OUTSTANDING PROFESSOR / RESEARCHER
Texas A&M University may file an outstanding professor or researcher immigrant visa petition for a foreign national who qualifies for such category. This petition is directly filed with USCIS without the need of obtaining a prior alien labor certification. In order to qualify for this immigrant visa category, the foreign national must submit the following documentation:
1. Evidence of at least 3 years of professional experience in teaching and/or research in the academic field
2. Evidence of at least 2 of the following
a. Receipt of major prizes or awards for outstanding achievement in the academic field;
b. Membership in associations in the academic field, which require outstanding achievements of their members;
c. Published material in professional publications written by others about the alien's work in the academic field;
d. Participation on a panel, or individually, as the judge of the work of others in the same or an allied academic field;
e. Original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the academic field; or
f. Authorship of scholarly books or articles, in scholarly journals with international circulation, in the academic field.
3. A letter from the Department Head of the employing department stating that the university will employ the foreign national in a tenured or tenure-track position as a teacher, or in a permanent position as a researcher in the academic field.
4. Additional documentation should include strong letters of recommendation from colleagues and/or peers regarding outstanding achievements. These may be from persons both in the U.S. and abroad. Please ask IFSS for guidance and sample form letters. Biographic sketches or abbreviated resumes of these individuals writing the letters must be included.
USCIS PROCESSING TIME: Regular Processing : 9 to 12 months
