The federal clearance process takes 90 days for most NOAA divisions, but 110 days for NCEI.

CIRES Policy: We do not want new employees to work on campus, rather than at NOAA, for more than 4-6 weeks, if at all possible. The goal is to ensure a smooth onboarding, and team building opportunities, which are hard to do from campus.

When the clearance process begins for employees in certain non-immigrant statuses:

For employees using OPT

• First 12 months of OPT: Clearance process begins when the EAD (Employment Authorization Document) card has arrived.
• OPT STEM Extension: CIRES does not know with certainty, but clearance process may begin once the employee has received the receipt notice for the STEM extension.

For employees that will have or have J-1 status

• Employees coming from outside the United States: Clearance process begins when the employee has the J-1 visa.
• Employees transferring from another employer: CIRES does not know with certainty, but maybe clearance process begins on the first day of employment, as this is when ISSS can make the DS-2019 for work at CIRES.

For employees that will have or have H-1B status

• Employees changing status to H-1B:  Clearance process begins when the approval notice has arrived.
• Employees extending H-1B status: Clearance process begins when the H-1B receipt notice has arrived.

Employees transferring into CIRES in H-1B status: 

• CIRES does not know with certainty, but maybe clearance process begins once the receipt notice has arrived, but certainly once the H-1B approval notice has arrived.