To apply for an immigrant visa in the outstanding professor and researcher category, a U.S. employer such as a college, university or commercial company having an in-house research laboratory, petitions the INS on form I-140, attaching documentary evidence that establishes that:

• you are a full-time professional employee who holds an advanced degree;
• the school or department has achieved academic distinction in your field;
• the school or department employs at least three full-time researchers or teachers;
• the position is permanent (tenured or tenure track or subject to contract lasting more than 12 months);
• you have at least three years of full-time experience teaching or researching in this field; and
• you meet at least two of the six following criteria establishing that you are recognized internationally as outstanding in the academic field specified in the petition, such as:

1. Documentation of your receipt of major prizes or awards for outstanding achievement in the academic field;
2. Documentation of your membership in associations in the academic field that require outstanding achievements of their members;
3. Published material and professional publications written by others about your work in the academic field. Such material shall include the title, date, and author of the material and any necessary translation;
4. Evidence of your participation, either individually or on a panel, as the judge of the work of others in the same or an allied academic field;
5. Evidence of your original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the academic field; or
6. Evidence of your authorship of scholarly books or articles (in scholarly journals with international circulation) in the academic field.

We have a lot of experience in helping people qualify as outstanding professors or researchers for immigration purposes. For further information, contact us for a detailed consultation.