To provide guidelines for sponsoring benefits-eligible staff who are foreign nationals for permanent residency.

The University does not sponsor staff employees to obtain permanent residency.  Under extraordinary circumstances, University Human Resources Management (UHRM) Employment Services may make limited exceptions to this policy as defined below.

Guidelines:

1. UHRM Employment Services will approve exceptions for permanent residency when all the following conditions are met:
   • The  uniqueness  of  the  position  (exempt-level  positions  only)  makes  it difficult to recruit for;
   • The foreign national has been employed for at least four years (i.e., completed four years) in his/her current job and unit job title; and
   • There is sufficient justification that the proposed foreign national is uniquely qualified through experience, skill, and background for the position.
2. If one or more of the above conditions is not met, UHRM Employment Services will approve exceptions to sponsoring permanent residency only if endorsed in writing by the responsible Dean or by the Vice President for Research and Argonne National Laboratory.
3. A staff member interested in requesting an exception to the policy not to sponsor staff members for permanent residency should first contact his/her department human resource administrator.  The human resource administrator should then follow guidelines (1) and (2) above to request approval for an exception and send that request to UHRM Employment Services for consideration.
4. The decision to pursue permanent residency for an employee is dependent on the interests of the University and will not be pursued solely for the benefit of the employee.
5. Privately retained attorneys do not have authority to represent the University in such matters unless the Office of Legal Counsel authorizes them.    
6. No department or individual should promise a current or prospective employee that the University will obtain permanent residency on his/her behalf. After the University has decided to sponsor an individual, the petitioning process is lengthy and the final decision to grant the permanent residency must be made by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.  It is never a certainty that the permanent residency will be approved.
7. All costs associated with this process will be borne by the employee except costs the employer is required to pay by law.