Outstanding Professor and Researcher Information Packet
Information for Academic Departments
Sponsoring a Foreign Professor or Researcher
for U.S. Permanent Residence Status
I. Eligibility
1
II. Application Procedure
2
III. Requesting Letters of Support
6
IV. For letter writers—Effective Language for Support Letters
8
V. Sample Letter from Department Chair
11
VI. Sample Table of Contents
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University of California, Davis
Services for International Students and Scholars
Rev. 3/2014
http://siss.ucdavis.edu
530.752.0864
OUTSTANDING PROFESSORS AND RESEARCHERS
The Immigration Act of 1990 created a special program for qualified foreign nationals to gain permanent residence. This
program does not require the approval of the Department of Labor. Because an individual submits an application directly to
the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), permanent resident status may be gained much more quickly than
under the alternative systems. Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) will file this application for qualified
individuals holding permanent academic positions.
I. ELIGIBILITY
Individuals who:
I)
Have been offered full-time, tenured or tenure track faculty or full-time, permanent research appointments
at UC Davis
II) Have at least three years of teaching or research experience in their field of endeavor, and
III) Are recognized internationally as outstanding in their field
may qualify for U.S. permanent resident status as an Outstanding Professor or Researcher.
Eligibility for this category is established by submitting to USCIS a permanent visa petition (Form I-140) along with
documentary evidence that the individual qualifies for the classification. For the third requirement of international
recognition as outstanding, the evidence must include at least two, but as many as possible, of the following:

Documentation of the scholar's receipt of major international prizes or awards for outstanding achievement
in the academic field;

Documentation of the scholar's membership is associations in the academic field that require outstanding
achievements of their members;

Published material in professional publications written by others about the scholar'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 scholar's participation on a panel, or individually, as the judge of the work of others in the
same or an allied academic field;

Evidence of the scholar's original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the academic field; or

Evidence of the scholar's authorship of scholarly books or articles (in scholarly journals with international
circulation) in the academic field.
ALL petitions must include evidence that the scholar has at least three years of experience in teaching and/or research
in the academic field. Experience in teaching or research while working on an advanced degree will only be acceptable
if the scholar has already acquired the degree, if the teaching duties were such that he or she had full responsibility for
the class taught, or if the research conducted during the degree program is what has been recognized within the
academic field as outstanding. Such evidence shall be in the form of letter(s) from current or former employer(s) and
shall include the name, address, and title of the writer, and a specific description of the duties performed by the scholar,
plus if the individual must utilize research experience gained during the degree program, letters of opinion of recognized
experts regarding the outstanding recognition accorded the research.
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II. APPLICATION PROCEDURE
STEP 1: Department request and initial meeting.
The department should contact SISS and complete the “Department Request Form” for permanent residence
as an “outstanding professor/researcher.” Upon receipt of the Department Request Form, SISS will schedule
the scholar and department contact for a meeting. Faculty sponsors are welcome to attend as well.
At the initial meeting, SISS will go over the legal criteria for the Outstanding Professor/Researcher category and
provide information and guidance for the department and scholar in exploring the option of permanent
residency and also considering other visa options. We will discuss the documentation required and what
documentation may be available regarding the scholar’s qualifications. Ultimately, SISS must review the
documentation gathered to make a final determination regarding whether it is approvable and whether it should
be submitted to USCIS.
SISS may recommend to the department and scholar to wait until a later time to apply for permanent residency
for the scholar. If the doctoral degree is recently obtained, if the scholar has few significant publications and
fewer as first author, if letters cannot be obtained outside of the scholar’s immediate educational and
supervisory contacts, etc., waiting the additional years to file for permanent residency may be beneficial to all
concerned, especially if the scholar has a number of years still available on an H-1B temporary working visa.
STEP 2: Department assembles supporting documentation for I-140 petition.
Supporting documentation includes
the following:
A. Curriculum Vitae
B. Copies of degree(s) — If the Ph.D. diploma is in a language other than English or Latin, it must be
accompanied with a certified translation. The translation should be accompanied by the following:
“I, (name of translator), certify that I am fluent in the English and (language of diploma) languages, and
that the above/attached document is an accurate translation of the document attached entitled (title of
diploma).” Signature, printed name and address, and date.
C. Evidence of published articles with international circulation — Submit a list of publications and
photocopies of two or three entire articles, particularly those published in top-ranked journals and where the
scholar’s name is listed FIRST or LAST. Also submit a photocopy of cover (title) page of each article listed.
D. Evidence of published material in professional publications written by others — Submit photocopies of
cover pages from publications and pages where the scholar’s name appears— citations of scholar’s work by
themselves are not sufficient—articles must specifically discuss the scholar’s work. If this initial hurdle is met, then
include Science Citation Index Citations information where possible.
E. Presentations at academic meetings — Submit list of presentations and include date and place, photocopies
of invitations, lists of speakers or other evidence.
F. Applicant’s participation in activity judging the work of others in the academic field — must provide
evidence of activity, such as:

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

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Copies of requests from editors who asked that you review an article for a scholarly journal, or memos
confirming participation as a reviewer
Copies of conference publications which show your participation as an organizer or reviewer
Copies of documents that indicate committee assignments for professional associations in the field
Copies of documents proving that you have been a reviewer for grant proposals (i.e. USDA, NSF)
Any other evidence which indicates that other people in the field are seeking your opinion.
G. Honors and awards (including competitive grants) — Submit photocopies of award letters, certificates,
along with documentation of the international significance of the award.
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H. Membership in professional organizations — Submit documentation of, and requirements for, membership
only for those associations that require outstanding achievement for membership.
I. Expert Opinion letters — Support letters from other recognized leaders in the field attesting to the applicant’s
original scientific or scholarly research contributions. (6 to 8 letters recommended—at least three should be from
outside the United States.) See the Sample Request for Letters of Support included in this packet. NOTE: Please
do not request letters until SISS has assessed that the scholar qualifies for the Outstanding
Researcher/Professor category. Please ask letter writers to send their letters electronically.
J. Evidence of three years of experience in the academic field — This is needed from another employer only
when the individual has less than three years of experience at UC Davis, and may be part of one of the above
letters of support. A separate category is necessary only when it is not clear from the other evidence submitted.
K. Employment Support Letter — Support letter from department chair. This letter should both confirm
permanent employment and provide a strong recommendation for permanent residence (i.e. must discuss
applicants qualifications, experience and standing in the field). This letter should be prepared after all other
documents are obtained so that it can fully discuss the content of the application packet.
STEP 3: Department submits draft of materials—including a draft of the Form I-140—to SISS for review.
STEP 4: Department submits the final documentation to SISS, including:
1. Packet of supporting documentation in DUPLICATE. Keep one additional copy for department files.
2. Form I-140 (See attached example).
3. Check for $580 payable to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Format for petition
The application package is to be prepared with a two-hole punch at the top, “Acco type” fasteners,
and dividers, tabbed at the bottom with only numbers corresponding the table of contents (see
sample, p. 13), separating the supporting documentation into category numbers as listed on the
sample table of contents. The attached table of contents sample is meant to be a guide.
Ultimately it is best to organize both the actual table of contents and the actual supporting
documentation by order of strength—strongest evidence first, weakest in the middle toward the
end, ending with something rather strong.
Please do not type or write on original documentation such as support letters, including numbering, etc., as we may
not use all documents submitted, or may need to change the order of the documents. Horizontal documents should
be organized so that the bottom of the document is to the right, to facilitate ease in review. All pages should be
single-sided and 8½ x 11 inches.
All documents submitted must have some proof of applicability to the professor or researcher – USCIS will not do any
research for us! Highlighting should be used to indicate sections of published materials that are “about” the professor
or researcher. For Science Citation indexes, please be certain that the reference at the top includes the name of the
article and the name of our professor/researcher and include the cites to all the articles citing our
professor/researcher’s published material.
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Filing Fee
With the final package, the department should also submit a check to “DHS” for the USCIS filing fee of $580.00.
Instructions for Requesting a Check in Kuali
1. In the Payee Lookup drop down menu for the Kuali Disbursement Voucher, use “IMM” for “Immigration Visa Fee
Processing for the Payment Reason Code.”
2. Enter Vendor # 183156, click search.
3. Click on the return value for the “US Department of Homeland Security.” This will populate the addresses for the
various service centers. Click the appropriate city and state under “US Department of Homeland Security,” based on
the type of petition you are requesting. Please see the chart below.
4. Check the “Special Handling” box and enter instructions for mailing the check to your department in the “Special
Handling” tab at the bottom of the page. Be sure to have the check sent to your department, to be delivered to SISS.
These checks should never be sent directly to US Department of Homeland Security.
5. For questions regarding using the Kuali system, please contact the Kuali Help Desk at 530-752-3855.
6. For questions regarding the type of immigration petition that will be filed, please contact an international scholar
advisor at SISS (530-752-0864, extension 0)
When using the Kuali system, please be sure to match the type of request with the correct US Department of
Homeland Security address, as there are several listed in Kuali. For an H-1B extension request, please see the table
below:
Petition Type
Permanent Residence (regular processing)
Permanent Residence with premium processing
Address to Select from
Kuali Menu
US Department of Homeland Security
Lewisville, TX
US Department of Homeland Security
Lincoln, NE
STEP 5:
SISS finalizes and submits the petition to USCIS and monitors its progress.
STEP 6:
Scholar files an application with USCIS to adjust status to legal permanent resident.
The adjustment of status (AOS) application (Form I-485) can be submitted to USCIS either concurrently* with the I-140
visa petition, or after it is approved.
*SISS will notify the department once the official USCIS I-140 receipt arrives and will provide a copy so that the
scholar can include it with their I-485 application with a specific request for “I-140/I-485 Concurrent Processing.”
The sponsored professor or researcher, the sponsoring department and SISS share the responsibility throughout the
permanent residence application process to work together to monitor and maintain the individual’s employment
eligibility, temporary visa status, and eligibility to travel outside the U.S. and reenter the country.
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III. REQUESTING LETTERS OF SUPPORT
Obtain letters from experts in the field

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


Best if can obtain letters from people who are themselves quite expert in the academic or related field – peers and
above.
Best to obtain a number of non-UC Davis letters plus at least a few non-U.S. university or other expert letters.
The sources of most of the letters themselves should demonstrate the international recognition of the candidate.
Some of the letters should come from people who have encountered the candidate professionally, through their
work, presentations, articles, conferences, and collaborations, not just former supervisors (though these letters are
key as well), co-workers, faculty mentors, etc.
Please ask letter writes to send their letters electronically (saved in Word file) via e-mail attachment.
Sample Letter Requesting Letter of Support
(To be printed on department letterhead)
Date
Dear____________:
The University of California, Davis is in the process of sponsoring Dr.
for U.S. permanent resident status
based on his/her appointment as
with the UC Davis Department of
. We are filing a petition with
the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to classify Dr.___________ as an “Outstanding
Professor/Researcher.” To qualify for the Outstanding Professor or Researcher category, evidence must be
presented that the individual is already recognized internationally as outstanding in his or her field.
We would like to request a letter from you in support of our petition on behalf of Dr. _________. We must
document his/her eligibility for the Outstanding Professor/Researcher classification, and your letter will assist us in
documenting the major original scientific or scholarly research contributions Dr.________has made to the field of
_________ and that s/he is recognized internationally as outstanding.
Please address your letter to Dr. _________________, Chair, UC Davis Department of
. Briefly state
your own credentials, including major honors/awards/publications/titles, etc. and your specific area of expertise to
establish your ability to review and evaluate his/her research contributions. Describe how you know Dr.
and his/her work, particularly if you have become familiar with Dr. ___________ ‘s work through reputation,
conferences, and articles, rather than having worked directly with him/her at the same institution. Please be sure
to discuss specifically why you consider Dr. _______ to be outstanding and particularly, why s/he is already
recognized internationally in his/her field.
It is especially important to include comments on the major significance, the implications, originality and the
applications of his/her research to the field of _______. If you also have particular knowledge of Dr.
______________’s authorship of scholarly articles in prestigious internationally circulated journals and/or
significant presentations at academic symposia and meetings, please discuss these as well.
Please leave out typical “appointment letter” language that is too “average” sounding or that is too personality
related. Characterizing an individual as “pleasant,” “unassuming,” “competent,” “well-trained,” and especially
“has potential” or his/her research “may” lead to important breakthroughs, could lead USCIS to think that this
person is not really already outstanding. Likewise “talented” and “productive” are not helpful, unless
accompanied by specific details explaining or documenting just how extraordinarily talented and productive
s/he is with respect to his/her research or teaching. We have attached a copy of a document entitled
“Effective Language for Support Letters” geared toward this particular immigration petition, which may assist
you in writing a letter of support.
Once you have a draft of your letter, please send it to us via e-mail attachment (we prefer WORD file). Our
University Immigration Specialists will review it and as appropriate, they will provide additional ideas and
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suggestions to fit it within the USCIS requirements for this particular petition. We greatly appreciate your
assistance to us and your support of UC Davis and Dr.
. Please feel free to contact me if you have any
questions.
Sincerely,
Department Chair Signature and Title
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IV. FOR LETTER WRITERS—EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE FOR SUPPORT LETTERS
Your letter is very important to UC Davis. To make it most effective, please remember it is directed toward meeting very
specific USCIS regulatory requirements, and is quite different from the normal appointment support letter. To this end, we
make the following suggestions to assist you:
A. Remember throughout that the purpose of your letter is to prove that the scholar is already “internationally
recognized as outstanding in his/her field.”
B. Author of letter should include explanation of own expertise
Author should explain his/her own qualifications to write the letter. The author should explain how s/he has many
years of expertise, recognition, awards, published articles, international recognition, etc. in the field – toot your own
horn!
Things to include:

Your years of expertise

Recognition received: awards, published articles, editorships, reviews of peer articles and grants, your own overall
international recognition in the field

If you have encountered the “outstanding professor/researcher “candidate professionally, through his/her work,
presentations, articles, conferences, collaborations, please so state, as this demonstrates that s/he is truly
internationally known. Unlike an appointment letter, familiarity with the candidate through having been a former
supervisor, co-worker or faculty mentor of the candidate is actually less helpful with respect to international
acclaim – so if that is the case, try to discuss how s/he is recognized internationally by other luminaries in your
field.
C. Explain technical language and use authoritative “layperson” language whenever possible as it is directed
toward an USCIS examiner

Must assume USCIS examiner reading letter has absolutely no knowledge or understanding of the academic field,
nor of much common university terminology

Make it sound authoritative yet then explain the scientific or scholarly terminology in a manner understandable to
someone outside the field

What does that outstanding achievement or contribution mean to the general populace? I.e. -- you may easily
understand the significance of “biofilm systems” and “the biological phosphorus removal and bioaugmentation via
gene transfer in sequencing batch reactor technology.” However, I had only a vague idea of what that meant, until
reading the accompanying explanation: “A principal aim of his research is to apply natural principles of gene
transfer to wastewater treatment in an effort to facilitate rapid degradation of hazardous compounds.” Together,
the two descriptions sound authoritative and also make sense to an USCIS examiner.
D. Include as many of the following USCIS categories for documenting international recognition as possible
which are applicable to this scholar, though the first category (contributions) is most important for support
letters:

Describe the scholar’s original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the field – this section should form
the heart of your letter:
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How is the research internationally significant/acclaimed? How is it original? Unique? Exceptional?
Groundbreaking? Is this scholar the only one or one of the few that is involved in this work? How will it
contribute to the national/international well-being? Is s/he a leader internationally in the field? Most important:
describe how these contributions are internationally recognized as outstanding. This section may be the only one
you personally discuss in your letter – which is perfectly acceptable.

Authorship of scholarly articles or books
What is remarkable/extraordinary about the scholar’s articles or books? Are they published in internationally
recognized journals? Very prestigious or leading journals? Have they received rave reviews? International
acclaim? If you know, is participation of the professor/researcher in articles significant (first author in a number of
articles, collaborated with #1 scholar in the field)?

Presentations at academic symposia and scientific meetings by scholar
Discuss memorable or exceptional presentations of professor/researcher of which you have knowledge or in which
you collaborated with the professor/researcher – particularly those made to an international audience. Discuss the
significance of particularly prestigious meetings, symposia, conferences, etc. instead of just listing them.

Participation as the judge of the work of others
If you are familiar with this work, particularly if you solicited the participation of the professor/researcher, this work
should be described if it tends to support the claim of “outstanding.” Describe the prestige of the journal or
foundation whose articles or grants are being reviewed by the professor/researcher and the selection criteria to
become a reviewer at this level. It is much more significant, of course, if there are only a few other
editors/reviewers than a hundred or so.

Major international prizes and awards
If you are familiar with and have expertise related to a major international award or prize for outstanding
achievement received by the professor or researcher, you should explain the source of your own expertise and
explain the significance of the prize or award internationally.
E. Phrases and language to avoid, if possible:

Avoid using “common” recommendation or appointment letter language which tends to weaken letter, such as:
“she is pleasant, unassuming, productive, talented, etc.” Also please avoid language which indicates that the
scholar will be outstanding in the future, but not necessarily now “has potential,” “research may lead to advances,”
“just getting started in his/her career,” etc. Remember the purpose of this letter is to demonstrate that this person
is already quite “outstanding” and “internationally recognized” in her/his field.

Saying “I read/reviewed her/his CV” will tend to contradict our claim of international recognition

Don’t focus on or describe “non-outstanding” work – such as training, everyday stuff, non-scientific or scholarly
work contributions – it is not relevant and could weaken case

Try to be specific instead of vague and avoid speaking in generalities – give specific details to show you really
know what you are talking about – just saying someone is “an exceptional researcher” is meaningless, unless you
explain why s/he is exceptional.”

On the other hand, don’t be too specific unless it is helpful! Example: Stating professor’s contribution to article
was about 20%. In that case, just a listing of article and/or reference to its publication in a prestigious journal is
sufficient.

Only discuss awards or prizes that DO have international significance and recognition NOT awards from/within a
University that are awarded its own students and scholars – these have no international significance and will only
dilute the strength of the petition. Do discuss winning a Fulbright, a Mellon Sawyer fellowship, or equivalent
awards that are internationally recognized .. of course a Nobel prize would do, but is not required!
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V. SAMPLE LETTER FROM DEPARTMENT CHAIR
(To be printed on department letterhead)
Date
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Attn:
I-140 Unit
Employer:
Alien:
Application:
University of California, Davis
Dr. ______________
I-140 for Outstanding Professor/Researcher
I am writing in support of the University of California, Davis' petition for First Preference (Outstanding
Professor/Researcher) status for Dr.__________. Dr. ________has been appointed as a ____________ in the UC
Davis Department of _________ and will be receiving an annual salary of $_______. This is a full-time, permanent
position that he/she has held since __________________ .
Dr. _______is recognized internationally as a leading scholar in the area of ____________. He/she is uniquely
qualified for this faculty position.
[The chair's letter should explain in authoritative yet easily understandable (layperson) language why the
beneficiary of the petition qualifies for the outstanding professor/researcher category. Include descriptions of
his/her research contributions and explain the significance and implications of the research, including the
best quotes from some of the letters of recommendation, if applicable. Discuss the individual's unique
qualifications for the UC Davis position, his or her academic background and previous positions as
appropriate, but the heart of the letter should be a description of how the individual fits within the USCIS first
preference category – by discussing the individual’s international recognition and acclaim, and the specific
details of how s/he fits within the regulatory requirements through: original scientific or scholarly contributions
to the field, authorship of scholarly articles in internationally circulated journals, presentations at academic
symposia and meetings, participation in panels or individually as a judge of the work of peers, published
material about the work of the individual, nationally or internationally significant prizes or awards and/or
membership in associations which require outstanding accomplishments for election to membership.
When discussing each category of evidence, refer to the documentation that corroborates your claim. For
example, when discussing the individual’s original scientific or scholarly contributions, refer also to quotes from
the letters of experts regarding their opinions of the specifics of the individual’s contributions. Refer to the
other documentation submitted as well. Use your own expertise, such as when discussing the scholarly
articles published by the individual, discuss the journals that you know are particularly prestigious, the leading
international journal in the field, etc. Remember that the case will be decided on whether or not the person
qualifies to be considered outstanding based on USCIS criteria rather than how appropriate he or she is for the
UCD position. You are in a unique position of authority to describe the significance of the evidence and to tie it
all together.
Leave out language that is too “average” sounding or that weakens the case. Characterizing an individual as
“pleasant,” “unassuming,” “competent,” “well-trained” and “has potential” could lead USCIS to think that this
person is not really outstanding. Likewise “talented” and “productive” are not helpful, unless accompanied by
specific details documenting just how extraordinarily talented and productive s/he is with respect to his/her
research or teaching.]
In support for this petition for First Preference status, we are submitting the following evidence to establish Dr.
______’s eligibility for classification as an outstanding professor/researcher:



evidence of Dr._______’s original scholarly research contributions;
evidence of his/her authorship of scholarly articles/books
evidence of Dr. ________’s receipt of the prestigious ______prize;
(list only the particular
categories we will use)
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

evidence of Dr. ________’s service as judge of the work of others;
evidence of published materials by others about Dr. _______’s work.
I trust you will find these materials to be convincing evidence of Dr. ______’s outstanding research contributions and
international reputation and eligibility for classification as an Outstanding Professor/Researcher .
Sincerely,
Professor and Chair
Department of __________
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VI. SAMPLE TABLE OF CONTENTS
University of California, Davis
Outstanding Professor/Researcher I-140 Petition
Dr. ___________________
Table of Contents
1. Evidence of Original Scholarly/Scientific Contributions (expert opinion letters)
2. Evidence of Scholarly Articles with International Circulation
3. Evidence of Professional Presentations
4. Evidence of Judging the Work of Others
5. Evidence of Published Material in Professional Publications Written by Others
6. Honors and Awards
7. Membership in Professional Associations
8. Curriculum Vitae
9. Ph.D. Degree
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