(Remote) Immigration Specialist - Global Affairs

The Office of Global Affairs at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for an Immigration Specialist.

About the Opportunity

The Immigration Specialist will work for the Office of Global Affairs in its International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS). The Immigration Specialist reinforces the mission of the Office of Global Affairs through the provision of specialized immigration advice and assistance, which includes assisting international students, exchange visitors, faculty, and their dependents in obtaining and maintaining lawful non-immigrant status (e.g. J-1, H-1B, and others). This includes extensions, renewals, transfers and permanent resident sponsorship. In addition, this position applies technical knowledge to identify issues relating to employment law, policies, and procedures as they relate to foreign nationals, and coordinates communication about these issues to sponsoring departments, administration, WVU partner offices, employees, and others. This position is located within the Office of Global Affairs and reports to the Associate Director of International Scholars Services.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week 
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you’re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family’s, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6%25 employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ’s.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

• Provides guidance and consultative support to international faculty, staff, postdoctoral students, and sponsoring departments on compliance issues, and reaches out to appropriate offices, such as Human Resources, on matters including visa adjustments, state maintenance, authorized travel, employment questions, transfers, changes of status, travel and re-entry into the country.
• Serves as a liaison between ISSS, human resources, sponsoring departments, international faculty, staff, postdoctoral students, and external immigration attorneys on immigration related matters.
• Advises human resources and the sponsoring department on special issues concerning the hiring of foreign nationals as it relates to both non-immigrant and immigrant status.
• Provides guidance and consultative support to sponsoring departments in the preparation, processing, and maintenance of documents in support of immigration sponsorship requests for J-1, H-1B, and permanent residence applications. Reviews and ensures that immigration sponsorship applications are submitted to ISSS in an accurate and timely manner.
• Ensures sponsoring departments maintain compliance with ISSS interpretation of federal immigration regulations and institutional policies and provides notification of any emergent immigration compliance concerns. 
• Interacts with various government agencies to obtain information and clarification on federal rules and regulations.
• Assists in developing and updating written materials outlining federal and university policies, procedures, and processes regarding immigration laws and regulations. Design and deliver presentations on said policies, procedures, and processes.
• Ensures proper administration and compliance with relevant rules and regulations pertaining to international faculty, staff, and postdoctoral students engaged in university related academic and/or research activity.
• Assists in the preparation of reports including statistical data on international faculty, staff and scholars, audits, and onsite reviews as required.
• Other tasks as assigned.

• Master’s Degree in Political Sciences, International Studies, Foreign Languages, History, or a related field is required.
• A minimum of one (1) year of experience in the following:
  • Immigration specialist, or other related position with a focus on facilitating immigration processes and procedures with in-house and outside immigration professionals; preferably in a university setting.
  • Working with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regulations governing non-immigrant students and or/foreign workers.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• An understanding of employment immigration as it relates to J-1 and H-1B non-immigrant visas, permanent residency sponsorship, and the hiring of foreign nationals in the U.S.
• Ability to interpret immigration, labor, and other international oriented regulations to assess their impact on university compliance.
• Basic knowledge of applicable university infrastructure, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to communicate in a cross-cultural environment with sensitivity to the diversity and complexity of international scholar and employee issues and concerns.
• Ability to coordinate with academic and non-academic offices.
• Ability to use sound judgment and advise faculty and students on immigration regulations and process relevant forms.
• Competency in both oral and written English to communicate in a clear and concise manner.
• Detail oriented and superior multitasking, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize numerous assignments to ensure tasks are completed in a timely fashion.
• High comfort level with working autonomously and under pressure.
• Strong computer skills; proficiency in Microsoft Office software.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in a post-secondary institution or similar sized organization.
• Experience working with international students, faculty and/or staff.

Requirements 

• U.S. Citizenship and/or Permanent Residency is required to access the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which applies to the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program.