Scholar Processing Guidelines & Procedures

As an administrator, it is important to be familiar with BU’s sponsorship policies, procedures and timelines for the various immigration classifications. We encourage you to consult with your Scholar Advisor regarding the possibility of sponsorship and processing requirements before extending a formal appointment or offer of employment.

Sponsorship Policy

BU policy generally limits immigration sponsorship to Boston-based research and teaching positions. The Office of Human Resources provides guidelines for research appointments, whether paid or unpaid, in the Academic Research Job Family Matrix, so please review this information to determine the appropriate appointment and follow the procedures specific to your school/college for appointment conferral. Casual (temporary) research or teaching positions may also qualify for limited sponsorship.

Many administrative and support staff positions do not meet minimum eligibility requirements for immigration sponsorship. On occasion, some professional staff positions in specialized fields may meet minimum federal requirements and thus warrant consideration for institutional sponsorship. Departments wishing to hire an international employee for a professional staff position are advised to consult with us to determine immigration sponsorship options. If the position and the candidate appear to qualify for immigration sponsorship, approval from the hiring authority and the Office of the Provost may also be required. Casual (temporary) staff positions are not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

All requests for the employment of foreign nationals must be processed through the ISSO as we are authorized to sign the legal documents and forms required to sponsor international scholars on behalf of BU. We process most non-immigrant based paperwork/petitions in-house. Therefore, neither prospective employees nor host departments are authorized to retain outside immigration counsel to represent the international employment needs of BU. If you receive any forms requiring an authorized signature, please forward them to the ISSO.

When determining the most appropriate immigration sponsorship category, the ISSO will evaluate the needs of the host department and the principal objective of the prospective scholar in the U.S. (study, research, employment, etc). While we will take any employee and department preferences into consideration, ultimately, the ISSO will make the final determination on how and when to proceed with sponsorship.

Please review our processing overview, timeline, and classification specific processing information for more information, or contact your scholar advisor directly.