Outstanding Professor or Researcher (EB-1)
Introduction
EB-1 (Outstanding Professor or Researcher) is an employment-based preference category that PSU uses to sponsor individuals for Permanent Residence. This category is appropriate for a scholar at least several years past his or terminal degree and who has an exceptional record of scholarly achievement in his or her field, as evidenced by significant publication and research records. There is no labor certification required for this category, but sponsoring an individual using EB-1 requires extensive documentation.
Hiring departments should contact the International Faculty Advisor to discuss the sponsorship process and whether an individual meets the qualifications of the Outstanding Professor and Research category. The criteria and documentation requirements are listed below.
Qualifications
- Position must be a tenured or tenure-track teaching position OR a permanent research position in the area of expertise.
- The individual must possess at least three years’ experience in teaching or research in the academic field.
- Experience obtained while working on an advanced degree will only be acceptable if the degree has been obtained.
- Teaching experience is defined by having full responsibility for the class taught.
- Research must have been recognized as outstanding in the academic field.
- Experience must be documented by letters from current/former employers.
- The individual must be internationally recognized as outstanding in the academic field, as evidenced by at least three of the following:
- Receipt of major prizes or awards
- Membership in associations which require outstanding achievements of their members
- Published material in professional publications written by others about the alien’s work
- Serving as a judge of the work of others in the same or allied academic field
- Authorship of scholarly books/articles with international circulation
- Evidence of the alien’s original scientific or scholarly contributions to the field.
Criteria and Documentation for Qualifications
Evidence of three years experience:
- Must be documented by letters from current/former employers
- Must detail individual’s responsibilities and the period of employment
- Must include name, address, and title of writer
A. Receipt of major prizes or awards (used infrequently)
- Must be recognized as nationally or internationally prestigious
- Explanation of award’s significance should be included
- Postdoctoral fellowships do not qualify
- Student awards do not qualify unless they are internationally or nationally recognized
- Grant awards may be included depending on individual’s role in obtaining the grant
B. Membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements (used infrequently):
- Must require outstanding achievement either for membership itself, or for a particular membership category to which the individual belongs
- Leadership positions are helpful
C. Published material about the alien’s work:
- May be a journal article, book, or major media publication such as newspapers or magazines
- Must name the individual and discuss his or her work within the text.
- Citation listings alone do not suffice.
D. Participation as a judge of the work of others:
- May include serving as a reviewer for a professional journal
- May also include thesis and dissertation committees, conference selection panels, and editorial boards
- Evidence can include letters inviting individual to judge an event or paper, or thanking him or her for doing so
E. Authorship of scholarly articles or books:
- Publication must have “international circulation in the field”
- Quality of journal is important
- Copies of articles should be included; if there are many, a list with complete citations and copies of representative samples will be acceptable
F. Evidence of original scientific or scholarly contributions to the field:
- May include copies of patents or other similar recognition
- Attested to by letters from experts in the field (see below) –
Expert opinion letters from recognized experts in the field:
- One of the cornerstones of the category; very important!
- Should be from objective, established people in the field
- Serve three purposes:
- Establish individual’s standing in the field
- Detail significance of his/her original contributions
- Provide documentary evidence for some criteria, such as judging work of others, playing a critical role at a distinguished institution, etc.
- Must come from as varied a group as possible, from the U.S. and abroad, in order to demonstrate international acclaim.
- No more than one letter from the current employer
- Should describe accomplishments already achieved; should not discuss potential but not realized contributions
- The International Faculty Advisor encourages letter writers to submit drafts electronically for review.