A serious attempt should be made to secure letters which are from a variety of institutions. The INS is concerned that not all the letters be from close acquaintances of the scholar. The authorship of such works is demonstrated by a photocopy of the cover of the journal and a photocopy of the first page of the article. This documentation should be accompanied by a short letter from an outside source explaining the audience for the journal, the fact that it is peer-reviewed, that the journal has international circulation, and explaining the significance of the scholar's work in that journal. The INS needs these letters to sort out the genuine publishing venues from the vanity presses.
Fax is fine.
If you would like for an adviser in FSSS to preview a first draft of a letter of recommendation or to look at suggested language for such a letter, we will be happy to do so and to offer suggestions. E-mail is fine. The final letter must be on letterhead stationery from the sender's institution. The advantage of the Priority Worker immigrant status is that the University need not apply for labor certification on behalf of the alien employee. In some cases, this means costly and time-consuming recruiting procedures can be reduced or even eliminated.