Much more paperwork is involved, and the wage requirements of the Department of Labor must be met. It can be extended for a total of six years. An INS filing fee is required. In all petitions for H-1 status, the UIUC campus is designated as the petitioner, and they must be signed by an IFSA staff member. Two to three months are needed for processing.
Employment is unrestricted except in a few instances where citizenship is required.
Permanent resident status is necessary for permanent employees, since six years is the limit for nonimmigrant status. If the prospective permanent employee does not have this status, a delay of approximately one to two years can be expected in obtaining the status, if it can be obtained at all.