Green Card Elementary School Counselor Jobs
Elementary School Counselor green card sponsorship follows the EB-2 or EB-3 employment-based path, requiring PERM labor certification before your employer files an I-140 petition. School districts and charter networks sponsor qualifying candidates, though per-country priority date backlogs mean timelines vary significantly depending on your nationality.
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PRIMARY FUNCTION: To lead students to understanding themselves, to achieve to their capacity, and to make appropriate decisions through personal, educational, and career counseling and support services.
REPORTS TO: Principal
SALARY SCHEDULE: Teacher
WORK DAYS: 190
REQUIREMENTS
- Education Level: Master's Degree from an accredited college or university
- Experience, Skill and Certification: Valid Georgia Professional Certificate in the assigned field, School Counseling, or Social Work and the GACE Content Assessment for School Counseling -OR - State of Georgia Professional Counselor’s license issued by the Professional Licensing Boards Division of the Office of the Secretary of State and the GACE Content Assessment for School Counseling -OR- a valid State of Georgia Clinical Social Work license and the GACE Content Assessment for School Counseling.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Teaches and/or assists in teaching counseling curriculum activities in the classroom.
- Conducts groups outside the regular classroom for students with identified interests or needs.
- Serves as an advisor to a small group of student advisees, leads group activities with his advisees, and/or coordinates a team of teacher advisors.
- Selects, instructs, and supervises students helping students.
- Facilitates student growth and development by training teachers through staff development to assist students.
- Assists students in exploring, selecting, and following through on alternative to achieve their life goals.
- Assists students in assessing their unique characteristics through inventories, interviews, etc., and in processing information about themselves.
- Supports students experiencing problems.
- Consults with parents, teachers, other educators, and community agencies regarding behavior change strategies for resolving student problems.
- Maintains and disseminates current information to students relating to self-exploration, career exploration, postsecondary education information, occupational information, and community resources.
- Utilizes professional resources of the school and community to assist students.
- Assesses the counseling needs of the students, faculty and community and designs a program addressing these needs.
- Develops appropriate materials for staff development, classroom support, and group counseling sessions consistent with program goals.
- Serves as a public relations person to promote the school counseling program.
- Assists in the evaluation, interpretation, and protection of student records per state and federal guidelines.
- Attends in-service programs as required.
- Performs other duties as necessary for the effectiveness of the organization.
Non-Essential Responsibilities
A responsibility is considered to be “non-essential” (for the purposes of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act) if:
- it is shared between multiple incumbents in the job; or
- it could be performed by an employee in another job within the workgroup.
Note the responsibility number from the list in the “Duties and Responsibilities” section for those responsibilities that could be considered “non-essential” based on this definition. (NONE)
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT
Incumbents will receive an annual contract. The work calendar will be 190 days. Salary will be determined based on level of certification and allowable experience.
Physical and Sensory Demands
OFFICE: Employees in this category are normally exposed to a typical environment. The employee has some control over the length of time sitting, standing, or ambulating. There are occasions that require the lifting or pulling of equipment or supplies, as well as bending, stooping, or stretching. There is frequent use of computers, telephone, and other standard office equipment, which includes reading, listening, writing, or speaking. There are few exceptional physical or sensory demands.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Green Card Sponsorship as an Elementary School Counselor
Align your credentials to PERM requirements
PERM requires your degree and licensure to match the job description exactly. Get your foreign counseling degree evaluated by a NACES-approved agency and confirm your state school counselor license is transferable before any employer begins the PERM recruitment test.
Target school districts with sponsorship history
Use Migrate Mate to search for school districts and charter networks that have sponsored Elementary School Counselors for green cards. Filtering by occupation and employer type surfaces districts that have navigated PERM for this exact role before.
Understand the PERM recruitment test timeline
DOL requires employers to complete a formal recruitment test before filing PERM, typically lasting 60 to 90 days. Ask hiring contacts early whether their HR team has completed PERM filings before, since inexperienced districts often underestimate this stage.
Check your priority date against the Visa Bulletin
Once your employer's I-140 is approved, your priority date determines when you can file for adjustment of status. Nationals of India and China face significant backlogs in EB-2 and EB-3 categories, so request your priority date projection from USCIS before accepting an offer contingent on green card sponsorship.
Verify the prevailing wage tier before negotiating
PERM locks your employer into paying at least the DOL prevailing wage for your SOC code and work location. Use the OFLC Wage Search to check wage levels for school counselors in your target district before salary discussions begin, so you know the floor your employer must meet.
Plan job portability around the 180-day AC21 rule
If you switch school districts after your I-485 has been pending 180 days or more, AC21 portability lets you retain your priority date provided the new role is in the same or a substantially similar occupation under O*NET classification. Confirm this with an immigration attorney before resigning.
Green Card Elementary School Counselor: Frequently Asked Questions
Can an elementary school district sponsor a foreign counselor for a green card?
Yes. Public school districts, charter networks, and private schools can sponsor Elementary School Counselors through the EB-2 or EB-3 employment-based green card process. The employer files a PERM labor certification with DOL first, then an I-140 petition with USCIS. Districts experienced with teacher sponsorship sometimes extend that process to counseling staff, though it requires additional HR capacity.
How does green card sponsorship differ from H-1B sponsorship for this role?
Green card sponsorship leads to lawful permanent residence rather than a temporary status. The PERM process requires the employer to conduct a formal recruitment test proving no qualified U.S. workers are available, followed by an I-140 petition and either adjustment of status or consular processing. There is no lottery, but per-country annual limits mean priority date backlogs can delay final approval for nationals of high-demand countries.
Does my foreign counseling degree qualify for the EB-2 category?
EB-2 covers roles requiring an advanced degree or a bachelor's degree plus five years of progressive experience in the field. If your foreign degree is evaluated as equivalent to a U.S. master's degree by a NACES-approved credential evaluation service, and your state counseling license is current, you may qualify. USCIS reviews the credential evaluation alongside the employer's PERM-approved job description.
Where can I find school districts that sponsor Elementary School Counselors for green cards?
Migrate Mate lists employers with verified employment-based green card sponsorship history, searchable by occupation and location. Focusing your search on districts that have previously sponsored counseling roles saves significant time, since employers already familiar with PERM are far more likely to open the process for new hires without requiring extensive internal approvals first.
What happens to my green card case if I change school districts mid-process?
If your I-485 has been pending for at least 180 days and your I-140 was already approved, AC21 job portability lets you move to a new employer in the same or a similar occupation without restarting the process. Your priority date can also carry over to a new employer's I-140, but only after your original I-140 approval. Confirm both conditions with an immigration attorney before accepting any new offer.