The Office of Global Engagement provides resources and support to help bring foreign scholars and international employees to Seattle University. We help you sponsor a visiting scholar or potential faculty member in the process of getting approval to enter the country. By working with your department, the Office of Global Engagement files the necessary federal paperwork that allows the new employee or visiting scholar to enter the country legally and become a part of our community here at Seattle University.
The Office of Global Engagement has three different programs available for sponsoring foreign scholars:
Each program has different types of visa sponsorships available with different requirements.
The processing time for sponsoring a visa depends significantly on what kind visa will be used. As there are a variety of variables that can affect the processing time, beginning the visa sponsorship process as early as possible is recommended. Generally, this process should begin by contacting Global Engagement six months prior to the intended arrival or start date of the international employee.
The costs associated with sponsoring a foreign national depend on the kind of visa required for their visit. Visiting Scholars typically have no cost to the University other than staff time and overhead. Hiring a temporary (fixed-term) faculty member usually requires filing fees of $825 in addition to other potential costs, all of which are paid by your sponsoring department. Hiring a permanent tenure-track faculty member includes additional processing and attorney fees, but those fees are shared with Global Engagement pursuant to our cost-share program.
For more information, consult our Immigration Handbook (in PDF format). Further questions and concerns should be directed to Dale Watanabe, Director International Student Center at watanad@seattleu.edu.