly employed individuals within Penn State
• If transferring from another US university already in H-1B status, the new employee can begin working at Penn State as long as they have a USCIS receipt notice showing a timely filed H-1B petition; and, has otherwise remained in lawful status
• Permits the ‘dual-intention’ of being in a temporary immigration status while also applying for permanent residency
• Employment cannot begin until the Form I-9 has been completed.

FILING FEES

The following filing fees are required for Penn State to file an H-1B petition.  Each fee must be paid by a separate check, and made out to:

Department of Homeland Security
USCIS California Service Center
24000 Avila Road
2nd Floor, Room 2312
Laguna Niguel, California 92677-3401

Current Fee	Reason for Fee	Who can pay?
$460	Base fee required for all petitions	Penn State Only
$500	Fraud prevention and detection fee required only for first petition	Penn State Only
$2,500	Expedite fee optional to receive 15-day processing	Penn State or Employee

PROCESSING TIME GUIDELINES

Special Considerations*

Petition Type	Special Considerations	ISSA Processing Time	USCIS Processing Time
Consular Processing	Allow additional time for Consulate to schedule visa interview. Enter the U.S.no earlier than 10 days prior to Approval Notice.	For initial case assessment, 20 calendar days from the date all e-forms are submitted.   After initial assessment, the case is put in a queue according to start date and filed within 2 to 3 months from date received in IFA.	With premium processing, 15 calendar days for Approval or Request for Further Evidence.   Without premium processing, 15-19 months.
H-1B Portability	No gap in employment between previous employer and Penn State. Complete I-9 upon receipt of the USCIS receipt notice.
Extension at Penn State	To avoid complications, coordinate all international travel with IFA. Complete I-9 upon receipt of the USCIS receipt notice.
Change of Status	During processing, no international travel**

** Employees requesting a change of status to H-1B (and H-4) within the U.S. should NOT leave the U.S. while the petition is pending with USCIS. USCIS considers leaving the U.S. while the petition is pending to be abandonment of the petition.

HOW TO SUBMIT A VISA INQUIRY / NOTIFY IFA THAT AN OFFER HAS BEEN MADE TO A FOREIGN NATIONAL FACULTY MEMBER

1. Go to: https://istart.gp.psu.edu/ and click Login under Students, Faculty, and Staff with active PSU email. 
2. If accessing iStart for the first time, please email iStarthelp@psu.edu to request access. You should receive verification within 1 to 2 business days.
3. Look-up record in iStart to ensure foreign national does not already have a record in the system.
   • Click Faculty Advising: Visa Inquiry / New Offer Notification to look-up a record (PSU ID# and DOB required);
     • If the foreign national does not have a record in iStart:
       • Click Add New Person eForm (PSU ID#, DOB, Gender, and Email are required; select ‘Scholars’ as the campus location).
4. Click Faculty Advising: Visa Inquiry / New Offer Notification – complete and submit form.
5. The foreign national will receive an immediate email notification directing them to click a link to access and complete their portion of the eForm. (Upload all required supporting documentation in PDF format.)
6. Upload all required supporting documentation in PDF format where requested throughout the eForms.
7. An adviser will review the information and documentation as soon as both portions have been submitted. They will provide a visa recommendation, estimated timeline and instructions for next steps.