Hiring International Faculty and Staff
- ISSS requires a one month processing time on applications.
- Drexel University will not file H-1B visa petitions for part-time positions, including adjuncts.
- All foreign credentials (i.e., diplomas, academic transcripts) must be evaluated by a “Foreign Credentials Evaluator.” If deemed necessary, ISSS will send credentials to evaluator. Cost: $85 standard 10 day evaluation, $140 next day evaluation.
HIRING FACULTY AND STAFF WHO REQUIRE H-1B VISAS :
An H-1B visa is a temporary visa. To avoid problems and confusion, departments wishing to hire faculty and staff on an H-1B should contact International Students and Scholars Services before making an offer.
The following requirements must be met in order to submit an H-1B visa petition:
- The position must require at least a bachelor’s degree. If the degree is from another country, it must comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree or higher. Some bachelor's degrees, especially 3-year bachelor's degrees from India (B.Comm., B.A., etc.) are not considered comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree and the petition will be denied. Please check with the ISSS University City campus office if you have questions about a particular degree
- The person who is selected for the position must have a degree related to the position. For example, someone with a degree in sociology cannot be hired for a computer science position even though that person may have substantial work experience in computer science
- The employee must be paid the prevailing wage for similar positions in this geographic area
- If the person selected for the position currently holds a J-1 or J-2 visa or was previously in J-1 or J-2 visa status and is subject to section 212(e) (2-year home residency requirement), this person cannot begin employment on an H-1B visa until he/she has received a waiver of section 212(e) from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service
Foreign faculty and staff can hold an H-1B visa for up to 6 years. H-1B status can be requested in increments up to 3 years. Departments who wish to hire foreign faculty and staff for more than 3 years must request an H-1B visa extension before the end of the 3rd year.
H-1B petitions are not always approved and hiring departments must be prepared for this. The applicant's education must match the position. The department may be required to prove that the industry standard requirement for the position is a Bachelor's degree, and, if other people in the same department have the same or similar position, must be prepared to show that the people in those positions also have a Bachelor's degree.
Departments wishing to hire faculty or staff on an H-1B visa should complete the following forms and submit them to International Students and Scholars Services:
College of Medicine Department H-1B Request Form
College of Medicine Applicant Information Form
The H-1B petition requires a fee of $820 for anyone who is a new employee. Current employees who are extending their employment require a fee of $320. Per USCIS regulations, the department is responsible for this fee, not the applicant. Therefore, ISSS will not accept personal checks for immigration fees. The supporting document required to submit a check request is included at the end of the "Department H-1B Request Form" above.
All H-1B petitions filed on or after March 8, 2005 for new employment must include an additional $500 " FRAUD PROTECTION AND DETECTION FEE". Two university checks, one for $320 and one for $500, payable to "USCIS" must be included with the petition. Personal checks are no longer accepted by USCIS for H1-B fees. Personal checks are accepted for the immigration fees of the dependents of H1-B employees.
Current employees in H1-B visa status who are continuing in their position do not have to pay the $500 fraud fee.
Be aware that an H-1B petition can take 3 or more months to process. This does not include the time needed to obtain a prevailing wage from the US Department of Labor if the ISSS does not have a current wage on file. However, the USCIS offers a "Premium Processing" service which, for an additional fee of $1000, the H-1B petition will be reviewed within 10 working days. Contact the ISSS if you are interested in this service.