If your department requests H-1B status for you, OGS Scholar Services will send the administrator an H-1B application. Once Scholar Services has determined via the Department of Labor that a prevailing wage is being paid, the administrator will ask you to submit various documents required for the petition, including a copy of your curriculum vitae and highest degree diploma. If your highest degree was obtained in a foreign country, the USCIS requires proof of credential equivalency to that of a U.S. degree. Documents in a foreign language must be officially translated.
If you are transferring your H-1B status from another institution, you will be required to submit copies of your latest three pay stubs so the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can determine that you were in status at the time of applying to transfer. If you are changing from another status, you will be required to submit documents showing your current status. The department forwards all documentation for your case to Scholar Services who files the petition with USCIS. Timeframes for processing by USCIS vary but scholars should expect approximately three months. When the case is approved, notification is sent to OGS Scholar Services who in turn notifies you and the department. If you are outside the U.S., you will need, among other things, the original approval notice (Form I-797) in order to obtain an H-1B visa to enter the U.S.
