Congratulations on your appointment as a clinical faculty member. IFSIS is here to help you and your department navigate the H-1B work authorization process on your behalf. Although some clinical faculty members are appointed solely with HSF and will therefore need only one H-1B petition, most clinical faculty members are "dually appointed" with both UAB and HSF, and therefore IFSIS will file two separate H-1B petitions on their behalf. These are known as "concurrent" H-1B petitions.
H-1B work authorization is available for up to six years in three-year maximum increments. Ideally, by the end of your third year with us, you will be on the path to permanent residence via the EB-2 PERM or EB-1B process, depending on whether you have a tenure-track faculty appointment with UAB.
The following information is designed to make the initial and extension H-1B processes as smooth as possible for you. Please read and follow the instructions carefully both here and in our database, LawLogix Edge. IFSIS contacts department administrators to begin the H-1B process first and will follow up with you later as needed.
Information and Documentation Needed for Initial H-1B Petitions
You will receive an invitation to Edge for the institution's first H-1B petition on your behalf as soon as feasible after IFSIS is notified of your hire. When you log into the Edge database, you can enter your basic biographic information and will find an extensive document checklist covering your medical education and training, prior immigration history, CV, and three most recent pay slips from your current employer (if you are currently employed in the US). Please read the checklist carefully and upload copies of all relevant documents so that IFSIS does not need to contact you to ask for documentation that is requested in the Edge database. All documents should be uploaded in a legible pdf format. The earliest an H-1B petition can be filed is six months before the H-1B start date. It can take 6-8 weeks for all information to be processed to file an H-1B petition. IFSIS will be in touch with you in a timely manner to file the petition.
Information and Documentation Needed for H-1B Extensions
IFSIS contacts department administrators to begin the H-1B extension process six months prior to the expiration date. We will follow up with you later as needed when workflow reaches the stage where we need information and documents from you. You will receive a second invitation to Edge and will need to provide any address and immigration status updates (such as whether you have begun a non-employer-sponsored permanent residence process with an outside attorney) and must upload your most recent CV, most recent I-94 card from international travel, and three most recent pay statements. The earliest an H-1B extension petition can be filed is six months before the H-1B expiration date. It can take 6-8 weeks for all information to be processed to file an H-1B extension petition. IFSIS will be in touch with you in a timely manner to file the petition. You do not need an approval notice to continue working on the basis of an H-1B extension petition--all that is required is that USCIS receives the extension petition before the current H-1B expiration date. IFSIS files extension petitions in the order that accurate, timely extension information is received after an initial reminder email is sent.
Premium Processing
All H-1B petitions (initial and extensions) are filed using the USCIS premium processing option to obtain approval within 15 calendar days. If you are dually-appointed (concurrently employed), the primary petition will be filed with premium processing and the concurrent petition generally will be filed via standard processing unless premium processing is also needed for this petition for business reasons. Your department will pay all filing and premium processing fees on your behalf. You must pay the USCIS filing fee for any dependents (spouse and children) who will need to obtain or extend their H-4 status. Learn more about the dependent H-4 application process.
Credentialing and Alabama Medical Licensure
The UAB Medical and Dental Staff Office (MDSO) processes the paperwork necessary for you to obtain permission to work as a physician in UAB and HSF clinical spaces. This process runs in parallel with the H-1B process to the extent possible, but at the very least IFSIS must have proof that you have applied for an Alabama medical license before we can file an H-1B petition. If you are coming to the US for the first time, you will not be able to receive an Alabama medical license until you arrive here and obtain a Social Security number. This is an Alabama rule, not a UAB, USCIS, or IFSIS rule. Please email the MDSO directly with any questions, as IFSIS is not involved in the licensing and credentialing processes:
If you hold a restricted or special Alabama license, IFSIS can extend your H-1B work authorization in one-year increments. Once you hold an unrestricted license, we can extend your H-1B work authorization in up to three-year increments.