Employment Opportunities(opens in new window)
International Faculty
H 1-B Sponsorship
Chico State has a long tradition of hosting faculty and other academic personnel from around the world. We sponsor certain faculty for their H-1B status, which is used for employment in specialty occupations. A specialty occupation is defined as a position that requires at least a Bachelor’s degree in a specific field and theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge in order to perform the job duties.
- What is an H-1B Status?The H-1B status is employer and job-specific and requires an employer to file applications with the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) in order to sponsor an employee. This status provides authorization to work for up to six years.
- Who does Chico State sponsor?Chico State’s employment sponsorship of H-1B statuses is strictly limited to tenure-track faculty positions. Eligible jobs must be full-time and pay a CSU, Chico salary that meets the Department of Labor’s wage requirements, which for all CSUs are the salaries required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the CSU and the California Faculty Association. The international-faculty member must be fully qualified for the job at the time the petition is filed with USCIS.
- What about my family?Chico State retains an attorney to prepare and file its H-1B petitions on behalf of the campus. Chico State will pay all attorney fees and costs incurred for those services. As a professional courtesy, CSU Chico will petition for the dependents of H-1B employees for H-4 status in conjunction with the faculty member’s petition. However, the faculty member is responsible for paying the accompanying attorney fees and costs as well as the USCIS filing fees/costs for dependents. Qualifying H-4 members are the spouse and any unmarried children under 21 years of age of the principal H-1B status holder.
U.S. Permanent Residency Process
Chico State is committed to providing assistance to international faculty in order to facilitate transition from their current visa type to a green card, within the boundaries of the law and our resources. Chico State’s retained attorney represents Chico State. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that faculty members secure their own immigration attorney for advice and guidance throughout the entire immigration process. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to be aware of the expiration dates of documents, including passports and visa dates, and to keep their I-9 updated when their employment authorization documents change or dates expire.
- 1. Permanent (PERM) Labor Certification
The Permanent Labor Certification outlines Chico State’s recruitment efforts regarding the position hired for and why the faculty member hired is more qualified than each U.S. worker who applied for the position along with other important information. The Department of Labor must approve this application before the international faculty member can advance to the next step in the process.
It is Chico State’s policy to file PERM cases with the Department of Labor for all eligible tenure-track faculty. The PERM application must be filed with the Department of Labor within 18 months of the offer of employment. As such, the PERM application process should be started soon after the international faculty member has been selected for a tenure-track position.
It is Chico State’s responsibility to pay all fees and costs associated with the PERM labor certification process. Chico State retains an attorney to prepare and submit applications for PERM labor certifications on its behalf and is responsible for and pays all legal fees and costs incurred for those services.
- 2. I-140 Immigrant Worker Petition
Once a PERM application is certified (approved) by the Department of Labor, the I-140 Immigrant Worker Petition must be filed within six (6) months of the approval date by the faculty member. The I-140 form is a petition filed with USCIS indicating that Chico State is the employer sponsoring a worker as an immigrant in a permanent, full-time position.
Unlike the PERM application, there are no restrictions on who may pay for the fees and expenses associated with the I-140 petition. It is Chico State’s policy to not pay any fees or costs that are unrelated to the PERM labor certification process. The sponsored faculty member is, therefore, responsible for all fees or costs that fall outside of the PERM labor certification process. This includes, but is not limited to, any legal fees or costs associated with the I-140 petition and the I-140 filing fee.
- 3. I-485 Adjustment of Status
The last and final step in the permanent resident process is the filing of the I-485 Application to Adjust Status. An I-485 is an application filed by the sponsored faculty member to adjust their status to that of a permanent resident. As stated above, it is Chico State’s policy to not pay any fees or costs that are unrelated to the PERM labor certification process. This includes, but is not limited to, any legal fees or costs associated with the I-485 application and the I-485 filing fee.
Be aware that regulations, laws, policies, and processes regarding immigration law and its requirements change frequently, and such changes are subject to change without notice. Therefore, this website may not reflect changes occurring after its publication. Please consult with your own legal counsel to stay current with this ever-changing environment.