LPR/Green Card

Permanent residency petitions can be based upon several eligibility categories.

CU Boulder Employment-Based Applications

ISSS assists sponsoring departments and their qualifying foreign national employees hired into permanent positions with the employment-based permanent residency application process.

  • Permanent positions are defined as those that are tenured, in the tenure-track or research professor series, long-term teaching professor positions or a permanent research position (i.e., long term and indefinite). Post-doctoral positions do not meet this requirement.
  • For employees that are in permanent research roles or teaching professor roles with a contract of less than 5 years, ISSS requires a memo signed by the employee’s direct supervisor and Department Chairperson or Research Institute Director verifying that the job is permanent with guaranteed funding for at least 5 years.

Under the employment-based criteria, ISSS will use one of the following avenues to pursue permanent residency for qualifying permanent department hires:

Recruitment for a Position that may have International Candidates

If you think you will have international candidates in your applicant pool for your tenure/tenure-track/permanent position:

University Authority for Filing Labor Certification Applications and Permanent Residency Petitions

All CU Boulder labor certification applications and immigrant petitions must be filed by ISSS. University policy precludes an attorney from filing these petitions on behalf of our institution for an employee. Foreign nationals may retain an attorney, however their attorney cannot represent the university’s interests without the express permission of university counsel.

In applying for immigrant status for a prospective international faculty member or researcher, the university undertakes a considerable responsibility under immigration laws. Departments must exercise care to use the employment authority of the university to obtain immigration benefits for employees only when it is consistent with the university's goals, programs, and standards and within the intent of immigration law.

If you have questions about hiring or supporting international scholars, contact the ISSS advisor assigned to your department or institute.

Search for Advisor By Department, Research Institute, or CU Campus