VISA Sponsorship

Information on Visa Sponsorship

In support of Hamilton’s institutional commitment to maintaining diverse faculty and staff and to attract and retain top talent. Hamilton offers financial assistance with specific immigration processing costs for tenure track, visiting faculty, and teaching fellows.  Below are guidelines related to visa sponsorship with the College. 

• The faculty member is responsible for monitoring deadlines and notifying Human Resources in a timely manner for assistance in acquiring the appropriate visa to authorize their employment.
• Human Resources will provide administrative support and assist with managing the visa application process for all faculty members and staff.  Human Resources is directly responsible for the administration of J1 and TN visas.  For questions related to the visa sponsorship process please contact:

Michael Thayer, SPHR
(315) 859-4302
mtthayer@hamilton.edu

• To help you understand the immigration process and costs for H1B and Permanent Resident Visas, candidates to whom faculty appointments have been offered are encouraged to schedule a telephone appointment to discuss the immigration process with the firm that Hamilton partners with to process visas:

Curran & Berger LLP
(413) 584-3232
billing@curranberger.com

• Please Note:  Before approval of an H-1B visa, the College will consult with its immigration attorneys to review the case, and be sure that the College, the Department and the individual are well informed about the visa category, and possibility of future visas if the position continues.
• Individuals hired on a one or two-year contract who require a working visa will be offered a J-1 visa through the College's exchange visitor program.  Depending upon the circumstances, individuals with renewable 2-year contracts, or in rare cases those with temporary positions, may petition the Dean of Faculty's office for an H-1B visa. 
• The College will pay for initial J1 visa processing and renewal fees.  For H1B visas, the college will pay for all costs associated with the H-1B, including H1-B extensions. 

• To comply with the U.S. Department of Labor regulations, the amount paid will cover at least the DOL-related costs, known as the PERM Labor Certification. In addition, Hamilton will cover 100% of the total employee related costs for Permanent Residents.   

• If needed, to ensure timely processing of visa work authorizations, the College will cover H-1b and/or Permanent Resident premium processing fees.
• All costs for the Permanent Resident Alien process will be billed to the College by the attorney, and the individual's share of the cost must be paid to the College within a reasonable amount of time as managed by the Business Office.