Not sure? Here’s more information.

A U.S. lawful permanent resident is a foreign national who has been authorized by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to permanently live and work in the U.S. There are different ways a person can obtain U.S. permanent residence. The approval of a labor certification application (if needed) and/or a petition filed in an employment-based (EB) immigrant preference category is one way an international employee may become eligible to apply for permanent residence.

There are a total of five employment-based categories with a number of sub-categories. UH sponsor employees in these three sub-categories: (1) EB-1 outstanding professors or researchers, (2) EB-2 professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability, and (3) EB-3 professionals. If a department wishes to sponsor a worker for permanent residence in one of these categories, we highly recommend that the department request a meeting with FSIS, the HR specialist for the college/school/unit, the international employee, and the employee’s supervisor to discuss the proper procedures.

There are two self-sponsorship sub-categories (i.e., EB-1 extraordinary ability and EB-2 with National Interest Waiver) in which international employees can independently file for permanent residence. FSIS cannot assist with self-sponsorship filings. Instead, the employee should consult with an external immigration lawyer to pursue these options.

Try out the flowchart to narrow down the appropriate UH-sponsored employment-based categories to sponsor a UH employee for U.S. permanent residence.