LPR Categories Sponsored by Northwestern
Northwestern University does not limit green card sponsorship to certain employment classifications (e.g. staff, research faculty) as long as the foreign national can meet governmental eligibility requirements. However, individual departments, schools, colleges, or other units may limit who they will sponsor or what categories of applications they will sponsor. Foreign nationals are not entitled to green card sponsorship. The University also cannot and will not guarantee the outcome of any immigration petition.
The two main regulatory requirements in the employment-based categories are that the positions are full-time and “permanent” in nature. While tenure-track positions are considered permanent, to qualify for sponsorship, the position itself does not need to be tenure-track. Positions that do not have a specified end date or maximum duration may qualify but many (e.g. Postdoctoral Scholars) do not. Positions that are renewed annually may still qualify as long as the intent is that the position will be renewed and funding is ongoing.
OISS assists with the following LPR requests:
Outstanding Professor or Researcher (EB-1B)
Tenured/tenure track positions as well as similarly permanent research positions may qualify for an application under the EB-1B category if the employee meets particular requirements and is recognized internationally as outstanding.
PERM Labor Certification with Special Handling for Faculty (EB-2)
Positions that include teaching duties will generally qualify for “special handling” and are usually associated with tenure-eligible Professors, Instructors and Lecturers. This requires that the university file a labor certification within 18-months of the date of offer.
Note: If a department or the beneficiary misses the 18-month window, or if a competitive recruitment was not conducted, then the standard labor certification regulations apply (see below).
PERM Labor Certification (EB-2)
Green card applications for positions that do not qualify for Special Handling are normally filed under the basic PERM process, and generally applicable to staff positions.
National Interest Waiver (NIW/EB-2) or EB-1A (Extraordinary Ability)
Foreign nationals interested in pursuing a green card application that does not require the formal sponsorship of the University may arrange to have OISS case management support as well as departmental financial support, if previously agreed upon and terms accepted by both parties.