International Student Services

International Student Services is available to assist in the preparation and submission of all visa petitions for work authorization needed to employ internationals at BGSU. 

It is the hiring unit’s responsibility to cover the costs of any visa petitions filed on behalf of an international hire. For an H-1B visa, the filing fee for an H-1B petition is currently $825. If there is a pressing need to obtain a petition decision in a short period of time, Premium Processing is available for an additional $1,225. This assures that BGSU receives a “response” within 15 working days of receipt of the application at the designated USCIS Service Center for Ohio. It should be clear that a “response” is not necessarily approval; it could be a request for more documentation that the new employee has the education and training to fill the position for which we are petitioning. The cost of Premium Processing ($1,225) may be paid by the employee. The other cost of $825 is considered the “cost of doing business” and is the employer’s responsibility. The $825 fee may NOT be charged back to the employee nor taken from the person’s paycheck.

While BGSU will sponsor a long-term employee for legal permanent residency, preparation of the application for an employment-based green card (I-140) and the request to adjust status to that of legal permanent resident (I-485) is a complex and time-consuming task and is work that is not done on-site. Such work must be done by an agent or agency external to the university. However, in any case where BGSU is the sponsor for the employment-based green card, the agent or attorney the employee retains must be cleared by ISS prior to any work being done. There are several non-profit reliable agencies in the area certified by USCIS to represent internationals seeking permanent residency that would be our first choice for this partnership.