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Foreign National Hiring Process

All foreign nationals who are offered employment by UWF must have employment authorization typically in the form of an employment-based visa before they can begin work. Christine Niemann Dillard, Director in Human Resources, serves as the liaison between the foreign national; the hiring department/college; Provost Office; the UWF General Counsel's Office; and Fragomen Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP. Christine collaborates with all parties on the complex immigration processes of sponsoring both temporary employment-based work visas (ex: H-1B) and Green Cards (Permanent Residency Cards) for foreign national employees. Departments interested in hiring a foreign national should consult with Christine Niemann Dillard by calling 850.474.2508.

F-1 or J-1 Visas - Student Employees

Departments requesting permission to hire an F-1 or J-1 student must submit an F-1 and J-1 Student Employment Form in order to begin the hiring process. All individuals working in the United States must have a valid Social Security number/card. Social Security numbers are used to report wages to the government.

It is the student's responsibility to contact the International Affairs office to obtain a Social Security card application, if required. If necessary, the student will need to visit the Social Security Administration office in downtown Pensacola before they may continue the hiring process. After a hiring department has notified Human Resources of their intent to hire an F-1 or J-1 student, HR will contact the student to begin the hiring process. This process includes collecting their New Hire Essential Documents. Once the student has received their Social Security card, or if they already had one, they will need to make an appointment with Human Resources to complete the paperwork by replying to the assigned HR Team Member via email.

Departments, please review and follow the entire F-1 and J-1 Student Employment business process in Confluence. Additional information can also be found on Human Resources' Student Employment web page. Departments should never allow an F-1 or J-1 student to start work until they have received authorization from Human Resources.

International students may not customarily work more than 20 hours per week (all jobs combined) during the Spring and Fall semesters. However, they may be eligible to work additional hours per week during the Summer and semester breaks. (Note: UWF does not allow students to work 1.0 FTE and remain in a student position.)

H-1B Visas (Specialty Occupations)

H-1B visas are for the purpose of hiring temporary (nonimmigrant) foreign nationals to work in a specialty occupation that requires:

  • theoretical and practical application of a highly specialized body of knowledge, and
  • minimum bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in the specific occupational specialty.

Time is of the essence in employment-based sponsorship. Normal processing can take anywhere from 6-8 months from date of filing. Premium processing can be requested for an additional fee and may expedite processing to about 15 days from date of filing. H-1B transfers and extensions can be completed in a shorter amount of time.

Employment-based sponsorship will be considered for all faculty positions and will be designated in the job posting. Employment-based sponsorship for University Work Force staff positions is customarily not considered and any request for an exception would be reviewed only under specific operational and recruitment/market circumstances for a highly specialized occupation/position, as determined by Human Resources. As soon as an offer of employment is made to an individual who will need sponsorship, hiring managers should notify Christine Niemann Dillard in Human Resources. Christine serves as the liaison between the foreign national; the hiring department/college; Provost Office; the UWF General Counsel's Office; and Fragomen Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP. UWF retains Fragomen to handle and file all non-immigrant and immigrant employment based sponsorship cases on our behalf. Fragomen is recognized as a leading immigration law firm, and immigration is their only practice. UWF does not permit the utilization of outside counsel for employment-based immigration sponsorship other than Fragomen.

The employer is required to pay the USCIS filing fees and associated attorney fees. These fees vary based on individual circumstances.