Overview
This article describes the H-1B and O-1 Scholar creation process from New Sponsorship Request through the Active Scholar phase. The process of creating an H-1B and O-1 scholar is identical. Because the Scholar Admin is designed to support the initiation of scholar sponsorship requests regardless of visa type, these instructions will also reference other scholar visa statuses as appropriate. Check out the following KB for more information on how to initiate a New Sponsorship Request.
- Navigating to the New Sponsorship Request
- Reviewing Information in New Sponsorship Request
- New Sponsorship Request Decision Options
- Process the New Sponsorship Request as an H-1B or O-1
- The I-129 Petition and USCIS
- Changing Host Department of Existing Scholar
- Portal Invite
Navigating to the New Sponsorship Request
After the New Sponsorship Request has been submitted, the ISSS Admin will be alerted in the Notification panel and through email, and a new card will display in Sponsorship Requests Dashboard. The email template, New Scholar Notification, can be edited and is located in Process > Notifications.
The ISSS Admin can click on the notification to go directly to the potential scholar's profile information. Alternatively, the ISSS Admin can navigate to the Scholar Admin > Dashboard > Sponsorship Requests to find the card directly.
Reviewing Information in New Sponsorship Request
After clicking the notification or card, the ISSS Admin is able to access all the information submitted by the Department Admin. In the Review Sponsorship Requests page, the ISSS Admin can edit any information on the Request tab or add documents in the Documents tab. The Departmental Admin is also able to upload documents here as well. The ISSS Admin can also email the Departmental Admin and Scholar directly from the Email button.
New Sponsorship Request Decision Options
The ISSS Admin will then determine how to proceed with the request with the three options at the bottom of the page:
- “Update” to save any changes made.
-
“Process” the Request as:
- H-1B
- J-1
- F-1 OPT/STEM
- O-1
- Ineligible
- Request more information from the Departmental Admin or the Scholar.
Process the New Sponsorship Request as an H-1B or an O-1
If the ISSS Admin chooses to process the Scholar as an H-1B or an O-1, they will be prompted with a window to confirm this process. The ISSS Admin will then be asked if they wish to activate the Scholar Portal for the scholar allowing them to login and provide additional information.
Clicking Yes and then Submit, an email window will open showing the template email used to send the scholar instructions on how to access their portal. The New Scholar Account Creation email template can be edited in Process > Notification. If the ISSS Admin wants to invite the scholar at a later time, that may be done by following the Portal Invite information.
New tabs will display in both the Departmental Admin and ISSS Admin views, collecting the information needed to create the I-129. If the scholar has been granted access, the Scholar will also see a portion of these tabs.
Remember after making edits to any of the tabs in the Scholar Profile, click Update before moving sequentially to the tab to the right. This will save your changes and automatically advance you to the next tab.
Click on the button labeled iCert on the bottom right corner to be directed to the Department of Labor iCert Portal.
The I-129 Petition and USCIS
If the H-1B or O-1 request needs to include Premium Processing, click on the Premium Processing button to complete the required information. This will allow the ISSS Admin to create a Form I-907 to submit with the Form I-129 petition.
There is also a FLAG button that will direct the ISSS Admin to the Foreign Labor Application Gateway.
After information for all the tabs has been completed, the ISSS Admin must click the Generate USCIS Form button, located in the top right corner. This will generate a *pdf document of a completed Form I-129 (36 pages). The collected information auto-populates the appropriate fields. Print and add the necessary signatures prior to submitting to USCIS.
When USCIS has made a decision on the I-129 petition, the ISSS scholar advisor will enter the decision information by recording a Decision on the Processing tab.
If the decision was to approve the I-129, the scholar card will move to the Active tab after an affirmative USCIS decision is confirmed and the start date is current. Once the scholar card moves to the Active tab, there will be no change in the views for the Scholar, Department, and ISSS office, however, no edits or requesting additional may be made.
Per Form I-129 Edition 01/17/25: ISSS Scholar currently doesn't support the question on Page 23, Section 3, Question 3e "The beneficiary is currently employed at a cap-exempt institution, organization or entity, and the petitioner seeks to concurrently employ the H-1B beneficiary."
Changing Host Department of Existing Scholar:
The ISSS office can now update the information in the host department field on the Department tab for an existing scholar in a Pending category (option not available for Active H-1B or O-1 records). Changing this information will permit the Departmental Admins in the new department to see the scholar in their dashboard.
- To complete this action, open the scholar's profile and navigate to the Department tab.
- Change the 'Host Department' field and select the correct admin from the 'Contact Name' field. The new department will be responsible for coordinating any needed information for the petition.
Portal Invite
Inviting a scholar to the system can be done at many points throughout the process. The initial invitation is described above. After the initial creation, the ISSS Admin can invite the scholar in two additional ways.
Option 1: Inviting En Masse from the Scholar Dashboard:
ISSS Admins can now use the Dashboard filter Scholar Portal Access to sort for closed portals. A checkbox will appear in the upper right corner of each card for users who have yet to be invited into the system. Click the Checkbox individually or for multiple scholars.
When at least one scholar's card is selected, Excel Export and Portal Invite options appear within the Actions menu in the top of the Dashboard. Simply select Portal Invite to send the New User email.
Option 2: Invite the Scholar Individually from Scholar Profile:
Enter the scholar's profile. Notice in the upper right corner near the SEVIS Profile, Validate (if appropriate), and Email buttons, there is an Invite Scholar button. Clicking the Invite Scholar button will send the New User email to the scholar.