New Foreign Employees and Visiting Scholars Overview

The Office for International Services (OIS) is dedicated to assisting you with the visa process and facilitating your transition to Fordham University.

Please be aware that while we can address general inquiries regarding your employment, the OIS cannot start the visa process until we receive a signed contract or offer letter (for employees), or an invitation letter (for visiting scholars).

The Office for International Services (OIS), in consultation with the Office of Faculty Affairs, reserves the right to choose the most appropriate visa category for our non-immigrant employees. Prior to initiating the work authorization process, OIS will communicate our intentions and discuss all pertinent aspects, including the visa category, with the new non-immigrant employee.

You can learn more about faculty employment policies by visiting the Office of Faculty Affairs Policies webpage.

The selection of the appropriate visa is influenced by various factors, outlined in the following general guidelines:

    • OIS cannot sponsor tenure-track faculty under a J-1 scholar visa.
    • These positions are typically sponsored for H-1B visas.
    • If you are a J-1 subject to 212e, the University cannot sponsor you for H1B status unless you apply for and receive a waiver. Find out more information on the 212e Waiver Process
    • To start the process, all incoming non-immigrant tenure-track faculty members should complete the New Employee Questionnaire to determine the most appropriate visa category.
    • OIS cannot start the work authorization process until we receive a contract signed by both the new employee and the Office of Faculty Affairs. 
    • You will need to maximize your current work authorization (OPT, 5 years in J-1 status, etc.) before applying for H-1B sponsorship.
    • To start the process, all incoming non-immigrant non-tenure track faculty should complete the New Employee Questionnaire to determine the most appropriate visa category.
    • OIS cannot start the work authorization process until we receive a contract signed by both the new employee and the Office of Faculty Affairs .
    • The J-1 Visa is the most common visa for visiting professors, researchers, and postdoctoral scholars.
    • You can find instructions on our J-1 webpage to obtain a DS-2019 form in order to apply for a J-1 visa at a U.S. consulate in your home country.
    • OIS cannot start the visa process until we receive an invitation letter from the appropriate Fordham department.

  • H-1B sponsorship is generally not available for administrative positions at Fordham University.

    If you're applying for, or currently hold, a non-instructional position, Fordham University's Office of Legal Counsel oversees the hiring of non-immigrant staff in such positions. Please contact them directly for further assistance.

    • F-1 (receives an I-20) - The vast majority of full-time students enrolled in a degree program will be F-1 students. Non-immigrant F-1 students who have graduated from a school in the US may apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which grants them work authorization, in order to gain experience in the field of their newly acquired degree.
    • J-1 (receives a DS-2019) - There are many different categories, depending on the visitor's purpose while at Fordham. The most common categories are student, non-degree student, research scholar, short-term scholar and professor.
    • H-1B (receives an approval notice) - Grants work authorization for non-immigrant workers in a specialty occupation. These are issued by USCIS and are employer specific. Fordham must submit a petition and receive approval in order for the non-immigrant to be able to work at the University.
    • TN - Grants work authorization for Canadian citizens in designated professions (see Appendix 1603.D.1 of Annex 1603 of the NAFTA for a list of professions).
    • O-1 (receives an approval notice) - Grants work authorization based on non-immigrants of "extraordinary ability." These are issued by USCIS and are employer specific. Fordham must submit a petition and receive approval in order for the non-immigrant to be able to work at Fordham. The decision to purse this visa category is at the discretion of The Office of the Provost and will be handled by The Office of the Provost and Legal Counsel.