The Immigration Request Form is the first step in determining the appropriate visa status for a Notre Dame international visitor, researcher, or employee.
ISSA is the only office with the authority to recommend the appropriate immigration status, and the recommendation is based on elements of the visit or appointment :
- The program dates (or length of visit/appointment)
- The primary purpose of the the visit/appointment
- The source of funding for the visit/appointment
Please note that regardless of the type of position, a recommendation emailed by ISSA will need to be presented in all hiring packets or when an invitation letter must be issued. It must be submitted for all appointments and reappointments.
The IRF can generally be completed in less than 10 minutes, and it asks for the following information about the scholar/employee:
- Scholar/Employee Appointment Information (Dates, Position Title, Primary Purpose of Visit)
- Department/Unit Contact Information
- 5 Year U.S. Immigration History (current immigration status, if applicable)
- Any additional comments or information (preferred status, etc)
All of this information is essential for us to make an accurate recommendation for the scholar/employees status while at Notre Dame. Failing to provide all of this information may impact the accuracy of the recommendation and may negatively impact the scholar/employees future entries to the U.S. and petitions with the U.S government.
As noted on the top of the form, only Notre Dame department administrators or faculty should complete this request form. The prospective scholar/employee cannot submit the IRF on behalf of themselves.
Scholar / Employee’s Immigration History
When the IRF asks for the prospective scholar/employees immigration history, there are two options for reporting this information:
- The department/unit administrator collects the information and enters it in the IRF.
- The department/unit administrator sends a link (embedded in the IRF) to the scholar/employee for them to enter the information themselves.
If the department chooses to send the link to the appointee to complete the immigration history, the department administrator completing the form is still required to complete the rest of the sections and submit the IRF.
Regardless of how the immigration history is submitted, we will need documentation as evidence of the status.
For example:
- If the foreign national is in J-1 status, please include all DS-2019s.
- If the foreign national is here in H-1B status, please provide a copy of the I-797 approval notice.
- If the foreign national is currently in F-1 Status with OPT, please provide a copy of their I-765 approval notice/EAD card.
If there is a preferred status (e.g. H-1B or TN) that can be indicated in the final comments section of the form.
Timeline and Next Steps
Once the department submits the Immigration Request Form, please allow up to 5 business days for the request to be reviewed. Once reviewed by our office, we will send an email with the recommended visa type to the administrator email address provided in the request form. We will also provide the next steps and whether to reach out to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs or the Office of the Provost for the visa type that is recommended.
Additional Notes
Please provide an answer for all questions, if a question does not apply, please answer N/A.
If you are uncertain how to answer any of the questions, feel free to reach out to us with any questions before submitting the form.