Information for H-1bs
For information on the April 18 2017 Presidential Executive Order and its mention of H-1b status, please read more here.
General H-1b Information
The H-1b is an employer-specific working visa for individuals holding “specialty occupation” positions at UMBC. The H-1b petition scrutinizes the salary, working conditions, special skills, and educational background needed for the job. The employer will also need to attest to compliance with U.S. export control regulations and whether the research pursued by the H-1b worker requires access to technology considered proprietary or confidential. To learn more about the Export Control provisions, see the Information page for Visiting Students and Scholars maintained by UMBC’s Vice President for Research.
International individuals that have other possible immigration statuses with which they can work for UMBC will be advised to use these alternatives first. However, if the hiring department or office wishes to pursue H-1b status to benefit the employee, and not out of necessity, this is considered an “elective” H-1b and will be processed by an attorney managed through the IES office. The hiring department or office will be responsible for the legal fees.
Click Here to review the complete UMBC H-1b and Permanent Residency Sponsorship Policy.
Directions to file a New H-1b petition for employment with UMBC
- Submit the following to ies@umbc.edu – we will need to determine if the position is eligible for H-1b status:
- Appointment Letter
- CV/Resume of intended H-1b hire
- Job Description used during this search
After the position is deemed appropriate for H-1b status, the following are required:
- Actual Wage Memorandum completed by the contact indicated on the form, to capture comparative salary data
- Export Control License review: https://research.umbc.edu/export-control-information-for-students-and-scholars-2/
- Prepare filing fees: $500 Fraud Detection Fee, $460 I-129 filing fee, $2,500 Premium Processing Fee. These need to be three separate checks, each made out to “Department of Homeland Security.” The Premium Processing fee is often, but not always, required.
- UMBC’s Financial Services Team requires documentation of the quantity of each check. Please use these documents, which have been vetted with the Financial Services team, for that purpose:
- $500 fee
- $460 fee
- $2,500 Premium Processing fee
- Departmental letter on how this individual is uniquely suited for this position, and why the position is a “specialty occupation.” This can be less than one page, and should touch upon their experiences, education and credentials (in layman’s terms) that make them the best candidate, and what the unique needs of the department are.
Our office will require at least 6 weeks to prepare all documentation, go through the required steps and submit the petition. For urgent cases requiring faster processing time, please contact IES directly at ies@umbc.edu to understand what may be possible for your unique case.
Directions to Extend the H-1b status of an existing UMBC employee in H-1b status
Please contact IES for next steps on planning ahead for an H-1b extension at ies@umbc.edu
H-1b Fee Details
There are fees which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) charges to process the H-1b petition. These fees are paid by the hiring UMBC department in the form of separate working fund checks made payable to the Department of Homeland Security.
- I-129 form fee: $555 (changed from $460 as of Oct 3 2020)
- Fraud Detection and Prevention Fee: $500 Subsequent extensions of an existing H-1b for the same employer do not require the $500 to be paid again.
- Premium Processing Fee: $1,440 This fee provides a response on the application within 3 weeks. Average processing time without this additional fee varies but can be between 3-8 months. If the person already holds H-1b status, this fee is usually not necessary.