620 Visa Sponsorship for Employees

CENTRE COLLEGE POLICY ON VISA SPONSORSHIP FOR EMPLOYEES

Centre College sponsors some employees for work-related visas and/or permanent residency, though the College does not usually sponsor staff positions. The decision to provide immigration sponsorship must be approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs for any faculty positions or by the Vice President/Senior Staff leader for any staff positions.  Once approved by the appropriate leader, visa procurement is managed through the Office of Legal Affairs, in conjunction with the Office of Human Resources and Administrative Services.

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. Centre College offers H-1B sponsorship primarily for full-time faculty positions. The College does not normally sponsor staff employees (whether full-time, part-time, or temporary) for an H1-B visa, but the College has the discretion to do so under special circumstances.

A decision about whether a faculty position will be eligible for sponsorship for an H-1B visa will be made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with the Division Chair. An H-1B visa is valid for three years and can be extended for one period of three years. In general, the maximum amount of time a faculty member may spend in H-1B status is six years unless certain steps have been reached in the permanent residence process. Requests for H-1B extensions should be made at least seven months in advance of the expiration of the faculty member’s current H-1B status. There is no mechanism for transferring an H-1B visa from another employer. If the College decides to hire someone who is working for another employer on an H-1B visa, the College still must go through the entire H-1B application process (with full costs and process).

If the College decides to sponsor an employee 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.  If the College determines that it is necessary to have the work authorization approved more quickly (for example, by start of the academic term) than normal processing allows (up to six months), the College will initiate a petition under an expedited process known as “Premium Processing” and pay the Premium Processing costs.  In all other cases, if the employee desires an expedited process for personal reasons, then the employee may arrange to pay the Premium Processing fee.

Any H-1B visa process begun with less than six months before the College desires the employee to begin work is likely to necessitate the extra expenses of Premium Processing, so that should be avoided when possible.