EMPLOYMENT-BASED PERMANENT RESIDENCY
The following information pertains to UK sponsorship and the various categories of employment-based permanent residency.
The university will not sponsor permanent residence for the following:
- Non-immigrants who are in temporary positions, such as postdoctoral scholars and visiting scientists, because these positions do not meet regulatory standards as required for permanent residence.
- Positions with a bachelor’s degree as the minimum requirement.
The university will sponsor permanent residence under the following conditions:
- The candidate holds a permanent position at the University of Kentucky. "Permanent" is defined by immigration guidelines as employment that is intended to be of an indefinite or unlimited duration. In other words, the nature of the position is such that the employee will ordinarily have an expectation of continued employment. In these cases, the request for the university to sponsor the application must be approved by the applicant’s chair or director and the dean of the college.
- The position demonstrates secured funding that is either regular in nature or, in the case of a grant-funded position, includes a reasonable expectation that funding will continue.
- The candidate maintains a valid non-immigrant employment status while the application is being processed.
Categories
Members of the Professions Holding an Advanced Degree
Obtaining this type of employment-based permanent residence consists of the following steps:
- Recruitment for the position following U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) guidelines
- "Application for Permanent Emplyment Certification" (ETA-9089) filed with DOL
- "Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker" (I-140) and approved ETA-9089 filed with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS)
- "Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status" (I-485) filed with USCIS. OIA does not provide assistance with this final step.
For teaching positions, the Office of International Affairs will prepare the ETA-9089 application and the I-140 petition.
For non-teaching positions, the services of an attorney are required. Because the attorney will be representing the University of Kentucky, first contact Charlene Leach or Teresa Keller for more information.
Outstanding Professors and Researchers
This category is for faculty and researchers with at least three years of experience in the academic area who are recognized internationally as outstanding. There must be an offer of a tenured or tenure-track teaching or permanent research position. For this category it is essential to seek the services of an attorney. Because the attorney will be representing the University of Kentucky, first contact Charlene Leach or Teresa Keller for more information.