Timeline to obtain status
If you would like to obtain an H-1B visa for work at VCU, first discuss the matter with your faculty supervisor. If your supervisor is willing to sponsor you for the visa, please ask your faculty supervisor to complete the H-1B petition form at the top of this page. Once we receive the appropriate paperwork from the department, we must obtain a certified Labor Condition Application from the Department of Labor.
After we have Labor Condition Application certification and before we can file the H petition with the USCIS, we must be able to prove the employee qualifies for the job in the petition. This often requires an equivalency determination to be made on the employee’s degree if it is not a U.S. degree. In a case where the job requires licensure or certification, we must show proof that the employee holds the proper license or certificate.
The process for obtaining an H-1B for someone outside the U.S. takes approximately five months from the time proper paperwork is received in the Global Education Office. An additional month is required for the embassy to conduct a background check. If someone is already in the U.S. in another visa classification and needs to change his/her status to H-1B, processing time is approximately five to six months from the time our office has received the proper documentation.
These are estimates and actual processing time will be determined by the Department of Labor, USCIS and the consular post abroad.
