SERVICES FOR INTERNATIONAL



Outstanding Professor and Researcher Information Packet

Information for Academic Departments

Sponsoring a Foreign Professor or Researcher

for U.S. Permanent Residence Status

I. Eligibility 1

II. Application Procedure 2

III. Requesting Letters of Support 6

IV. For letter writers—Effective Language for Support Letters 8

V. Sample Letter from Department Chair 11

VI. Sample Table of Contents 13

University of California, Davis

Services for International Students and Scholars 530.752.0864

Rev. 3/2014

OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS AND RESEARCHERS

The Immigration Act of 1990 created a special program for qualified foreign nationals to gain permanent residence. This program does not require the approval of the Department of Labor. Because an individual submits an application directly to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), permanent resident status may be gained much more quickly than under the alternative systems. Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) will file this application for qualified individuals holding permanent academic positions.

I. ELIGIBILITY

Individuals who:

I) Have been offered full-time, tenured or tenure track faculty or full-time, permanent research appointments at UC Davis

II) Have at least three years of teaching or research experience in their field of endeavor, and

III) Are recognized internationally as outstanding in their field

may qualify for U.S. permanent resident status as an Outstanding Professor or Researcher.

Eligibility for this category is established by submitting to USCIS a permanent visa petition (Form I-140) along with documentary evidence that the individual qualifies for the classification. For the third requirement of international recognition as outstanding, the evidence must include at least two, but as many as possible, of the following:

0. Documentation of the scholar's receipt of major international prizes or awards for outstanding achievement in the academic field;

1. Documentation of the scholar's membership is associations in the academic field that require outstanding achievements of their members;

2. Published material in professional publications written by others about the scholar's work in the academic field. Such material shall include the title, date and author of the material, and any necessary translation;

3. Evidence of the scholar's participation on a panel, or individually, as the judge of the work of others in the same or an allied academic field;

4. Evidence of the scholar's original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the academic field; or

5. Evidence of the scholar's authorship of scholarly books or articles (in scholarly journals with international circulation) in the academic field.

ALL petitions must include evidence that the scholar has at least three years of experience in teaching and/or research in the academic field. Experience in teaching or research while working on an advanced degree will only be acceptable if the scholar has already acquired the degree, if the teaching duties were such that he or she had full responsibility for the class taught, or if the research conducted during the degree program is what has been recognized within the academic field as outstanding. Such evidence shall be in the form of letter(s) from current or former employer(s) and shall include the name, address, and title of the writer, and a specific description of the duties performed by the scholar, plus if the individual must utilize research experience gained during the degree program, letters of opinion of recognized experts regarding the outstanding recognition accorded the research.

II. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

STEP 1: Department request and initial meeting.

The department should contact SISS and complete the “Department Request Form” for permanent residence as an “outstanding professor/researcher.” Upon receipt of the Department Request Form, SISS will schedule the scholar and department contact for a meeting. Faculty sponsors are welcome to attend as well.

At the initial meeting, SISS will go over the legal criteria for the Outstanding Professor/Researcher category and provide information and guidance for the department and scholar in exploring the option of permanent residency and also considering other visa options. We will discuss the documentation required and what documentation may be available regarding the scholar’s qualifications. Ultimately, SISS must review the documentation gathered to make a final determination regarding whether it is approvable and whether it should be submitted to USCIS.

SISS may recommend to the department and scholar to wait until a later time to apply for permanent residency for the scholar. If the doctoral degree is recently obtained, if the scholar has few significant publications and fewer as first author, if letters cannot be obtained outside of the scholar’s immediate educational and supervisory contacts, etc., waiting the additional years to file for permanent residency may be beneficial to all concerned, especially if the scholar has a number of years still available on an H-1B temporary working visa.

STEP 2: Department assembles supporting documentation for I-140 petition. Supporting documentation includes the following:

A. Curriculum Vitae

B. Copies of degree(s) — If the Ph.D. diploma is in a language other than English or Latin, it must be accompanied with a certified translation. The translation should be accompanied by the following:

“I, (name of translator), certify that I am fluent in the English and (language of diploma) languages, and that the above/attached document is an accurate translation of the document attached entitled (title of diploma).” Signature, printed name and address, and date.

C. Evidence of published articles with international circulation — Submit a list of publications and photocopies of two or three entire articles, particularly those published in top-ranked journals and where the scholar’s name is listed FIRST or LAST. Also submit a photocopy of cover (title) page of each article listed.

D. Evidence of published material in professional publications written by others — Submit photocopies of cover pages from publications and pages where the scholar’s name appears— citations of scholar’s work by themselves are not sufficient—articles must specifically discuss the scholar’s work. If this initial hurdle is met, then include Science Citation Index Citations information where possible.

E. Presentations at academic meetings — Submit list of presentations and include date and place, photocopies of invitations, lists of speakers or other evidence.

F. Applicant’s participation in activity judging the work of others in the academic field — must provide evidence of activity, such as:

• Copies of requests from editors who asked that you review an article for a scholarly journal, or memos confirming participation as a reviewer

• Copies of conference publications which show your participation as an organizer or reviewer

• Copies of documents that indicate committee assignments for professional associations in the field

• Copies of documents proving that you have been a reviewer for grant proposals (i.e. USDA, NSF)

• Any other evidence which indicates that other people in the field are seeking your opinion.

G. Honors and awards (including competitive grants) — Submit photocopies of award letters, certificates, along with documentation of the international significance of the award.

H. Membership in professional organizations — Submit documentation of, and requirements for, membership only for those associations that require outstanding achievement for membership.

I. Expert Opinion letters — Support letters from other recognized leaders in the field attesting to the applicant’s original scientific or scholarly research contributions. (6 to 8 letters recommended—at least three should be from outside the United States.) See the Sample Request for Letters of Support included in this packet. NOTE: Please do not request letters until SISS has assessed that the scholar qualifies for the Outstanding Researcher/Professor category. Please ask letter writers to send their letters electronically.

J. Evidence of three years of experience in the academic field — This is needed from another employer only when the individual has less than three years of experience at UC Davis, and may be part of one of the above letters of support. A separate category is necessary only when it is not clear from the other evidence submitted.

K. Employment Support Letter — Support letter from department chair. This letter should both confirm permanent employment and provide a strong recommendation for permanent residence (i.e. must discuss applicants qualifications, experience and standing in the field). This letter should be prepared after all other documents are obtained so that it can fully discuss the content of the application packet.

STEP 3: Department submits draft of materials—including a draft of the Form I-140—to SISS for review.

STEP 4: Department submits the final documentation to SISS, including:

1. Packet of supporting documentation in DUPLICATE. Keep one additional copy for department files.

2. Form I-140 (See attached example).

3. Check for $580 payable to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Format for petition

The application package is to be prepared with a two-hole punch at the top, “Acco type” fasteners, and dividers, tabbed at the bottom with only numbers corresponding the table of contents (see sample, p. 13), separating the supporting documentation into category numbers as listed on the sample table of contents. The attached table of contents sample is meant to be a guide. Ultimately it is best to organize both the actual table of contents and the actual supporting documentation by order of strength—strongest evidence first, weakest in the middle toward the end, ending with something rather strong.

Please do not type or write on original documentation such as support letters, including numbering, etc., as we may not use all documents submitted, or may need to change the order of the documents. Horizontal documents should be organized so that the bottom of the document is to the right, to facilitate ease in review. All pages should be single-sided and 8½ x 11 inches.

All documents submitted must have some proof of applicability to the professor or researcher – USCIS will not do any research for us! Highlighting should be used to indicate sections of published materials that are “about” the professor or researcher. For Science Citation indexes, please be certain that the reference at the top includes the name of the article and the name of our professor/researcher and include the cites to all the articles citing our professor/researcher’s published material.

Filing Fee

With the final package, the department should also submit a check to “DHS” for the USCIS filing fee of $580.00.

Instructions for Requesting a Check in Kuali

1. In the Payee Lookup drop down menu for the Kuali Disbursement Voucher, use “IMM” for “Immigration Visa Fee Processing for the Payment Reason Code.”

2. Enter Vendor # 183156, click search.

3. Click on the return value for the “US Department of Homeland Security.” This will populate the addresses for the various service centers. Click the appropriate city and state under “US Department of Homeland Security,” based on the type of petition you are requesting. Please see the chart below.

4. Check the “Special Handling” box and enter instructions for mailing the check to your department in the “Special Handling” tab at the bottom of the page. Be sure to have the check sent to your department, to be delivered to SISS. These checks should never be sent directly to US Department of Homeland Security.

5. For questions regarding using the Kuali system, please contact the Kuali Help Desk at 530-752-3855.

6. For questions regarding the type of immigration petition that will be filed, please contact an international scholar advisor at SISS (530-752-0864, extension 0)

When using the Kuali system, please be sure to match the type of request with the correct US Department of Homeland Security address, as there are several listed in Kuali. For an H-1B extension request, please see the table below:

|Petition Type |Address to Select from |

| |Kuali Menu |

|Permanent Residence (regular processing) |US Department of Homeland Security |

| |Lewisville, TX |

|Permanent Residence with premium processing |US Department of Homeland Security |

| |Lincoln, NE |

STEP 5: SISS finalizes and submits the petition to USCIS and monitors its progress.

STEP 6: Scholar files an application with USCIS to adjust status to legal permanent resident.

The adjustment of status (AOS) application (Form I-485) can be submitted to USCIS either concurrently* with the I-140 visa petition, or after it is approved.

*SISS will notify the department once the official USCIS I-140 receipt arrives and will provide a copy so that the scholar can include it with their I-485 application with a specific request for “I-140/I-485 Concurrent Processing.”

The sponsored professor or researcher, the sponsoring department and SISS share the responsibility throughout the permanent residence application process to work together to monitor and maintain the individual’s employment eligibility, temporary visa status, and eligibility to travel outside the U.S. and reenter the country.

III. REQUESTING LETTERS OF SUPPORT

Obtain letters from experts in the field

• Best if can obtain letters from people who are themselves quite expert in the academic or related field – peers and above.

• Best to obtain a number of non-UC Davis letters plus at least a few non-U.S. university or other expert letters.

• The sources of most of the letters themselves should demonstrate the international recognition of the candidate.

• Some of the letters should come from people who have encountered the candidate professionally, through their work, presentations, articles, conferences, and collaborations, not just former supervisors (though these letters are key as well), co-workers, faculty mentors, etc.

• Please ask letter writes to send their letters electronically (saved in Word file) via e-mail attachment.

Sample Letter Requesting Letter of Support

(To be printed on department letterhead)

Date

Dear____________:

The University of California, Davis is in the process of sponsoring Dr. for U.S. permanent resident status based on his/her appointment as with the UC Davis Department of . We are filing a petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to classify Dr.___________ as an “Outstanding Professor/Researcher.” To qualify for the Outstanding Professor or Researcher category, evidence must be presented that the individual is already recognized internationally as outstanding in his or her field.

We would like to request a letter from you in support of our petition on behalf of Dr. _________. We must document his/her eligibility for the Outstanding Professor/Researcher classification, and your letter will assist us in documenting the major original scientific or scholarly research contributions Dr.________has made to the field of _________ and that s/he is recognized internationally as outstanding.

Please address your letter to Dr. _________________, Chair, UC Davis Department of . Briefly state your own credentials, including major honors/awards/publications/titles, etc. and your specific area of expertise to establish your ability to review and evaluate his/her research contributions. Describe how you know Dr. and his/her work, particularly if you have become familiar with Dr. ___________ ‘s work through reputation, conferences, and articles, rather than having worked directly with him/her at the same institution. Please be sure to discuss specifically why you consider Dr. _______ to be outstanding and particularly, why s/he is already recognized internationally in his/her field.

It is especially important to include comments on the major significance, the implications, originality and the applications of his/her research to the field of _______. If you also have particular knowledge of Dr. ______________’s authorship of scholarly articles in prestigious internationally circulated journals and/or significant presentations at academic symposia and meetings, please discuss these as well.

Please leave out typical “appointment letter” language that is too “average” sounding or that is too personality related. Characterizing an individual as “pleasant,” “unassuming,” “competent,” “well-trained,” and especially “has potential” or his/her research “may” lead to important breakthroughs, could lead USCIS to think that this person is not really already outstanding. Likewise “talented” and “productive” are not helpful, unless accompanied by specific details explaining or documenting just how extraordinarily talented and productive s/he is with respect to his/her research or teaching. We have attached a copy of a document entitled “Effective Language for Support Letters” geared toward this particular immigration petition, which may assist you in writing a letter of support.

Once you have a draft of your letter, please send it to us via e-mail attachment (we prefer WORD file). Our University Immigration Specialists will review it and as appropriate, they will provide additional ideas and suggestions to fit it within the USCIS requirements for this particular petition. We greatly appreciate your assistance to us and your support of UC Davis and Dr. . Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Department Chair Signature and Title

IV. FOR LETTER WRITERS—EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE FOR SUPPORT LETTERS

Your letter is very important to UC Davis. To make it most effective, please remember it is directed toward meeting very specific USCIS regulatory requirements, and is quite different from the normal appointment support letter. To this end, we make the following suggestions to assist you:

A. Remember throughout that the purpose of your letter is to prove that the scholar is already “internationally recognized as outstanding in his/her field.”

B. Author of letter should include explanation of own expertise

Author should explain his/her own qualifications to write the letter. The author should explain how s/he has many years of expertise, recognition, awards, published articles, international recognition, etc. in the field – toot your own horn!

Things to include:

• Your years of expertise

• Recognition received: awards, published articles, editorships, reviews of peer articles and grants, your own overall international recognition in the field

• If you have encountered the “outstanding professor/researcher “candidate professionally, through his/her work, presentations, articles, conferences, collaborations, please so state, as this demonstrates that s/he is truly internationally known. Unlike an appointment letter, familiarity with the candidate through having been a former supervisor, co-worker or faculty mentor of the candidate is actually less helpful with respect to international acclaim – so if that is the case, try to discuss how s/he is recognized internationally by other luminaries in your field.

C. Explain technical language and use authoritative “layperson” language whenever possible as it is directed toward an USCIS examiner

• Must assume USCIS examiner reading letter has absolutely no knowledge or understanding of the academic field, nor of much common university terminology

• Make it sound authoritative yet then explain the scientific or scholarly terminology in a manner understandable to someone outside the field

• What does that outstanding achievement or contribution mean to the general populace? I.e. -- you may easily understand the significance of “biofilm systems” and “the biological phosphorus removal and bioaugmentation via gene transfer in sequencing batch reactor technology.” However, I had only a vague idea of what that meant, until reading the accompanying explanation: “A principal aim of his research is to apply natural principles of gene transfer to wastewater treatment in an effort to facilitate rapid degradation of hazardous compounds.” Together, the two descriptions sound authoritative and also make sense to an USCIS examiner.

D. Include as many of the following USCIS categories for documenting international recognition as possible which are applicable to this scholar, though the first category (contributions) is most important for support letters:

• Describe the scholar’s original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the field – this section should form the heart of your letter:

How is the research internationally significant/acclaimed? How is it original? Unique? Exceptional? Groundbreaking? Is this scholar the only one or one of the few that is involved in this work? How will it contribute to the national/international well-being? Is s/he a leader internationally in the field? Most important: describe how these contributions are internationally recognized as outstanding. This section may be the only one you personally discuss in your letter – which is perfectly acceptable.

• Authorship of scholarly articles or books

What is remarkable/extraordinary about the scholar’s articles or books? Are they published in internationally recognized journals? Very prestigious or leading journals? Have they received rave reviews? International acclaim? If you know, is participation of the professor/researcher in articles significant (first author in a number of articles, collaborated with #1 scholar in the field)?

• Presentations at academic symposia and scientific meetings by scholar

Discuss memorable or exceptional presentations of professor/researcher of which you have knowledge or in which you collaborated with the professor/researcher – particularly those made to an international audience. Discuss the significance of particularly prestigious meetings, symposia, conferences, etc. instead of just listing them.

• Participation as the judge of the work of others

If you are familiar with this work, particularly if you solicited the participation of the professor/researcher, this work should be described if it tends to support the claim of “outstanding.” Describe the prestige of the journal or foundation whose articles or grants are being reviewed by the professor/researcher and the selection criteria to become a reviewer at this level. It is much more significant, of course, if there are only a few other editors/reviewers than a hundred or so.

• Major international prizes and awards

If you are familiar with and have expertise related to a major international award or prize for outstanding achievement received by the professor or researcher, you should explain the source of your own expertise and explain the significance of the prize or award internationally.

E. Phrases and language to avoid, if possible:

• Avoid using “common” recommendation or appointment letter language which tends to weaken letter, such as: “she is pleasant, unassuming, productive, talented, etc.” Also please avoid language which indicates that the scholar will be outstanding in the future, but not necessarily now “has potential,” “research may lead to advances,” “just getting started in his/her career,” etc. Remember the purpose of this letter is to demonstrate that this person is already quite “outstanding” and “internationally recognized” in her/his field.

• Saying “I read/reviewed her/his CV” will tend to contradict our claim of international recognition

• Don’t focus on or describe “non-outstanding” work – such as training, everyday stuff, non-scientific or scholarly work contributions – it is not relevant and could weaken case

• Try to be specific instead of vague and avoid speaking in generalities – give specific details to show you really know what you are talking about – just saying someone is “an exceptional researcher” is meaningless, unless you explain why s/he is exceptional.”

• On the other hand, don’t be too specific unless it is helpful! Example: Stating professor’s contribution to article was about 20%. In that case, just a listing of article and/or reference to its publication in a prestigious journal is sufficient.

• Only discuss awards or prizes that DO have international significance and recognition NOT awards from/within a University that are awarded its own students and scholars – these have no international significance and will only dilute the strength of the petition. Do discuss winning a Fulbright, a Mellon Sawyer fellowship, or equivalent awards that are internationally recognized .. of course a Nobel prize would do, but is not required!

V. SAMPLE LETTER FROM DEPARTMENT CHAIR

(To be printed on department letterhead)

Date

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Attn: I-140 Unit

Employer: University of California, Davis

Alien: Dr. ______________

Application: I-140 for Outstanding Professor/Researcher

I am writing in support of the University of California, Davis' petition for First Preference (Outstanding Professor/Researcher) status for Dr.__________. Dr. ________has been appointed as a ____________ in the UC Davis Department of _________ and will be receiving an annual salary of $_______. This is a full-time, permanent position that he/she has held since __________________ .

Dr. _______is recognized internationally as a leading scholar in the area of ____________. He/she is uniquely qualified for this faculty position.

[The chair's letter should explain in authoritative yet easily understandable (layperson) language why the beneficiary of the petition qualifies for the outstanding professor/researcher category. Include descriptions of his/her research contributions and explain the significance and implications of the research, including the best quotes from some of the letters of recommendation, if applicable. Discuss the individual's unique qualifications for the UC Davis position, his or her academic background and previous positions as appropriate, but the heart of the letter should be a description of how the individual fits within the USCIS first preference category – by discussing the individual’s international recognition and acclaim, and the specific details of how s/he fits within the regulatory requirements through: original scientific or scholarly contributions to the field, authorship of scholarly articles in internationally circulated journals, presentations at academic symposia and meetings, participation in panels or individually as a judge of the work of peers, published material about the work of the individual, nationally or internationally significant prizes or awards and/or membership in associations which require outstanding accomplishments for election to membership.

When discussing each category of evidence, refer to the documentation that corroborates your claim. For example, when discussing the individual’s original scientific or scholarly contributions, refer also to quotes from the letters of experts regarding their opinions of the specifics of the individual’s contributions. Refer to the other documentation submitted as well. Use your own expertise, such as when discussing the scholarly articles published by the individual, discuss the journals that you know are particularly prestigious, the leading international journal in the field, etc. Remember that the case will be decided on whether or not the person qualifies to be considered outstanding based on USCIS criteria rather than how appropriate he or she is for the UCD position. You are in a unique position of authority to describe the significance of the evidence and to tie it all together.

Leave out language that is too “average” sounding or that weakens the case. Characterizing an individual as “pleasant,” “unassuming,” “competent,” “well-trained” and “has potential” could lead USCIS to think that this person is not really outstanding. Likewise “talented” and “productive” are not helpful, unless accompanied by specific details documenting just how extraordinarily talented and productive s/he is with respect to his/her research or teaching.]

In support for this petition for First Preference status, we are submitting the following evidence to establish Dr. ______’s eligibility for classification as an outstanding professor/researcher:

• evidence of Dr._______’s original scholarly research contributions;

• evidence of his/her authorship of scholarly articles/books (list only the particular

• evidence of Dr. ________’s receipt of the prestigious ______prize; categories we will use)

• evidence of Dr. ________’s service as judge of the work of others;

• evidence of published materials by others about Dr. _______’s work.

I trust you will find these materials to be convincing evidence of Dr. ______’s outstanding research contributions and international reputation and eligibility for classification as an Outstanding Professor/Researcher .

Sincerely,

Professor and Chair

Department of __________

VI. SAMPLE TABLE OF CONTENTS

University of California, Davis

Outstanding Professor/Researcher I-140 Petition

Dr. ___________________

Table of Contents

1. Evidence of Original Scholarly/Scientific Contributions (expert opinion letters)

2. Evidence of Scholarly Articles with International Circulation

3. Evidence of Professional Presentations

4. Evidence of Judging the Work of Others

5. Evidence of Published Material in Professional Publications Written by Others

6. Honors and Awards

7. Membership in Professional Associations

8. Curriculum Vitae

9. Ph.D. Degree

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