Fill and Sign the Restraining Order Form 2012

Center for Global Services Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs (GAIA Centers) Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 180 College Avenue New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8537 globalservices.rutgers.edu globalservices@gaiacenters.rutgers.edu 848-932-7015 Fax: 732-932-7992 INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING "OUTSTANDING PROFESSOR/RESEARCHER" PREFERENCE PETITION (for "Priority Worker" application; no Labor Certification required) Please note: University support for filing this type of application does not reflect a University evaluation of the merits of any individual employee, nor does failure to support the filing of this type of application reflect a negative University evaluation. This application will be filed directly with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by the Center for Global Services. Once it is approved, the applicant may apply for permanent residence ("green card") as soon as a "priority date" is available, which in most cases will be immediately; however, the "green card" processing can then take up to two years after application is made, depending on backlogs at the USCIS. The alien may choose to follow “Additional Instructions” for concurrent filing as provided on page two of this form. The following documents must be submitted to the Center for Global Services in duplicate original plus one photocopy (except Form I-140, as noted in item 1 below), i.e., in DUPLICATE: 1. Form I-140: download and print from USCIS website at: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-140.pdf. One original only plus $580 filing fee in the form of a university check payable to "Dept. of Homeland Security." 2. Form I-907: This form is optional and only necessary if you are seeking “Premium Processing” service to expedite the processing of form I-140. For an additional $1225 USCIS guarantees a response in 15 days from the date USCIS receives the I-140 petition. Please note the $1225 fee is not the University’s responsibility. The form is downloadable at: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-907.pdf (Please check with the Center for eligibility to use this service) NOTE: for the “vendor address” in RIAS, put: “USCIS Texas Service Center, Mesquite, TX 75185” (See attached sample. In Part 2, check box "b.") 3. A strong letter from department chair or director—two pages minimum—describing the employee's outstanding credentials, including the number of years of teaching/research experience he or she has (minimum is three years for this category). The letter should explain how the applicant "stands apart in the academic community through eminence and distinction based on international recognition." It should list the employee's outstanding professional achievements, highlight examples of the applicant's international renown, and cite major contributions to his/her field. As this application is not judged on the employer's documentation of a bona fide recruitment effort, no description of the search efforts need to be given. The letter should also state the terms of the appointment, i.e., tenured or tenure track and current annual salary. A copy of the chair's letter should be sent to the dean's office with the following: * the individual's CV; * a request for the dean to add an endorsement memo for "Outstanding Professor/Researcher" and to forward the file within a week's time to the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who will then add a final endorsement memo. 4. Copies of diplomas and awards in duplicate, with certified translations (also in duplicate) if needed. Immigration requires the alien to sign each photocopy of each diploma and award with the following statement: "Copies of documents submitted are exact photocopies of unaltered original documents and understand that I may be required to submit original documents to an immigration or consular official at a later date." __________________________________ ________ (alien's signature) (date) 5. CV in duplicate. 6. Evidence (in duplicate) that the alien has at least three years' teaching and/or research experience as appropriate for the position. Regulations stipulate that this should be in the form of an employment confirmation letter, and must include the name, address, and title of the writer, and a specific description of the duties performed by the alien. Please note: research performed to meet doctoral degree requirements will usually not qualify towards the 3 yrs’ experience. * NOTE: We advise that before filling out form I-140 you photocopy and prepare it as a draft for review by the Center; submit drafts with one copy of the documentation (items #6 - #7) while the letters from the dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs are still in process. This will save correction time later if changes will need to be made. 7. Evidence (in duplicate with applicant's name highlighted on each copy) of applicant's international recognition to include items from at least two of the following categories:       documentation of the alien's receipt of major prizes or awards for outstanding achievement in his/her field; documentation of the alien's membership in associations in his/her field which require outstanding achievements of their members, i.e., not associations which any interested party can join for a fee; published material in professional publications written by others about the alien's work. Such material must include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translations; evidence of the alien's participation on a panel, or individually, as the judge of the work of others in his/her academic field or in an allied field; evidence of the alien's original scientific or scholarly research contributions to his/her field; evidence of the alien's authorship of scholarly books or articles in scholarly journals with international circulation. 8. Any additional proof, in duplicate, with the applicant's name highlighted on each copy, of the alien's international renown, including but not limited to:  letters of reference from scholars in the field (include a list briefly describing the international stature of the referees as well; also attach CV's of the references);  proof of translation of his/her works into other languages;  proof of his/her having been invited to speak at international conferences;  copies of award certificates, recognition letters, or other prestigious citations. Center for Global Services Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs (GAIA Centers) Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 180 College Avenue New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8537 globalservices.rutgers.edu globalservices@gaiacenters.rutgers.edu 848-932-7015 Fax: 732-932-7992 Very Important! For any item of documentation with which a layperson such as a USCIS adjudicator would not be familiar, provide independent evidence of how the documentation demonstrates the individual’s “outstanding” qualifications. For example, an award that is not known outside the field could include something from the award-granting organization’s website which describes the nature and competitiveness of the award, the number of awardees per year, etc. Bear in mind that a simple statement from Rutgers explaining the above facts will not offer USCIS the authenticity that documentation from an independent source will offer. Departmental Checklist for “Outstanding Professor Researcher” Petition: Please be sure you have  presented evidence that the alien possesses the required min. 3 years’ experience  gathered documentation from at least two of the following categories  submitted ALL documentation in duplicate  highlighted the alien’s name on every copy  documented at least two (and preferably more) of the categories listed in item 7 above. Note that two categories are the absolute minimum requirements for classification under this category; if only two are met, there is a high likelihood that the application will not be approved by USCIS.  provided independent explanations of important documentation to contextualize and explain the documentation to USCIS ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS IF ALIEN WISHES TO APPLY FOR THE GREEN CARD CONCURRENTLY WITH THIS EMPLOYER-SPONSORED PETITION Because of excessive delays caused by backlogs at their service centers, USCIS currently allows alien applicants whose employers submit Form I-140 petitions to concurrently file the following forms if they choose to: I-485, Application for Permanent Residence (one form each for alien, spouse, and children under 21). Once filed and until the approval of the I-485 application, dependents cannot travel abroad without applying for and receiving USCISauthorized “Advance Parole.” The alien can continue traveling on H-1B. The form is available online at: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-485.pdf I-131, Application for Advance Parole. This permits each approved alien to travel abroad and reenter the US while the I-485 is pending at USCIS. The form is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-131.pdf I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. This permits unrestricted employment authorization for people with pending I-485 applications. Employment is authorized for 12 months at a time and may be renewed until the I-485 is adjudicated. The form is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-765.pdf Should the I-140 petition being filed by Rutgers be denied for any reason, an alien who has applied for and used “Advanced Parole” and/or unrestricted employment authorization would automatically be considered out of status and subject to immediate departure requirements. Aliens should therefore confer with a Center adviser prior to deciding on whether or not to submit these concurrent applications. Forms, fee amounts, and instructions for these three forms may also be downloaded from the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov. *Department of Homeland Security filing fees and forms have recently changed (and they do change frequently)—the alien should obtain the most current version of each form via the links provided earlier in this document or by visiting the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov. Please verify the current fee for each form by checking the USCIS website at: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=db029c7755cb9010V gnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD. revised August 2013