Sponsoring or Extending H-1B

The H-1B position needs to qualify as a “specialty occupation” that requires a “theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge, and attainment of a bachelor's or higher degree, or its equivalent, as a minimum requirement” at a wage that meets the higher of the prevailing wage or the actual wage, and the applicant must hold the required degree in the field of employment. This means both the position and the employee must meet H-1B eligibility criteria.

Process Example
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USCIS Premium Processing fee increased 2/26/24. See guidance below in Step 3.

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Department User Guides

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H-1B Requirements

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Before You Sponsor / Petition Overview

Part-time positions do not qualify per University Policy.

H-1B status is generally limited to six years, with each petition not greater than for 3 years. Typically, the initial petition is for 3 years, with an extension for another 3 years.

Contact us at least six months in advance of the 6-year mark to discuss eligibility for an additional extension or alternative options for visa status.

Initiate H-1B sponsorship 6 months in advance to ensure timely filing and adjudication of the petition, allow time for the applicant's visa application (if needed), and facilitate international travel.  An H-1B petition involves processing time by two government agencies, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

You may expedite the final step of the petition with an additional Premium Processing fee, which guarantees USCIS action on the petition within 15 business days from the date they receive the petition. 

J-1 visa status may be preferable to H-1B for many non tenure-track positions, because it:

Learn more about J-1.

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How to Sponsor / Extend

Steps to Sponsor or Extend H-1B
Step 1

Gather these documents

Open one of the links below for information specific to your campus.

We need these documents to verify that the position is appropriate for H-1B status and for the Department of Labor (DOL) component of the H-1B petition.

The following documentation/information must be uploaded at the time you complete the H-1B Position Details and Comparable Wage Information e-form in Compass. We need this information and documentation to verify that the position is appropriate for H-1B status and for the Department of Labor (DOL) component of the H-1B petition.

Please see #3 below for the more comprehensive list of supporting documents (hard copy) and checks that are required by USCIS after all e-forms are completed in Compass.

Documents and information needed

Step2

Submit your application

Open one of the links below for instructions specific to your campus.

Log in to the Scholar Sponsorship Portal (SSP) with your UNI and password to initiate an online application for H-1B sponsorship.

This must be initiated by the department, not the employee. Contact us if you are a department administrator requesting access to the SSP. 

Note: Your scholar’s name and the name(s) of any institution(s) abroad with which the scholar is affiliated will undergo Visual Compliance Screening (VCS). 

  • If there is no match, you will be able to proceed in the SSP. 
  • If there is a match, immediately contact your Designated Reviewer to clear or resolve the match with the Export Control Office. Once resolved, you will be able to proceed in the SSP.

Refer to our SSP Department Guide for detailed instructions including an SSP overview.

Log in to Compass to submit this part of the application. Refer to our CUIMC Department User Guide or Training Webinar for detailed instructions. Please complete the Request Access to Compass form if needed. 

This application consists of four (4)steps:

Step 3

Gather documents and checks for USCIS fees

Open one of the links below for information specific to your campus.

Both the department and the H-1B applicant provide documentation

The department is responsible for collecting the documents and checks listed in the table below:

  • items 2 - 10 from each prospective employee
  • items 11 - 14 from the department

A complete set of application materials is comprised of both sets of documentation.

USCIS requires that the petition include hard copies of the supporting documents. Therefore, the department must send 1 set of the following documents to ISSO-CUIMC. Hard copies may be delivered to the CUIMC Mailroom. Please include checks that you pick up there with the set of H-1B supporting documents. If this is not possible, please contact us for an alternative arrangement.

Step 4

Deliver the complete application to ISSO and wait for USCIS approval.

If you need to make an alternative arrangement, contact the ISSO scholar adviser with whom you're working at ISSO Morningside or ISSO-CUIMC.

Remember to include the checklist on top. Our office is located in Armstrong Hall at 545 W. 112th Street on the 4th floor. Document drop-off hours are 9am - 5pm weekdays. Check our Contact Us page for any scheduled office closings.

Wait for Approval Notice
If we need further documentation, we will contact you. USCIS may issue a Request For Evidence (RFE) requesting more information or documentation on the petition, which will add to the processing time. We will inform you when the approval notice is ready to be picked up by your department. The envelope will also contain copies of petition documents for your employee.

While we are working in a hybrid model, mail or drop off documents to the CUIMC Mailroom, Black Building, 1st Floor, Room 1-420.  Please address the package to ISSO-CUIMC, 650 W. 168th St, Box 57B, New York, NY  10032. 

Wait for Approval Notice. ISSO-CUIMC will file the H-1B petition with USCIS.  When adjudicated, we will inform the H-1B beneficiary via email with a copy to the department.  The approval notice will be sent via FedEx to the H-1B beneficiary. Alternatively, we may be able to arrange for it to be picked up at our office.

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Notify us of any substantial changes in employment

​​​​​​Failure to notify us may result in fines and penalties imposed on the University and the revocation of the petition/visa approval.

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Extending an H-1B

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Before You Extend

H-1B status is generally limited to six years, with each petition not greater than for 3 years. Typically, the initial petition is for 3 years, with an extension for another 3 years.

Contact us at least six months in advance of the 6-year mark to discuss eligibility for an additional extension or alternative options for visa status.

The earliest we may file an extension is six months in advance of the requested start date, unless there has been or will be a change to the H-1B beneficiary’s position from the original H-1B filing, as an amended petition may be filed at any time as needed.  We strongly recommend you prepare the application materials as early as possible. An H-1B petition involves processing time by two government agencies, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

Initiating the extension 6 months before the expiration of the current status ensures timely filing and adjudication of the petition, time for the applicant's visa application at a U.S. consulate (if needed), facilitates international travel, and averts a lot of unnecessary anxiety for both the department and the individual.

You may expedite the final step of the petition with an additional Premium Processing fee which guarantees action on a petition within 15 business days from the date USCIS receives the petition. 

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How to Extend

Departments should follow the same steps above except:
 

  • Do not include the $500 Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee for an extension of an employee who is currently under Columbia's H-1B sponsorship.
     
  • Do include the $500 fee if it is the first H-1B petition with Columbia University as the employer. If your applicant is already in H-1B status with another employer but is now going to be sponsored by your department, the petition does require the Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee because it is Columbia's  first petition on their behalf.

Open the link to your campus below for further information.

Log in to the Scholar Sponsorship Portal (SSP) with your UNI and password to initiate an online application for H-1B sponsorship

This must be initiated by the department, not the scholar. Contact us if you are a department administrator requesting access to the SSP.

Refer to our SSP Department Guide for detailed instructions including an SSP overview.

PLEASE NOTE: H-1B employee profiles can only be seen by the Departmental User who created the Compass profile.

If you are the Departmental User who created the initial profile for the employee and you are now extending, you have two choices: 

  1. You can click on Departmental Services Overview and select the employee in the Current Cases/Past Cases list or,
  2. You can click on H-1B Employee Extension and search for the employee in the Lookup International Record by inputting their University ID and DOB.

If you are not the Departmental User who created the initial profile for the employee you are now requesting an H-1B extension, or if the profile was created by the ISSO-CUIMC based on a paper application previously submitted, you will need to request the University ID from ISSO-CUIMC via email at [email protected].

TIP: The University ID is not the UNI, it is an ID generated by Compass.

Refer to the CUIMC Department User Guide for the procedure.

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