SHARE Fall 2024 Visa Deadlines for Jan/Feb 2025 start dates

July 30, 2024

Good Afternoon SHARE Colleagues,

Berkeley International Office has notified us of their Fall deadlines. As a result, SHARE is asking that any J-1 Scholars or H-1B employees starting in January of February 2025, please submit your request to your HR Generalist or HR Partner by Friday, August 30th, 2024.We are also including a Visa timeline job aid that you can reference for ongoing visa planning.

Below are also some important reminders that were included in BIO's original email:

J-1 Reminders:

  • Submit J-1 new initial requests with appointment start dates in January and February by October 1, 2024.

  • Submit J-1 Exchange Visitor extension requests for any scholars at least 30 days prior to the current DS-2019 end date

  • Avoid start dates in December and on holidays and university closures

  • For scholars starting in January we recommend a start date no earlier than Monday, January 6, 2025. Instruction begins January 21, 2025 and this may be a suitable start date for many scholars starting in January.

  • Consult BIO as soon as possible on the feasibility and timing of any request to change status to J-1 if scholars are currently working for UC Berkeley on F-1 OPT. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processing times can vary and BIO advisors can be consulted on the timing and options.

H-1B Reminders:

  • All H-1B requests using USCIS premium processing with start dates in December 2024 and January 2025 should be submitted to the Berkeley International Office by October 1, 2024.

  • New or change of status H-1B requests without Premium Processing should be submitted to the Berkeley International Office at least 6 months before the anticipated start date.

  • For detailed information, visit the H-1B petition timing website

  • H-1B employees who are planning to travel should inform their departments and HR should contact a BIO adviser before submitting the H-1B request.

Thank you,

Ana Karla

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