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Permanent Residency Process at Vanderbilt University

Permanent residency is a lengthy and costly process.  The department should consult the following resources before determining if permanent residency is the right step.  Contact ois@vanderbilt.edu  with any questions. 

Permanent Residency Process at Vanderbilt University

  1. Collect the information necessary to complete the request form including: appropriate department contacts, COA/POET number(s), employee's country of birth and citizenship, employee's contact information, employee's current status and expiration, job description, CV/resume, qualifying criteria (EB1), qualifying research (NIW) and completed  Visa Deemed Export Questionnaire.  
  2. Complete the  Permanent Residency Request for University Employees.  
  3. A representative of VU's contracted law firm will contact the employee for additional information (including the employee's immigration history).  
  4. OIS will contact the department, typically within 1 week, to confirm the type of case.  
  5. If the case includes Labor Certification the process will generally take 12-18 months.  See the list of necessary steps  here.  If the petition will be in a category not requiring the Labor Certification most interaction will be directly with the employee to request appropriate documentation of qualifications.  These cases are individual and processing times vary widely.  

NOTE: To sponsor an employee for permanent residency that employee must be in a full-time, permanent position (example: postdocs do not qualify).