Outstanding Researcher

Overview:

One pathway to permanent residence is call "Outstanding Researcher". The documentation and evidence submitted for this type of petition must show that the foreign worker is well-recognized internationally as an outstanding researcher in the field of endeavor. Although a foreign worker must be employed at the University of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas does not need to file a Labor Certification for the Outstanding Researcher petition.

Minimum Qualifications:

The outstanding research petition requires that the foreign worker becurrently employed in a permanent position such as a tenured or tenured track position OR a position in which the department intends to employ the worker for the foreseeable future. The position cannot have a specified end date and cannot be seasonal or intermittent. The foreign worker must also have at least three years of experience in research in the academic field.

  1. Evidence that the foreign worked meets the minimum qualifications
    1. Letter from the University of Arkansas department head that indicates that the position is tenure track or that employment is for the foreseeable future, date of hire, current salary, job duties, and support for the outstanding research petition.
    2. Letter from former employers, if employment at the University of Arkansas is less than three years, shall include the name, address, and title of the writer, specific description of the duties performed by the foreign worker, and the actual beginning and ending dates of employment. Employment during the time of obtaining an advanced degree will only be acceptable if the foreign worker has acquired the degree and the research conducted toward the degree has been recognized within the academic field as outstanding.
  2. Evidence that the foreign worker is recognized internationally as outstanding in the academic field specified in the petition. Such evidence shall consist of at least two of the following:
    1. Documentation of the receipt of major prizes or awards for outstanding achievement in the academic field.
    2. Documentation of membership in associations in the academic field which require outstanding achievements of their members.
    3. Published material in professional publications written by others about the foreign worker's research in the academic field. Such materials must include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation.
    4. Evidence of 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 original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the academic field (refer to example of expert letters), or
    6. List of authorship of scholarly books or articles (in scholarly journals with international circulation) in the academic field. The evidence MUST include impact ratings for the journals that published the articles over the past 3 years. The impact factors are listed in the printed Journal Citation Reports which are kept at the reference desk in Mullins.

Additional documents needed from the foreign worker for the petition:

  1. Copy of current resume.
  2. Copy of identification page and expiration of passport for worker and dependents (including U.S. citizen spouse and children)
  3. Copy of current I-94, visa, immigration documents
  4. Copy of degree confirmations and transcripts for all degrees
    1. Original language
    2. English translation if needed
    3. U.S. equivalency if highest degree is not from U.S.
  5. Copy of the original letter of offer from your current department
  6. Supplemental document with the following information
    1. Current residential address in the U.S.
    2. Day time phone number and email address
    3. Current social security number
    4. City, state/province/region and country of birth
    5. Country of last residence outside the United States
    6. Former Address in home country
  7. I-140 petition fee