Use of Outside Counsel for Employment at ODU

ISSS prepares and signs all employment-based non-immigrant petitions and all permanent resident petitions based on ODU positions or job offers.  If at any time during this process, ISSS believes the particular circumstances of an ODU employee's case are beyond the scope of ISSS's purview or expertise, the individual will be referred to the immigration attorney designated by the Attorney General of Virginia. Such legal services will be at the sole expense of the employee or the employing department.

ODU employees may, however, seek assistance from attorneys of their choice for the purpose of adjustment of status (I-485) to permanent resident and applications for immigrant categories for which an individual may apply without the sponsorship of an employer, such as the so-called "national interest waiver" or "extraordinary ability waiver."  In no event shall ODU, its departments, laboratories and centers, be listed as petitioners or applicants. ISSS must be kept informed in a timely fashion of the status of every such petition or application to avoid duplication of effort or interference with petitions or applications and their related processing.