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• Immigration Issues (ASU EO/AA)
• Teaching Faculty - Labor Certification (ASU EO/AA)
• Research Faculty/APs - Labor Certification (ASU EO/AA)
• Foreign Visitor Tax Guide (ASU Financial Services)

Permanent Residency

There are many ways to become a permanent resident, including through self-sponsorship or sponsorship by others such as family members or employers. The International Faculty and Scholars Office (IFSO) of the International Programs Office (IPO)is responsible for the majority of employer-sponsored petitions for permanent residence for employees of ASU.

The IFSO prepares petitions for permanent residence on behalf of employees in two types of positions: tenured (or tenure track) faculty positions and non-teaching research positions of a permanent nature.

The two main types of application handled by the IFSO are the Outstanding Professor/Researcher and the Labor Certification. Obtaining permanent residence through the Outstanding Professor/Researcher petition is currently a very lengthy process, and the requirements within this category have become increasingly stringent in recent years. Conversely, the Labor Certification route to permanent residence has become much quicker in recent years. However, Labor Certifications have very strict requirements in terms of advertising, hiring procedures, and timing of the application. Therefore, it is essential that hiring units contact IFSO as early as possible in the hiring process.

There are two types of labor certification: Special Handling (or Special Recruitment)and Standard Recruitment. Both processes require open, competitive recruitment (test of the labor market). Labor certifications for teaching positions, require that the non-citizen is the "most qualified" candidate. For non-teaching positions, the requirement is that no U.S.-citizen who meets the minimum qualifications has applied for the position.

1. Special Recruitment (Special Handling) is limited to teaching positions. Additional information is available on the ASU Office of Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action ASU EO/AA website under Teaching Faculty.

2. Standard Recruitment is used for non-teaching positions. Additional information is available on the ASU EO/AA website under Research Faculty/Academic Professionals.

Procedures for Job Orders Please note that there has been a recent change in the procedure for the job order (3). Job orders must now be prepared by the sponsoring unit. After the job order has been prepared, the IFSO will submit the job order to AZ DES. The job order form can be obtained from IFSO.

This category is limited to those individuals who have at least three years of teaching or research experience, and are recognized internationally as outstanding in their academic fields. The process for obtaining permanent residence by this route is currently taking two years or longer. Unless the individual is a full professor with an extremely strong record of acclaim, this process is no longer viable or extremely difficult at best.