Lawful Permanent Residence (PR) Information

There are multiple options when applying for US lawful permanent resident status in US. The following information is intended for University of Missouri-Columbia faculty and researchers and its focus is on employment-based permanent residence application.

ISSS (International Student and Scholar Services) will provide assistance only to tenured/tenure-track and non-tenure faculty or researchers that are:

1. eligible under the provisions for EB-2 employment-based preference category for members of the professions holding advanced degrees and
2. eligible under Department of Labor criteria for "optional special recruitment and documentation procedures for college and university teachers"

The Scholar Coordinator will schedule appointments and meet with non-immigrant faculty interested in applying for permanent residency. The main purpose of these appointments will be to determine whether the individual qualifies for an EB-2 permanent residency application.

ISSS is not able to assess if the individual qualifies for an EB-1 (extraordinary ability or outstanding researcher), for an EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) petition or for a family based petition. Faculty and researchers seeking permanent residency through any of these other employment-based or family-based options will be referred to one of the attorneys authorized by the General Counsel’s office. A complete list of these attorneys could be found on the International Center’s website.

Please refer to the MU Sponsorship and Employment-Based Permanent Residence policy for more information.

After the initial meeting with the faculty member, the department that would like to employ ISSS in filing an application for permanent residency for this individual should fill out the Department Recommendation for PR Petition Processing . ISSS will review the form and contact the department to discuss the following steps necessary in the process. Please review the links below for more information regarding the process.

• Overview of Employment-Based Permanent Residency Application - ISSS responsibilities
• Information for departments recruiting and expecting international candidates as part of the applicant pool - Recruitment information for permanent positions which include teaching components
• Step1: Permanent Labor Certification - Information and checklists for departments and beneficiary
• Step 2: I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker - Information and checklist for departments and beneficiary

Please contact Miha Britt at brittm@missouri.edu with any questions regarding Permanent Residency applications.