Employment of Foreign Nationals

It is important to recognize the unique steps to successfully employ and retain foreign national employees needing employment sponsorship on a temporary or permanent basis. The university process is inclusive of the relevant U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, and Department of State regulations and policies to facilitate understanding and compliance.

The following information explains the different categories in which scholars and researchers can be brought to the university.  The links on the side will take you to pages that provide information on the processes involved and the documentation needed.

In brief, the most common categories that may be used by foreign nationals at Wichita State are the following:

H-1B Employee
  • Appropriate for specialty occupations such as: tenure-track faculty, permanent research positions, permanent lecturers, and other specialized occupations
  • At this time, the University has placed the process for sponsoring H-1B petitions and renewals on hold considering the recent federal administrative changes. The unexpected fee increase has required us to pause and reassess the feasibility of such sponsorships. We are working to establish an updated process and guidelines to evaluate those impacts. We will update this site when we have further information to share.
J-1 
Green Card (Permanent Residency)
  • Immigrant status
  • For permanent employment

Wichita State Permanent Residency Application Process

Step 1:  Initiation of Lawful Permanent Residence Form Completion - Applicant

The permanent residency applicant completes the Employee Information section of the Initiation of Lawful Permanent Residence Form.  The applicant sends the Initiation of Lawful Permanent Residence Form by email to the sponsoring department.

Step 2:  Initiation of Lawful Permanent Residence Form Completion - Sponsoring Department

After the applicant completes the Employee Information section, the sponsoring department completes the Department Information Section and the Information Regarding Teaching Positions section (if applicable).

Step 3:  Required Internal Approvals

The sponsoring department must submit the Initiation of Lawful Permanent Residence Form to the following offices for review and signature:

  • Director or Department Chair
  • Vice President or Dean
  • Office of the Provost

Upon approval by all required parties, the Office of the Provost sends all paperwork to WSU's outside legal counsel.

Additional Resources

WSU Policy 3.32 LCA/PERM Notices Form I-9 Acceptable Documents

Revised:  07/18/2025 NH