— Office of Global Engagement — Support Services — Immigration and Visa Sponsorship

Immigration and Visa Sponsorship

Our office provides information and several services related to visa sponsorship and related topics for departments at UNMC and the University of Nebraska Omaha, as well as international students, scholars and employees. These include:

Preparing and filing government petitions for sponsoring employees.
Advising departments on maintaining legal compliance in visa/immigration sponsorship issues.
Advising sponsored employees, students and scholars on all visa/immigration-related issues.
Maintaining immigration- and visa-related forms for use by UNMC employees for incoming international students and scholars. UNMC employees may access the forms on our intranet, which requires log-in.
Managing compliance for the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.

We provide advice and assistance with:

J-1 scholars | F-1 students | H-1b employees | Other visa categories

Assistance with Federal Tax Preparation

Each year in March, this office coordinates federal tax assistance to all J-1 research scholars, J-1 students, F-1 students, and J-2 and F-2 dependents who are nonresidents for tax purposes. Appointments for tax assistance are announced in early March.

Nonresident taxpayers are required to complete Form 8843 and 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ. These cannot be completed online.

More information and federal tax forms are available through the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Permanent Residence for Employees

There are three common methods for employees of UNMC and the University of Nebraska Omaha to obtain permanent residence. The first two categories are employer-sponsored. The third, a national interest waiver, does not require employer sponsorship. For the two categories requiring employer sponsorship, the employer must first apply to and receive approvals from U.S. government agencies. The sponsored employee then provides a copy of the employer’s approval as supporting documentation to apply to become a permanent resident of the United States.

Outstanding researcher category

Sponsorship for Permanent Residence

National Interest Waiver

The advantage of the EB-1b category is that it is a much faster process than other categories. However, qualifying for this category is difficult. The evidence primarily focuses on the research-related accomplishments of the sponsored employee. To determine whether an employee and job title qualifies for this type of sponsorship, the employee schedules a consultation with the Office of Global Engagement. A determination is made using both quantitative and qualitative data.

If it is determined that the employee qualifies under this category and the hiring department agrees to sponsor the employee for permanent residence, then supporting evidence showing that the employee qualifies as an Outstanding Professor or Researcher is prepared. Finally, this office prepares Form I-140 on behalf of UNMC.

The advantage of the EB-2 sponsorship for permanent residence is that the employer will be able to determine whether the case will lead to approval before the case is submitted to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. However, this category has a much longer processing time, especially for those from countries with substantial populations.

Employer files a permanent residency application with the U.S. Department of Labor. This application typically takes five to nine months to be adjudicated.
Employer files an application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This type of application usually can be submitted with premium processing.
Sponsored employee files an application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services if the priority date has been reached or if the priority date is current.

This category is not employer-sponsored. Employees seeking a national interest waiver may self-petition and do not need an employer to sponsor them. The advantages are that the employee can determine whether to pursue this option and pay all fees associated with this category. The total time required is less than the employer-sponsored permanent residence category. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provides some guidance on the criteria for this category.