H-1B Temporary Workers

All requests for H-1B status at CSUN must be initiated by the academic department chair by contacting Ashley Thompson at (818) 677-2962, or at international.scholars@csun.edu.

Steps of The H-1B Petition

1. Upon offering a position to a prospective international candidate, the Department Chair contacts the Office of Faculty Affairs to: a) determine if an H-1B status is appropriate, b) discuss the fees and responsibilities, and c) establish a timeline for the visa process. Please note, a non-immigrant who has been in J-1 or J-2 nonimmigrant status and is subject to the Two-Year Home Country Physical Presence Requirement must either return to his/her home country for two years or obtain a waiver of this requirement before being eligible for H 1B status. The waiver process can take from three to twelve months.

2. The Department Chair must submit a completed H-1B Data Collection Form to the Office of Faculty Affairs for review. A portion of the H1B Data Collection Form should be filled out by the prospective faculty member and a portion by the department chair.

3. The Office of Faculty Affairs reviews the H1B Data Collection Form to prepare the petition. If documents are missing, we will contact the department and/or the prospective international faculty for more information.

4. The Office of Faculty Affairs processes a request of the Labor Condition Application (LCA) from the U.S. Department of Labor. Within 30 days of the request, the U.S. Department of Labor will send a certified LCA to the Office of Faculty Affairs.

5. Upon receiving a certified LCA, the Office of Faculty Affairs submits the H1B petition to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

6. When the USCIS approval is secured:
   1. If the employee is not in the U.S., the Office of Faculty Affairs sends the approval notice to the prospective international faculty abroad to obtain the H-1B visa stamp to enter the U.S.
   2. H-1B employees extending CSUN employment may remain on payroll while waiting for approval if the request was submitted to USCIS before the current H-1B expires. As long as the extension petition is received by the USCIS before current expiration, the person is granted a 240-day grace period to remain living and working in the U.S. while the petition is pending.
   3. H-1B status holders who are changing employers to CSUN may be eligible for CSUN payroll when USCIS receives the petition and as a result the Office of Faculty Affairs receives a copy of the USCIS H-1B petition receipt – but not before.
   4. H-1B status holder who is already working at CSUN, but is moving to a different job within CSUN, may be eligible for CSUN payroll when USCIS receives the amended petition and as a result the Office of Faculty Affairs receives a copy of the USCIS H-1B petition receipt – but not before.
   5. Employees changing to H-1B status may begin working in H-1B status when the Notice of Approval has been received from the USCIS.

The H-1B Petition Process Overview

1. Department Chair contacts the Office of Faculty Affairs to discuss securing a visa for a new faculty hire. 

2. Department Chair submits H1B Data Collections Form to the Office of Faculty Affairs

3. The Office of Faculty Affairs prepares petition

4. The Office of Faculty Affairs obtains a certified LCA from U.S. Department of Labor

5. The Office of Faculty Affairs submits the H1B petition to USCIS

6. The international candidate and Department Chair are notified of the H1B approval

All fees related to filing the H-1B petition must be paid by CSUN (hiring department) per Department of Labor regulations.  The filing fees currently for new petitions are:

1. Government Filing Fees (I-129 fee $460/ Fraud Prevention fee $500): $960
   *note only $460 is paid for H-1B extensions
2. Attorney Fee: $1,500
3. Premium Processing (optional): $2,500  
4. FedEx Copies: $100

Fees are subject to change and are dependent on a case-by-case basis. USCIS usually gives the public a 6 months lead time on any fee changes. Please refer to this page for the most up to date fees.

All H-1B employees are responsible to be familiar with the immigration requirements related to their status. Following the guidelines below will help you avoid unnecessary problems.

• Passport Validity. Keep your passport valid for six months beyond the duration of your H-1B status (see dates on the I-797 approval notice).
• Address Notification. Report an address change within 10 days of the move. To report an address change you must:

1. File Form AR-11 available on the USCIS website.
2. Email Carmen Lichtscheidl at international.scholars@csun.edu with your full name, date of birth and new address.
3. Update your personal information on SOLAR or contact Human Resources.

• I-94 Expiration. Do not remain in the U.S. beyond the expiration date of your I-94 card. Email Ashley Thompson at international.scholars@csun.edu your latest copy of I-94 card after each entry into the U.S.
• Employment. Do not accept any employment other than that which is approved under your H-1B petition.
• H-1B Extensions. Remind your department to initiate the H-1B extension process as early as six months before your H-1B expiration date. Please contact our office if you plan to travel outside of the country while we are processing your H-1B extension or change of status. If you need to extend or renew your driver's license, you should allow for sufficient processing time. 
• Notification of Changes. Ask your department to notify our office of any material changes in your employment, including a change of department, job duties, hours, title and/or work location.

H-4 status is limited to spouses and/or children of H-1B beneficiaries. H-4 status for children expires when they reach 21 years of age. 

• H-1B dependents who entered the US in H-4 status or who changed to H-4 status from another non-immigrant status may remain in the U.S. until the end date noted on their last I-94 card.
• H-4 status is contingent upon the continued validity of the principal H-1B employee. If H-4 dependents are physically in the U.S. and their status is expiring, they must file a Form I-539 concurrently with the main beneficiary to extend status. If they are abroad, they must apply for an H-4 visa stamp with the documents of the main beneficiary to be able to enter the U.S.
• H-4 dependents traveling separately must take the original I-797 H-4 approval notice (if applicable), proof of relationship (e.g. marriage/birth certificate) and copies of the H-1B documents.
• H-4 dependents are permitted to study in the U.S., but are not authorized to work.

We strongly recommend that you contact an immigration attorney for information regarding your dependents. 

Certain petitions for change of status or extension of status to H-1B require that you remain physically present in the United States. If you are planning to travel before your H-1B is approved, contact Ashley Thompson at (818) 677-2962 or at international.scholars@csun.edu prior to your trip to ensure that you will not jeopardize your petition request.

Required Documents for H-1B Travel

To re-enter the U.S. in H-1B status and resume employment, you need the following documents.

• Passport valid for six months beyond the duration of your H-1B status (see dates on the I-797 approval notice)
• I-797 approval notice, original version
• Copies of forms I-129 (contact the Office of Faculty Affairs if you do not have the original version)
• Copy of Certified Labor Condition Application filed on your behalf (contact the Office of Faculty Affairs if you do not have a copy of this document)
• Letter verifying current employment from your department that confirms continued employment, job title, annual salary and dates of employment as listed on your I-797 H-1B approval notice, dated within one month of your visa interview
• H-1B valid visa stamp (not necessary for Canadian citizens)

If your visa has expired or you have changed your status to H-1B within the U.S.,
remember to obtain an H-1B visa stamp at a U.S. Consulate before returning to the United States. Present the travel documents mentioned above to the Consulate.

The hiring Department as representative of CSUN will pay all fees related to the PERM application. The international faculty will be responsible for the government filing fees of the I-140 and I-485, the attorney fee associated with the I-485 adjustment of status application as well as the related I-485 fees for spouses and children.

Breakdown of potential fees:

1. I-140 government filing fee: $700
2. I-485 Adjustment of Status fee: $1225 per person if dependent family members are involved
3. USCIS Medical Exam Fee: ranges from $175 to $350+ per exam
4. For attorney fees related to the I-485 stage please contact the university appointed attorney. 

Faculty employees seeking Permanent Resident status are strongly advised to start their legal process within 15 months of acquiring an H1B visa to meet the 18-month allotment granted by the U. S. government. After the 18-month grace period passes, faculty will no longer be able to apply for permanent residency using the University’s sponsorship. 

Please contact Ashley Thompson ashley.thompson@csun.edu in Faculty Affairs for more information and/or to start the permanent resident process on behalf of the institution.

Although the University assists with the initial phases of the process, the application to acquire permanent residency and the fees associated with such application are the sole responsibility of the applicant. We strongly encourage all applicants to retain legal representation (immigration attorney or paralegal) to prepare all documentation and provide assistance with the completion of the application steps. 

For more information on applying for Permanent Residency/Green Card click here.

As H-1B status faculty, there are a few additional steps to take when completing sign-in paperwork with Human Resources.  Please see below for more information:

Sign-In Paperwork

Please visit the Employment Paperwork - New Faculty page and ensure you complete the forms listed under the “Required Documents” section.  These documents will need to be printed and submitted to the Office of Human Resources.

I-9 Form – Employment Eligibility Verification

For this form, you will be required to present original documentation that shows you are authorized to work in the United States.  As an H-1B visa holder, the two documents you will be required to present are:

• Your Passport
• I-94 Form

Please note that copies or expired documents will not be accepted. All documents must be current and must be the originals.

GLACIER

As an H-1B status faculty, you will be required to complete the GLACIER process.  GLACIER is an online system that is designed to assist us in determining how you, as an international-status employee, should be taxed. Not all countries are eligible for exemption.  

You will receive two emails from the Payroll Department regarding GLACIER: The first email will contain information regarding what GLACIER is and why you must complete it, and the second email will contain a username, password, and institution name for you to log into the system and complete the required information. 

Please Note: On the Personal Information Screen, please be sure to check off the following boxes: EMPLOYEE and COMPENSATION.  If you do not select these boxes, the forms may not be processed correctly.

Once you complete the process online, you will be required to print out some forms which you will submit to Human Resources along with your sign-in paperwork.  These forms will also most likely require you to submit copies of other documents such as your visa sticker/stamp and your photo identification page on your passport, and form I-94. Be sure to check the first page print out for more information.

For any questions regarding the GLACIER process, please contact Rose Hoang in Payroll at rose.hoang@csun.edu.

Social Security Number

You will be required to provide your Social Security Number (SSN) on some of the required sign-in forms in order to receive payments.  You will not need to present the actual SSN card, but you should know your number.   In the event that you do not have an SSN, then you must present a receipt from the Social Security Administration showing that you have applied for an SSN card.  You will not receive any payments until you provide your SSN to Human Resources.

When you visit Human Resources, you should have:

1. Your sign-in paperwork 
2. Social Security Number (SSN) or receipt
3. Your original documents for I-9 verification
4. Glacier print outs and required documents