Academic Appointments
Before contacting OISS about a visa sponsorship for a Yale employee or academic visitor, the department must have received all the necessary University approvals.
To understand the best match of visa type to Yale appointment title, please review the detailed information here.
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs oversees and sets minimum funding amounts for the following appointments, including postdoctoral associates and fellows. When making a requests for these appointment titles the department must upload evidence of appointment approval in OISS Connect.
- Postgraduate Fellows and Associates
- Laboratory Associates
- Visiting Fellows
The Office of the Provost and the Medical School’s Office of Academic & Professional Development each oversee the remaining academic appointments eligible for visa sponsorship.
Note: There are specific requirements for requesting sponsorship for a J-1 Student Intern (Visiting Undergraduates Participating in Research or Clinical Activities.)
Funding Amounts
U.S. immigration regulations require that Yale verify and document adequate funding arrangements for all incoming scholars. For appointments beginning July 1, 2022, Yale has set a minimum of $3,167 per month ($38,000/year) for an individual and an additional $725 per month for an accompanying spouse and $525 per month for each accompanying child.
In all instances, the minimum level of funding must be met before a visa document can be issued. Requests for H-1B sponsorship must follow U.S. Department of Labor rules about funding regardless of Yale's recommendations. J-1 scholars and any accompanying dependents must have health insurance coverage regardless of funding source.
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs sets the funding levels for all appointments that fall under the authority of their office. Please refer to their list of compensation by appointment title.
Dates
- J-1 Scholars and Student Interns - The requested start date must be at least 90 days (or may be more in some cases) from the date ALL documentation and data elements are submitted to OISS (except for Canadians who do not need to apply for visas). OISS will issue the required DS-2019, needed for visa application, within 10 business days upon receiving a fully complete OISS Connect record.
- H-1B - The requested start date must be at least 4 months from the date all documentation is submitted to OISS
For appointments of 6 months or less, the J-1 Short-Term Scholar category is typically used. The advantage of this J-1 category is that the scholar will not be subject to the 12 or 24 month bar, which they would be if using the J-1 Research Scholar/Professor category.
The disadvantage of this J-1 category is that the scholar can only stay in the U.S. for a maximum of 6 months, with no option to extend, transfer or change visa inside the U.S. By comparison, the J-1 Research Scholar/Professor category has a maximum of 5 years.
Non-Academic Appointments
C&T/Casual Positions
Individuals in C&T or casual positions are not eligible for Yale visa sponsorship. They may be hired if they have their own work permission ( J-2 EAD, F-1 OPT) as long as the position conditions comply with each visa's work permission rules (if any); however the job offer cannot exceed the work permit validity.
M&P Positions
M&P positions 23 and 24 may request visa sponsorship from the Exceptions Committee (HR, OGC, OISS) although they are rarely approved. M&P 25 and higher may request H-1B sponsorship. Any M&P visa sponsorship request starts by contacting the HR Generalists for that department and is required to get OISS assessment for the H-1B eligibility.