Sample #1: Departmental Support Letter (to be submitted on KSU department letterhead)
Thursday, October 22, 2015
USCIS
Attn: AOS
2501 S. State highway 121
Business Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
RE: First Preference Employment-Based Permanent Residency Petition – Outstanding Professor/Scholar
Petitioner: Kennesaw State University
Beneficiary: Dr. John Doe.
Attn Service Officer:
Dr. Doe is an internationally known professor, with outstanding ability, in the field of X.
The Petitioner
Kennesaw State University (KSU), the third-largest university in the University System of Georgia, is a comprehensive university with expanding undergraduate and graduate programs in Kennesaw, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Nearly 20,000 commuter and residential students, including more than 1,700 from 136 countries, pursue their undergraduate and graduate studies at Kennesaw State. The student body is a mix of traditional and nontraditional students with an average age of 26. Approximately 20 percent of students are members of ethnic minorities.
Founded in 1963, Kennesaw State University’s dedication to fostering excellence in public service brought it recognition from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as one of the nation’s top publicly engaged universities in its study “Stepping Forward as Stewards of Place.” In addition, the American Council on Education selected KSU as one of eight institutions in the country for a study called “Global Learning for All,” which will focus on good practices in promoting international student success. The university is committing itself to expanding the global experience of students, faculty and staff through its Quality Enhancement Plan, known as the “Get Global” initiative. The QEP is part of KSU’s continuing efforts to reaffirm its accreditation for the next 10 years with the Southern Association’s Commission on Colleges (SACS).
[Include a paragraph indicating department specific accomplishments.]
Position Requiring Person of Outstanding AbilityKennesaw State University, Bagwell College of Education, Department of X, is offering the position of Associate Professor to Dr. Doe, an internationally known and respected professor in the field of X, who will bring extraordinary skills and scholarship to this position. Kennesaw State University has every intention of employing Dr. Doe for a term of indefinite duration in which he will have an expectation of continued employment unless there is good cause for termination. This is a tenure track (permanent, continuing, continuing eligible, tenured) position, and the university has every intention of employing Dr. Doe permanently. In this permanent position, he will maintain an active scholarship program and will participate fully—and with distinction—teaching both undergraduate and graduate education, serving as a strong role model for our students.
[Include a paragraph or two detailing the job duties more specifically.]
Outstanding Ability of Beneficiary
Dr. Doe, a citizen of (country), received his undergraduate training and beginning research in X at The University of ————–, (country), on (date), 19–. From there, he proceeded to obtain his advanced degrees—MS. and Ph.D. in X from The University of ——-. During those years he served as a research assistant and associate. Following the completion of his Ph.D. in (month, year), he moved on to serve as visiting research associate in the Department of Education. Upon completion of that experience in 1984 he returned to his home country to apply his knowledge and skills at his alma mater, where he remained until 19–. As outlined in his enclosed curriculum vitae, Dr. Doe has been awarded for his excellence in research from his undergraduate days in T——, to his graduate studies in S—– and beyond. Continuing to expand his research base internationally, he was awarded the ——— Fellowship in 19—by the European Community for a year of sabbatical work in the Department of Education at the University of ————, in the UK. In 19—he returned to the US for a period as a visiting scholar.
One of the key indicators of Dr. Doe’s extraordinary contributions in the field of Education came when he was awarded the ————- Award in 19—by the internationally known —————. This award, which was in the Field of__________________, is one of the highest honors bestowed upon a Latin American technological researcher.
International respect of Dr. Doe’s professional opinion can be seen in several letters related to the review of others’ work in various international professional journals.
Throughout the last few years Dr. Doe has been extraordinarily prolific in his research writing, having 52 articles published in international, peer-reviewed journals and books, as well as 53 articles included in conference proceedings, and 7 more works submitted for publication. In addition, he has made 53 presentations throughout the world and has submitted 5 more works for presentation internationally.
Based on the foregoing, we submit that Dr. Doe is an alien of extraordinary ability in the field of Education, with a level of knowledge and skill that is possessed by very few individuals. We respectfully request your kind consideration and favorable adjudication of our First Employment-Based Preference petition on behalf of Dr. Doe. Kennesaw State University will compensate Dr. Doe at the rate of $—— per annum.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at 770.xxx.xxxx.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
Dr. William Zoom
Department Head
Department of X
Kennesaw State University
USCIS Texas Service Center
4141 North St. Augustine RoadDallas, TX 75227Attn Service Officer
RE: First Preference Employment-Based Permanent Residency Petition by
Kennesaw State University on behalf of Dr. John Doe as an Outstanding
Researcher.
It is a pleasure to write this letter in support of Dr. _____________ application for the employment based priority worker EB-1 under the category of “Outstanding Professor and Researcher”. I strongly believe that his/her contributions to the field of ____________________ are outstanding.
I am a Professor of ________________ with more than
______ years of experience (elaborate on qualifications). My teaching and research interests focus on ________________ with emphasis on ___________. I am also _________ (Editor, Chair, Director…). This puts me in a good position to evaluate Dr. _______ academic and scientific contributions.
I have known Dr. ___________ since _____ when ________ (elaborate).
Dr. ______ bright scientific capabilities are obvious. He/she has made outstanding contributions to the field of _______________. His/her unique work on ____________ is outstanding because it touches upon critical issues while developing a unique and novel framework (elaborate). As a result, Dr. ________ theory on ________ has been published in prestigious international journals and has highly impacted our field of research. Moreover, his/her theories on __________ has increased the understanding of ________ and helped in the development and identification of _____________ which has shed novel light on the applicability of the classical formula on ________ As a result, impact and benefit to our field is patent. In particular, his/her research in ________ (elaborate).
Dr. _______ has continuously distinguished him/herself for his/her scholarly work. This is evidenced by his/her publication record. Dr. _______ is the author of BOOK and has published _____ peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals of international circulation. In addition to been a frequent guest speaker at international scholarly conferences, he/she has been awarded ____ competitive grants from federal agencies totaling $______ as principal investigator, ____ grants totaling $ _______ as co- principal investigator and _____ grants totaling $ _______ as collaborator.
Dr. has been recognized for his/her many outstanding contributions by the induction into _________ Honor Society in _____. Dr. _______ is a Fellow of the __________. He/she has also received the AWARD of ____________ from ____________. In addition Dr. _______ won the ____________ for his/her research/teaching work.
In conclusion, Dr. ________ is an outstanding recognized international scientist that has made significant contributions to his/her area of research. The United States academic community and our community at large will profit greatly by scientists of the stature of Dr. ___________ and I strongly recommend that he/she be granted permanent residency in the United States.
SAMPLE EB-1 PEER REVIEW LETTER – Outstanding Professor/Researcher
The letter should be addressed to:
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
Texas Service Center 4141 North St. Augustine Road Dallas, TX 75227
This sample is designed to serve as a loose outline. It is very important that each letter not sound the same; using this letter repeatedly and simply inserting new information at certain places in the letter, will raise a red flag at CIS.
The letters will not be viewed as credible and USCIS will likely issue an RFE (Request for Further Evidence) seeking additional and/or modified letters.
The letters must be on official letterhead/stationary that clearly identifies the institutional affiliation of the author.
- Opening Paragraph “I am writing this letter in support of Montclair State University’s application for U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident status on behalf of [INSERT NAME] in the Outstanding Professor or Researcher category.”
- Paragraph #1 Information regarding the writer, including current position, background, and accomplishments. (NOTE: It is helpful if the writer provides a copy of his/her CV along with the recommendation letter.)
- Paragraph #2 An explanation of how the writer knows the applicant.
- Paragraph #3 Documentation regarding how the applicant qualifies for permanent resident status based on the Outstanding Professor or Researcher category.
The letter must help establish that the applicant meets the following criteria:
- International recognition in the field;
- Three years of teaching or research experience in the field;
- Evidence of meritorious achievements (a minimum of two of the following is required for approval of the petition):
- Receipt of major prizes or awards;
- Membership in associations in the academic field, which require outstanding achievements;
- Published material in professional publications written by others about the alien’s work in the academic field;
- Evidence of the applicant’s participation as a judge of the work of others in the same or allied academic field;
- Evidence of the applicant’s original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the academic field;
- Evidence of the alien’s authorship of scholarly books or articles (in scholarly journals with international circulation) in the academic field.
- Closing Paragraph
United States Citizenship and Immigration Service
75 Lower Weldon Street St. Albans, VT 05479
Re: Application for EB1, Alien of Extraordinary Ability, for (name of applicant)
Dear Sir or Madam: I am writing to confirm (name of applicant)’s status as an internationally recognized and outstanding researcher in the field of (name of field).
(Paragraph that establishes how and why you are familiar enough with the individual’s work to evaluate it. )
(Paragraph that establishes your own credentials as an expert in the field. Please include your C.V. in addition to this paragraph.)
( Paragraphs about the individual’s work and an explanation of how it is extraordinary.)
Sample opening sentence: “Dr. (name of applicant)’s most significant contributions to the field of (name of field) have been the result of his work on (describe work).”
( Paragraph on the importance of having or keeping the individual in the United States.)
( Paragraph requesting that the O-1 classification be granted. )
Example: “Dr. (name of applicant) has shown through his important contributions to the international scientific and industrial community that he is truly a remarkable and innovative scientist. His is an outstanding researcher of the highest caliber in the field of (name of field) and I most strongly recommend that his application be granted.”
Sincerely,
Name
Title