Category: Visas

In April of 2023, for the first time ever, the U.S. Department of State issued regulations allowing distribution of scanned DS-2019s by program sponsors. Hard-copy printouts of these scanned DS-2019s have the same authority as their paper originals. Since that change, ISO has issued both scanned DS-2019s to increase speed and efficiency as well as provided the original paper DS-2019s to support units and scholars during this regulatory transition.

Effective January 1, 2025, in response to unit feedback, ISO will no longer issue paper DS-2019s. The scanned DS-2019 uploaded to the visa request Manage Files tool will be the only DS-2019 provided and should be printed (2-sided) and used by the scholar as their authentic visa document. Units will be responsible for providing these scanned DS-2019s to scholars who have not yet arrived in the U.S. or had an EID associated with their submitted visa request(s). We encourage units to include EIDs on any J visa requests where the exchange visitor is already at the UW and has an active EID. When the EID is included on the visa request, the visa request system automatically shares the DS-2019 with the scholar.

Scholars should print the DS-2019 (2-sided) for their records and carry it with them during any international travel. They will also need to provide a printed, double-sided hardcopy of the DS-2019 in order to obtain a J visa stamp at a consulate prior to entering the U.S.

We hope that this change will reduce unnecessary administrative burden and mailing costs for both ISO and units.

We are pleased to provide an update on the pilot program developed by the Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF) and UW Human Resources (UWHR) to allow units to sponsor staff for H-1B, E-3 and TN visas. OAP and UWHR have worked closely over the last 12 months to make this program a success and we are pleased to inform you that sponsorship of these visa types will now become part of regular operations to support the ongoing recruitment and retention of talented staff.

Effective immediately International Scholars Operations (ISO) and UWHR websites have been updated to reflect the end of the pilot program. Our goal in providing ongoing staff visa support is to better allow the University to compete for the global talent necessary to drive our teaching, research and patient care missions. Units interested in visa sponsorship for staff should continue to reach out to their recruitment partner for consultation on new or open recruitments.

 

UPDATE to USCIS Fee Change Announcement (03/21/2024)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has clarified its new filing fee structure to confirm that UW and other state higher education institutions are subject to the lower fees for non-profits. This means that filing fees for UW H-1B petitions will not change as of April 1, 2024. Fees for other visa types and for the I-140 Immigrant Petition will change as noted on ISO’s Visa Fees page; units should continue to follow guidance on that page as to fee amounts and check issuance.

Previous announcement noted below:

USCIS Fee Change Announcement (03/14/2024)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced new filing fees to go into effect on April 1, 2024. The new fee structure will require different filing fees for Form I-129 based on the visa status sought and on the non-profit status of the employer. There is no change to the H-1B Fraud Prevention Fee of $500 or the Premium Processing Fee of $2805, but the way that the premium processing period is calculated will change from 15 calendar days to 15 business days.

ISO advisors will work hard to file as many H-1B petitions with USCIS before the fee change goes into effect on April 1. For cases that cannot be filed with USCIS before April 1, the new fee amounts will apply.

There is some ambiguity as to which fee amounts will apply to UW and other state higher education institutions. Pending resolution of that ambiguity, which we expect within the next few months, ISO recommends the following set of separate filing fee checks for H-1B petitions:

• $460 I-129 filing fee for H-1B*
• $320 I-129 filing fee for H-1B*
• $600 Asylum Program fee (new)
• $500 H-1B Fraud Prevention Fee (required for new H-1Bs and changes of employer)
• $2805 Premium Processing Fee (where necessary or recommended by ISO to expedite USCIS processing)

*Other fees may apply for other visa types. See our Visa Fees page for information on how to request USCIS filing fee checks.

USCIS may ultimately determine that UW is subject to lower fee amounts, and return the $320 and $600 filing fee checks to UW; in that case, ISO would return the filing fee checks to the units that issued them, and update guidance to campus accordingly. For the time being, since USCIS will reject petitions if the fee checks attached to them do not match the relevant fee amounts exactly, filing with the checks listed above will minimize the chances of USCIS rejecting the petition.

If you have questions about which fee checks are required for a specific visa request, please contact ISO. For visa requests already in process, ISO will contact units to request revised fee checks where necessary.