Permanent Residence

Candidate must have one of the following UC titles:

• Professor (Tenure-track) Series
• Clinical X Series (eg. Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics)
• In Residence Series (eg. Professor in Residence)
• Adjunct Series (eg. Assistant Adjunct Professor)
• Professional Research Series (eg. Assistant Research; Associate Research; Research)
• Clinical Series (with the exception of Instructor)

Titles that are temporary in nature, such as Postdoctoral Scholar, or staff positions will not qualify. All potential applicants must be approved by the Dean’s Office and notified as cleared by the Director of the DGSOM Visa and Licensing Office. Once preclearance has been issued by the DGSOM Visa and Licensing Office, outside counsel will be engaged to assist with filing the permanent residence petitions with USCIS.

The decision to sponsor an individual for U.S. permanent residence involves the use of significant DGSOM Department resources and contributions from many people on campus. Sponsorship should never be undertaken for personal benefit, but rather in response to a genuine institute need.

• Minimum job title of Assistant Professor or Assistant Researcher (Professional Researcher series).
• Minimum length of available funding: 3+ years.
• Position must be 100% time with full benefits, and duration of employment should have no specific intended termination date.
• The position must be permanent in that the employee will be a member of the UC retirement system.
• If funding is from a grant(s) with an expiration date of less than 3 years, there must be a strong probability of grant renewal which is substantiated (i.e. by the history of the PI’s ability to obtain funding).
• DGSOM will only sponsor individuals who qualify for permanent residence sponsorship in one of the categories which are exempt from labor certification.
  • EB-1(B) - Outstanding Professor/Researcher
  • EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW)

• DGSOM Visa and Licensing Office DOES NOT sponsor foreign employees on non-tenure track appointments, career and other administrative/staff titles, and trainee positions, including postdoctoral researcher, clinical resident or fellow.

   

Employees who have at least 3 years of full‑time teaching and/or research experience and are recognized internationally as outstanding in a specific academic area may qualify for the "Outstanding Professor or Researcher" category.

Claim of international prominence must be substantiated with documentation from at least two of the following regulatory categories:

• Documentation of the foreign national's receipt of major prizes or awards for outstanding achievement in the academic field;
• Documentation of the foreign national's membership in associations in the academic field which require outstanding achievements in the academic field;
• Published material in professional publications written by others about the foreign national's work in the academic field. Such material shall include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation;
• Evidence of the foreign national's participation as the judge of the work of others in the same or an allied academic field;
• Evidence of the foreign national's original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the academic field; 
• Evidence of the foreign national's authorship of scholarly books or articles (in scholarly journals with international circulation) in the academic field; or
• Comparable evidence to support the foreign national is internationally recognized as outstanding.

Note that the process is subjective, and that adjudicators will approve/deny the case on the quality of the overall evidence; providing limited documentation supporting just two categories will not necessarily qualify the applicant as "Outstanding."

The Visa and Licensing Office Director is the only authorized signature for a permanent residency petition submitted on behalf of the School of Medicine. No letters or documents relating to these matters should be signed without consultation from the Visa and Licensing Office.

To determine Permanent Residence eligibility and/or request PR sponsorship for a current UCLA employee, the sponsoring department must provide the following to the DGSOM Director via email:

• candidate's CV
• Google Scholar citation link
• PR Request for Eligibility Review

The DGSOM Visa Office Director will confer permanent residence sponsorship eligibility if the option appears viable. Department will be instructed to submit:

• P39 Recharge Form – Visa and Licensing Office
• PR Department Sponsorship Request Form
• Letter of Request for PR Sponsorship

Current UCLA policy requires that an outside attorney be retained to assist with PR cases. The DGSOM Visa and Licensing Office will provide counseling in determining strategy for a case and selecting an attorney; review documents prepared by the attorney; ensure compliance with UCLA’s policy, procedure, and format; obtain university signatures; and provide status reports. 

If the candidate does not qualify for employer-sponsorship of permanent residence, it may be possible to self-petition in either the "Extraordinary Ability" or "National Interest Waiver" categories. Consult with an immigration attorney for either of these processes.