FAQs

No! The work permission in H-1B status is granted for a specific job with a specific employer. You must consult with International Services before starting a new position at U of I or anywhere else. Also, you must consult International Services if there is a significant change in your current position, such as a change in salary, hours worked, job responsibilities, etc. It may be necessary to file an amended H-1B petition.

At University of Idaho (U of I), the H-1B immigration category is used most commonly for tenure-track faculty positions but can also be used to employ international employees in permanent or temporary teaching and/or research positions, coaching positions and some permanent classified or exempt positions (depending upon the position). Some of the more common categories are professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor/lecturer, assistant research professor, post-doctoral research associate, research assistant and associate in research levels.

Note: Persons who hold, or have held, J-1 or J-2 status and are subject to the two-year home country residency requirement are not eligible for H-1B status until the two-year requirement is either fulfilled or waived.

There are a limited number of H-1B visas available each year in the business industry, however universities are not subject to this limit, also referred to as the H-1B cap.

USCIS offers an expedited service for certain employment-based petitions including the H-IB called premium processing. Once premium processing requested and has been received by the service center, the USCIS guarantees a response within 15 calendar days. The USCIS fee for premium processing is $1,225.

If the position is a professional level one and the employee has a degree in a related field, the chances are excellent that the petition will be approved, although there are sometimes delays if the USCIS has questions.

Potential problems include:

• If you are currently out of status, you may not change to H-1B status in the U.S. and you will be required to return to your home country to apply for a visa after the H-1B petition is approved.
• If the employee will not be earning the prevailing wage then the employer may not file the Labor Condition Application and thus may not file an H-1B petition. In this case there is no opportunity for an actual USCIS denial. The petition cannot even be filed.

Immigration regulations do not require that the job be advertised as part of the H-1B petitioning process. However the employers must post two copies of the LCA for 10 business days in the workplace as part of the required process. Instruction is given to the employing U of I department by International Services for postings.

It is the responsibility of U of I to complete all required paperwork and file the petition. As the employee, you do not actually complete or sign any immigration forms yourself. According to U of I policy, only International Services is allowed to file H-1B petitions for U of I departments and a prospective foreign national U of I employee. Outside immigration lawyers are not allowed to represent U of I in the filing of H-1B petitions.

The estimated processing times at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are three to six months for a standard petition. The estimated processing time at USCIS for a “premium processing” request is 15 business days. However, before filing the petition, International Services must gather the documentation from the department and scholar to prepare the petition, which takes about two to three weeks.

The USCIS filing fee is $325 plus a $500 anti-fraud fee for all initial and transferring H-1B cases. There is an additional $1,225 premium processing fee for expedited petitions. U of I departments are required to pay the filing fee, the fraud fee and, depending on circumstances, the expedited processing fee. The USCIS filing fee for change/extension of status for dependents is $290 regardless of the number of dependents. This dependent fee is typically paid by the scholar.

You can gain TN status by presenting yourself to the Trade NAFTA Officer at a United States Port of Entry or by applying for a change of status to TN in the U.S., if you currently reside in the U.S. and are maintaining another non-immigrant status. Please contact an International Services advisor for help in obtaining this status.

You may stay in the US for as long as you remain employed in the position described in the H-1B petition filed by U of I and as long as your approved petition is still valid. When filing an H-1B petition U of I requests that USCIS grant employment authorization for typically no less than a year. USCIS will normally grant H-1B status for the requested period of time, but no longer than three years at a time. The normal maximum stay in H-1B status is six years.

If you wish to change jobs at U of I, a new H-1B petition must be filed if there are any substantial changes in your job.

Note: According to immigration law which went into effect October 17, 2000, you may begin working as soon as your new employer files the H-1B petition with the USCIS. You do not need to wait for the petition to be approved. This rule applies to scholars who are transferring to U of I in H-1B status and to those who are changing jobs at U of I. When changing STATUS to H-1B though, you must wait for the approval notice.

No you may not. If your job ends before the end of your H-1B petition approval, U of I must report employment end to USCIS. You may remain in the U.S. for only 10 days after the termination of your employment.

H-1B is a status normally required for a non-immigrant to accept permanent or temporary employment at U of I. It may be the only one available to you after your F-1 student optional practical training expires. Additional statuses commonly used to employ scholars at U of I include.

• F-1 students are usually eligible for 12 months of optional practical training after (and sometimes before) graduation.
• J-1 Scholars and Students: J-1 students are sometimes eligible for 18 months of academic training or 36 months in a postdoctoral research position with permission from the sponsor. A J-1 scholar may be employed as a non-tenure track teacher or researcher position at U of I.
• TN: (NAFTA Treaty): This status can be used by professional employees from Canada and Mexico and is similar to H-1B. However, there is no requirement for the employer to pay or to document the prevailing wage, and the application procedure is much faster than an H-1B. The occupations covered are restricted to those allowed under NAFTA. Note: Mexican nationals need to apply for the H-1B visa stamp in the passport while Canadian citizens are exempt from the visa requirement.

Yes. If you have H-1B status, the employment should be your primary purpose for being in the U.S. However, you may still register and/or complete a degree while you have H-1B status.

Note: You may not accept an assistantship or other student job while you have H-1B status. 

If you have been granted H-1B status, your spouse and children (under 21) will normally be eligible for H-4 status. If you and your dependents are in the U.S. in legal status and U of I is requesting that your status be changed to H-1B, your dependents may apply for a change to H-4 status. Your spouse and child should complete and sign Form I-539 and submit it with the U of I petition. The I-539 should be signed by your primary dependent and not by you, unless the oldest dependent is a minor child. If your dependents are outside the U.S., U of I does not need to include any information about them in the petition. After the petition has been approved, they may apply for H-4 visas at a U.S. Consulate. Spouses should expect to present a marriage certificate and birth certificate and children will be expected to present a birth certificate. Note: a person with H-4 status may not be employed in the U.S. but is eligible to attend school full-time.

If there are any substantial changes in your job such as a new job title, changes in required qualifications, significant change in job duties, new location, etc, then U of I must file an H-1B amended petition.

In order to be employed in H-1B status, you must have both an approved petition for U of I and be in valid H-1B status. You may not begin working until then, unless you have another status that permits employment. For this reason, F-1 students often choose to apply for practical training authorization (OPT) and use this as a bridge to H-1B employment at U of I. You do not need a job offer in order to apply for OPT. If U of I files an H-1B petition for you, please note that it must be filed and approved prior to the expiration of your OPT work authorization.

Notes: It may be possible for you to begin work immediately after U of I files a new H-1B petition if you are currently in legal H-1B standing but employed by another institution. For questions regarding transferring your approved H-1B status from another employer to U of I, please contact International Services.