Permanent Residence

Permanent Residence Based On Employment

The IU-Bloomington Office of International Services (OIS) provides permanent residence advising to IU departments and their employees including:

  • Determining the most appropriate route to pursue for permanent residency.

  • Providing instructions on how to proceed.

  • Facilitating the process of engaging outside legal counsel when necessary through approved mechanisms.

Full assistance with the immigrant process is provided by OIS for teaching faculty where actual classroom teaching is involved and for employees who qualify as Outstanding Researchers or Professors.

Teaching faculty positions can become eligible for a unique permanent residence pathway. Departments hiring teaching faculty should review our guidance for posting the open position. If you qualify as a teaching faculty, it is very important that you initiate your permanent resident process with OIS within 15 months of receiving the offer letter for your faculty position.

For most other positions, IU policies require that you be employed at the University for at least one year before qualifying for sponsorship for permanent residence.

For academic and professional positions with no required classroom responsibility, the position must be considered permanent with at least three years of secure funding to be eligible for IU employment-based permanent residence. Positions designated “post-doctoral” are not considered permanent positions.

To initiate the permanent resident process on your behalf, your department contact will first need to request access to Atlas. Then they will complete the e-form request for permanent residence from the Atlas portal.

Scholars are free to submit their own self-petitioned cases for permanent residence including National Interest Waiver and Alien of Extraordinary Ability without the assistance or oversight of IU.

Permanent Residence Based on "Marriage to a U.S. Citizen"

If you marry a U.S. citizen, you may be eligible to apply to become a permanent resident and get a green card.

You will apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. You may prepare your application before you get married, but you must provide proof of your marriage as part of the application process.

The application for permanent residence based on marriage has many components. This application is a self-petition. OIS can provide general information to you about the process.

Process to Apply

Permanent residence via marriage is a complicated subject. OIS will explain some of the details to you.

See questions and answers