Guide to Employee & Visitor Sponsorship

All foreign nationals coming to observe, work, teach, research, or perform other related duties at UIC must work with the Office of International Services to obtain immigration sponsorship or report their status if UIC sponsorship is not necessary.

Departments are generally the first point of contact for the foreign national. The information below is intended to help frame those initial conversions and to provide a basic guide to the necessary next steps. However, please keep in mind that OIS will make all final determinations regarding the most appropriate non-immigrant or immigrant classification for each individual case.

We look forward to working with you and invite you to reach out to our advisors at oisscholar@uic.edu.

Step 1: Explore status options

The following is a general overview of the most common statuses foreign nationals hold while working, teaching, researching, or performing other relevant duties at UIC. Explore the terms of each status to find options that best support your department’s goal in hiring or inviting a foreign national to campus.

UIC-sponsored statuses

Non-UIC sponsored statuses

The following statuses do not require UIC sponsorship. In these cases, the foreign national holds a status sponsored by an external organization, school, or employer, which allows them to observe, work, teach, research, or perform other related duties at a third-party location (e.g., UIC).

While departments do not need to request UIC sponsorship in these situations, the foreign national must still complete an Immigration Check-In with OIS upon arrival to campus and comply with the terms of their status while here.

Step 2: Gather required documents

Once the job offer or visit terms have been finalized with the foreign national, you can begin gathering the standard documents and information listed below, along with any additional requirements necessitated by the target status. As a reminder, these items are only necessary for statuses requiring UIC sponsorship (e.g., J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, or E-3). Information about UIC Hiring Resources may be found on the HR Staff & Managers site.

Please note that files must be in PDF or image (JPG, PNG, or GIF) format and cannot exceed 1 MB. You may not upload a Word document.

Standard list of documents and information required for all statuses

  1. Offer Letter
    • Fully executed by both parties.
    • May be equivalent agreement, contract, or other standard offer of employment for the employment classification.
    • For J-1 EVs: see 4 specific J-1 Exchange Visitor HR templates.
  2. Visual Compliance Results
    • Required for all new employees and visitors to UIC. If the person is already a UIC employee and is changing immigration status (ex. F-1 OPT to H-1B) this is not needed.
    • After screening is complete, save/collect the “PDF results”
    • Contact Export Controls with any questions: uicexport@uic.edu
  3. Deemed Export Form
    • Required for H-1B and O-1 Requests only.
    • This is a certification pertaining to the release of controlled technology or technical data to foreign persons in the United States.
    • Contact Export Controls with any questions: uicexport@uic.edu.
  4. Job Description
    • For Academic Professional and Civil Service positions – submit the official UIC, final, approved, and most recent copy.
    • Faculty, postdoc, or clinical positions – Consult Faculty Affairs HR or the appropriate HR unit with any questions regarding minimum job requirements or position details.
    • For J-1 EVs – No job description is required. However, Title is limited to those listed on the J-1 Title matrix.
  5. Office of Access and Equity (OAE) approval
    • Include a copy of the OAE appointment form approval email for any new position that requires this step. See the OAE Academic Hiring Guidelines for more information, including “Appointments That Do Not Require a Search.”
    • Not required for J-1 EVs.
  6. Clinical Positions and Patient Care Statements
    • For positions requiring clinical care – Only H-1B or O-1 status is appropriate. Additional documents, such as licensure and certifications, are required and listed in the H-1B section.
    • For non-clinical positions – When foreign medical doctors come to UIC to engage in non-clinical activities, an H-1B or J-1 “No Patient Care Statement” must be included.
  7. Criminal Background Check (CBC)*
    • OIS does not require a copy of CBC approval; however, this step must be completed before the start date requested. Delays in onboarding UIC-sponsored employees could result in Department of Labor and/or Immigration violations.
    • See HR’s Background Check Compliance page for more information.
  8. C-FOPAL for Billing 
  9. Foreign National Items
    • Copy of passport bio page showing name and date of birth.
    • Copy of current CV.

Additional documents and information specific to status

Proof of English Proficiency – The EV must provide proof of English proficiency. This may be done by a documented in-person, videoconference, or phone interview conducted by the supervisor or by a recognized English language test.

  • For interviews, the date of the interview will be required.
  • For tests, refer to UIC Graduate Admission English Proficiency Requirements for acceptable score minimums.

Student Intern Requests only – Form DS-7002 Training/Internship Placement Plan (TIPP)

  • Have a draft of Form DS-7002 ready and completed by the supervisor and EV. Do not collect signatures on the PDF at this time. Details regarding the Training Plan will be requested in the e-form. When the full Student Intern process is completed by OIS, we will then request to collect signatures on an OIS-issued DS-7002 before issuing Form DS-2019.

Step 3: Submit initial request through myOIS

Once all of the abovementioned documents and information have been gathered, you are ready to submit the initial immigration request to the Office of International Services using the myOIS immigration portal.

  1. Watch recorded myOIS e-form training session(s)
    • Prepare for a complete and accurate submission by first watching the H/O/TN/E-3 E-Form Training or the J-1 EV Scholar E-Form Training, as applicable. Please email oisscholar@uic.edu to request the link.
    • Please note that UIC administrators who attended these live sessions in September 2024 are not required to watch the training(s) again.
  2. Log into myOIS
    • Log in using your standard UIC NetID and password. If you do not have access, you can request it by selecting “administrator.”
    • Once you are in myOIS, proceed to Departmental Services.
  3. Select the appropriate task
    • From the list, select the task associated with the target status: H-1B/O-1/TN/E-3 Initial Request, DS-2019 Initial Request, or DS-2019 Student Intern Request.
  4. Connect the foreign national to the task
    • If the foreign national already has a UIN, enter it now.
    • If the foreign national’s UIN is not found, there are two possibilities:
      1. The individual is already at UIC in a self-sponsored and/or unpaid status. Please email oisscholar@uic.edu to request an OIS TEMPID.
      2. The individual is new to UIC. Please select “Add New Person.”
        • Enter the UIN in “university system ID.”
        • Choose the target status (H-1B, O-1, E-3, or TN).
        • Watch for the automated email which will contain the foreign national’s TEMPID. Note this number and proceed to the next step.
  5. Select the appropriate task from the list and complete the required forms.

Step 4: Processing times

After you submit the initial request through myOIS, it will be assigned to an OIS advisor for review. The advisor may reach out to you with questions or requests for additional information and/or edits.

Since each immigration case is unique, processing times can vary. In addition, government agency times are also subject to change. However, here are some general guidelines according to the target status.

Time of OIS receipt of the request to the scholar’s UIC start date.

J-1 H-1B O-1 TN E-3
60 days Premium: 6-8 weeks, Regular: 3-6 months weeks to months days to months By travel: 4-8 weeks

If at any point during this process, you or the foreign national have questions about the appropriate target status, required documents/information, or how to submit the intial request through myOIS, please connect with an OIS advisor at oisscholar@uic.edu. We are here to help guide all parties to what will hopefully be a smooth and successful request for initial status.