H-1B Visa Requests

The George Washington University (GW) works to maintain an open, welcoming atmosphere where visitors from all over the world can come to learn, collaborate, and perform research. Foreign national employees often require an H-1B immigration visa to enter the United States. Under Immigration and Customs regulations, the H-1B visa type requires an export control certification prior to submission of the visa. The Research Security Office works with the GW International Services Office and the individual’s supervisor to complete these certifications.

Required forms for ALL visa applications:

1. GW Export Control Deemed Export Form: GW supervisors of the prospective visa candidate are required to complete the Deemed Export Form which helps the Research Security Office evaluate the types of research, equipment, materials, software, and technologies that a visa candidate may have access/exposure to.
2. GW Export Control Due Diligence Form: Visa applicants are required to complete the Due Diligence Form, which helps the Research Security Office evaluate the candidate’s outside affiliations which may impact their ability to participate in funded research and other institutional activities.

Procedure:

1. GW supervisors must submit copies of the completed Deemed Export and Due Diligence Forms along with a current copy of the visa candidate’s resume/CV, to exportcontrolgwu [dot] edu (exportcontrol[at]gwu[dot]edu).
   ***Please note that the submission is not considered ‘received’ until completed copies of the forms AND a copy of the candidate’s resume/CV have been received.
2. The Research Security Office will review and evaluate submitted forms and the candidate’s resume/CV. If needed, the Office will reach out to the supervisor with additional questions and/or concerns. In the event that further information is requested from the visa candidate, the Research Security Office will work with the supervisor to contact the candidate.
3. The Research Security Office will notify the supervisor and/or requesting party as well as the International Services Office (ISO) once the review is complete.

Visa Candidate Export Control and Research Security Considerations

Prior to initiating a visa request, supervisors are advised to carefully consider the following:

1. Is the visa candidate a citizen of a sanctioned country? (Currently, sanctioned countries include Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Russia)
2. Is the visa candidate a citizen of a Country of Concern? (Currently this includes China, Venezuela, and Belarus)
3. Will the visitor participate in any type of restricted research? (Including research which involves restrictions on publication of research results, ‘ITAR-controlled’ research, and/or research requiring Controlled Unclassified Information protocols)
4. Will the individual maintain any type of employment and/or professional relationship (paid or unpaid) with a restricted entity and/or an entity located in a sanctioned country or Country of Concern?

If the answer is “yes” to any of the above questions, please exportcontrolgwu [dot] edu (contact the Research Security Office) for assistance.