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Case Stories
⏳ EB-3 Skilled Worker Documentation Challenge - I-140 EVL from Former Professor
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⏳ **Case Status: Pending**
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Applicant with approved PERM is preparing I-140 but faces a documentation gap: the university refuses to issue detailed skill-specific experience verification letters. A former professor on their current employer's letterhead is being considered as an alternative. No I-140 decision has been made yet.
Following PERM approval, applicant is assembling I-140 documentation for an EB-3 petition. The core issue is that the university will only issue a standard registrar letter covering degree, dates, and generic learning outcomes — not the detailed technical skills letter (Python, SQL, big data) drafted by the attorney. A course catalog is available. One former professor, now at a different institution, is willing to sign the attorney-drafted letter on their current organization's letterhead. Final documentation package includes: degree certificate, transcripts, registrar letter, course catalog, and the detailed EVL from the former professor (not on university letterhead). Attorney has reviewed and approved proceeding. I-140 has not yet been filed.
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**[📎 View Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/comments/1sbnoui/perm_approved_but_university_wont_issue_detailed/)**
*Source: Reddit PERM Labor*
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*This post was automatically curated from online sources to share real case experiences with the community.*
USCIS accepts third-party experience verification letters — including those from former supervisors or professors — as long as they contain full contact information, a signature, and specific, credible detail about duties and skills. The letterhead institution does not need to match the school in question; what matters is the signer's verifiability and the letter's specificity. Cases using professor letters in lieu of institutional HR letters have generally been accepted when accompanied by transcripts and course catalogs that corroborate the claimed skills. RFE risk in this scenario is moderate: USCIS may request further corroboration if the letter appears generic or the professor's connection to the claimed skill-set is unclear. Including a cover letter from the attorney explaining why institutional documentation was unavailable can help preempt an RFE. Processing times for I-140 under EB-3 currently range from 4–8 months under standard processing; premium processing (15 business days) is available and often recommended when documentation is non-standard.