Request Procedure

To initiate the green card process for any foreign national who needs the sponsorship of Virginia Tech, the foreign national’s department must first agree to the sponsorship. To document this agreement, GSS will need to receive the GSS Request Form.

Once GSS has received the signed request form, you will be advised on next steps, required documents and timelines. The application procedure, timelines and cost depend on which preference category and sub category are realistic options in a given situation. Because of this, it is not possible to give a useful general overview of the processing time and cost involved.

Individuals who are interested in pursuing a green card application and are eligible for Virginia Tech sponsorship should contact GSS as soon as possible to discuss their interest and the application process.

Note for individuals in H-1B status

Individuals who are employed in the U.S. pursuant to H-1B status are eligible for an extension of their H-1B status beyond the standard maximum of six (6) years if and when they establish a Green Card priority date before the end of their fifth year in H-1B status. The priority date is established when the Labor Certification/PERM is filed with the Department of Labor or when USCIS receives the I-140 (if no Labor Certification is needed). In other words, if the green card process is formally started with the government when someone has at least one year of H-1B eligibility remaining, that person’s H-1B status may be extended beyond the standard six years of H-1B time.

Those who are in the green card process and have an approved I-140 but cannot adjust their status to that of legal permanent resident due to the green card backlog are also eligible for extensions of their H-1B status beyond the maximum of six years. This is true regardless of when the green card application process was started.