International Family Staff Sponsorship Program

51�� is piloting a new initiative designed to help fill critical vacancies while also providing additional support for international employees. This program aligns with the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the institution, and it serves as another tool for retaining current employees.

What is the IFSS program?

The IFSS Program opens pathways for hiring international staff who are family members of current international 51�� employees. The program raises 51��’s potential to attract a larger pool of highly qualified applicants by inviting applications from international individuals who are interested in joining a family member currently working at 51��. An applicant who is selected for a position and meets the eligibility requirements for the IFSS Program may be sponsored by 51�� in the visa application process.

This program is administered by the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty, in collaboration with both the Human Resources Office and the Office of Equity and Diversity.

How Does it Work?

Employees who fit the eligibility criteria can work with qualified family members to submit applications to open positions. (Please note that eligible positions require a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.)

Once an application is submitted, the 51�� employee should inform April Baptiste, Associate Dean of Faculty (ADoF) for Global and Local Initiatives, of the following:
- The position(s) for which the family member is applying
- The relationship to the applicant

The ADoF along with the Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity will work with Human Resources to monitor the candidate’s progress through the search(es).

Once a candidate is matched to a position the ADoF will work on the sponsorship process.

Eligibility

International employees are defined as anyone working at 51�� who is on a visa (either currently or at the time of hire), or who is not a US citizen, or who has a birth country outside of the US.
This program is open to any international employee who has worked for 51�� for at least three years.
Eligible positions require a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
Not all open positions apply.

This program is in response to post-COVID reflections written by people who shared the difficulties, and isolation, of working and raising families in Hamilton as expats without local family members to assist. In addition, international employees have more reasons to stay in Hamilton — and to bring others to Hamilton — who can contribute to racial, cultural, and international diversity of the institution.

No. The search process is the same for all candidates for a position.

51�� must adhere to Equal Employment Opportunity principles and, therefore, must consider, above all, the qualifications and/or transferable skills for an advertised position while evaluating each candidate. 51�� can consider whether an applicant has ties to 51�� or the greater Hamilton, NY community, including if an international applicant has a family relationship to a 51�� employee. Therefore, the fact that an IFSS applicant is applying as a family member of a current 51�� employee can be considered as part of a holistic evaluation.

However, an IFSS applicant does not receive a preference for, or an enhanced right to, a position. If an IFSS applicant is selected by the search committee, the IFSS Program provides the opportunity for the applicant to seek 51��’s sponsorship in the visa application process.

An international applicant may themselves note that they are the family member of a 51�� employee.

Additionally, the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED) or Human Resources (HR) will alert the search committee chair about an IFSS applicant if the employed 51�� employee notifies 51�� of an international family member applying for a position. The search chair can share that information with the other committee members as soon as they receive it from HR or the OED.

The search committee, however, will not be obligated to return the application pool to evaluate an IFSS applicant if the search has moved beyond the application review phase by the time the application is received or by the time the applicant’s IFSS applicant status is made known.

OED/HR will not be sharing the name of the 51�� employee to whom the applicant is related. An applicant is welcome to volunteer that information in their application and/or interview process but should not be asked for the information by the search committee.

No. The search committee should apply the same criteria and considerations to all applicants, and any applicant must meet the minimum qualifications of the position to advance.

The IFSS Program does not entitle any applicant to a courtesy interview.

The IFSS Program does not alter the evaluation of the candidate pool or the search process. As noted above, all applicants should be moved through a search based on the qualifications and/or skills relevant to the advertised job.

The search committee selects the best qualified, most suitable candidate for the position.

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