H-1B Visa Archivist Jobs
Archivist roles qualify for H-1B visa sponsorship as specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree in archival science, library science, or a related field. Many sponsoring employers are universities, federal agencies, and large cultural institutions that file LCAs under SOC code 25-4011 and have established H-1B petition workflows.
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AHD Staff: CMS - South Side Movie Project
About the Department
Founded in 2005 by Dr. Jacqueline Stewart, the South Side Home Movie Project (SSHMP) is dedicated to collecting, preserving, digitizing, exhibiting, and researching the rich tapestry of home movies created by Chicago's South Side residents. More than just an archive, SSHMP empowers individuals and families to share their cherished memories and unique perspectives, creating an unparalleled visual record. We ensure the vibrant cultures and evolving narratives of the South Side are preserved for generations to come and celebrated as a vital thread in the history of the city of Chicago.
Today, SSHMP holds more than 1,400 reels of small-gauge film – 16mm, 8mm, and Super-8mm footage shot by South Siders spanning from the 1930s to the 1980s. As part of UChicago’s Arts + Public Life, the South Side Home Movie Project goes far beyond traditional archival boundaries, acting as a cultural steward that brings together a community of donors, students, artists, practitioners, and neighbors to explore a wide range of educational and creative reuse initiatives.
Job Summary
The South Side Home Movie Project (SSHMP) seeks a part-time Processing Archivist to support the implementation of its CLIR-funded Digitizing Hidden Collections project, Filming Mid-Twentieth Century Black Life in Chicago: The Ramon Williams Collection. SSHMP is a community-centered archival initiative dedicated to collecting, preserving, digitizing, and making accessible home movies created by residents of Chicago’s South Side, advancing a vital visual record of underrepresented histories.
Working under the supervision of SSHMP leadership, including the Project Director and Project Manager, the Processing Archivist will play a central role in processing, digitizing, and describing audiovisual materials. The position is responsible for ensuring that materials are preserved, described, and made publicly accessible in alignment with professional archival standards and SSHMP’s community-centered stewardship model.
This role is for the term of January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2028. This role focuses on digitization and digital preservation.
Responsibilities
- Inspects, cleans, repairs, digitizes, and creates access files for the majority of the remaining Ramon Williams films, with assistance from the Project Manager and archival staff. This includes conducting inventory and condition assessments, preparing film materials for digitization workflows, and coordinating specialized preservation processes when required.
- Creates, edits, and manages metadata records for audiovisual materials using established cataloging standards and SSHMP’s adapted controlled vocabulary. Conducts research to identify people, places, events, and cultural references depicted in the films, ensuring accurate, inclusive, and context-rich descriptions.
- Ingests digitized files into SSHMP’s digital archive and ensures materials are accessible through its online platform. Enhances discoverability through subject tagging, keywording, and descriptive annotations that reflect both scholarly frameworks and community-informed knowledge.
- Performs quality control on digitized files and metadata records to ensure accuracy, consistency, and completeness. Maintains clear documentation of processing workflows, metadata decisions, and digitization outputs in accordance with grant reporting and sustainability standards.
- Contributes to the development of collection-level and thematic resources, such as finding aids, digital exhibits, or interpretive essays, that enhance public understanding and use of the Ramon Williams Collection.
- Works closely with SSHMP staff to support community-informed archival practices, including reviewing user-generated metadata and preparing materials for public programming, exhibitions, and digital storytelling initiatives.
- Participates in regular project meetings to assess progress, refine workflows, and ensure alignment with grant deliverables.
- Assists with documentation and reporting required by the CLIR grant.
- Supports SSHMP’s broader public programming and 20th anniversary initiatives, as needed.
- The job performs routine assignments in a library unit in the acquisition and processing of library materials and resources. Resolves processing problems with units.
- Identifies and documents preservation needs and, with moderate/high guidance from others, ensures the preservation of library pieces, electronically and digitally.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Certifications:
Working Conditions
This is a part-time position of approximately 20 hours per week.
Application Documents
- Resume/CV (required)
The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Library
Role Impact
Individual Contributor
Scheduled Weekly Hours
20
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Pay Rate Type
Hourly
FLSA Status
Non-Exempt
Pay Range
$25.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.
Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.
Posting Statement
The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.
Department
AHD Staff: CMS - South Side Movie Project
About the Department
Founded in 2005 by Dr. Jacqueline Stewart, the South Side Home Movie Project (SSHMP) is dedicated to collecting, preserving, digitizing, exhibiting, and researching the rich tapestry of home movies created by Chicago's South Side residents. More than just an archive, SSHMP empowers individuals and families to share their cherished memories and unique perspectives, creating an unparalleled visual record. We ensure the vibrant cultures and evolving narratives of the South Side are preserved for generations to come and celebrated as a vital thread in the history of the city of Chicago.
Today, SSHMP holds more than 1,400 reels of small-gauge film – 16mm, 8mm, and Super-8mm footage shot by South Siders spanning from the 1930s to the 1980s. As part of UChicago’s Arts + Public Life, the South Side Home Movie Project goes far beyond traditional archival boundaries, acting as a cultural steward that brings together a community of donors, students, artists, practitioners, and neighbors to explore a wide range of educational and creative reuse initiatives.
Job Summary
The South Side Home Movie Project (SSHMP) seeks a part-time Processing Archivist to support the implementation of its CLIR-funded Digitizing Hidden Collections project, Filming Mid-Twentieth Century Black Life in Chicago: The Ramon Williams Collection. SSHMP is a community-centered archival initiative dedicated to collecting, preserving, digitizing, and making accessible home movies created by residents of Chicago’s South Side, advancing a vital visual record of underrepresented histories.
Working under the supervision of SSHMP leadership, including the Project Director and Project Manager, the Processing Archivist will play a central role in processing, digitizing, and describing audiovisual materials. The position is responsible for ensuring that materials are preserved, described, and made publicly accessible in alignment with professional archival standards and SSHMP’s community-centered stewardship model.
This role is for the term of January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2028. This role focuses on digitization and digital preservation.
Responsibilities
- Inspects, cleans, repairs, digitizes, and creates access files for the majority of the remaining Ramon Williams films, with assistance from the Project Manager and archival staff. This includes conducting inventory and condition assessments, preparing film materials for digitization workflows, and coordinating specialized preservation processes when required.
- Creates, edits, and manages metadata records for audiovisual materials using established cataloging standards and SSHMP’s adapted controlled vocabulary. Conducts research to identify people, places, events, and cultural references depicted in the films, ensuring accurate, inclusive, and context-rich descriptions.
- Ingests digitized files into SSHMP’s digital archive and ensures materials are accessible through its online platform. Enhances discoverability through subject tagging, keywording, and descriptive annotations that reflect both scholarly frameworks and community-informed knowledge.
- Performs quality control on digitized files and metadata records to ensure accuracy, consistency, and completeness. Maintains clear documentation of processing workflows, metadata decisions, and digitization outputs in accordance with grant reporting and sustainability standards.
- Contributes to the development of collection-level and thematic resources, such as finding aids, digital exhibits, or interpretive essays, that enhance public understanding and use of the Ramon Williams Collection.
- Works closely with SSHMP staff to support community-informed archival practices, including reviewing user-generated metadata and preparing materials for public programming, exhibitions, and digital storytelling initiatives.
- Participates in regular project meetings to assess progress, refine workflows, and ensure alignment with grant deliverables.
- Assists with documentation and reporting required by the CLIR grant.
- Supports SSHMP’s broader public programming and 20th anniversary initiatives, as needed.
- The job performs routine assignments in a library unit in the acquisition and processing of library materials and resources. Resolves processing problems with units.
- Identifies and documents preservation needs and, with moderate/high guidance from others, ensures the preservation of library pieces, electronically and digitally.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Certifications:
Working Conditions
This is a part-time position of approximately 20 hours per week.
Application Documents
- Resume/CV (required)
The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Library
Role Impact
Individual Contributor
Scheduled Weekly Hours
20
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Pay Rate Type
Hourly
FLSA Status
Non-Exempt
Pay Range
$25.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.
Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.
Posting Statement
The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Archivist
Match your degree to SOC 25-4011
H-1B eligibility hinges on a direct relationship between your degree field and the Archivist role. A degree in library science, history, or archival studies maps cleanly to SOC 25-4011. A general humanities degree may trigger an RFE, so document any archival coursework explicitly.
Target cap-exempt institutions first
Universities, government archives, and nonprofit research libraries are often cap-exempt H-1B employers, meaning they can file year-round without entering the lottery. Prioritizing these institutions removes the April registration deadline from your job search timeline entirely.
Search verified H-1B sponsors on Migrate Mate
Filter Archivist openings by employers with confirmed LCA filing history on Migrate Mate. This surfaces institutions that have actively sponsored the SOC 25-4011 occupation code, so you're not guessing which archives or universities will support a petition.
Verify prevailing wage before negotiating
Your employer's LCA must certify a wage at or above DOL's prevailing wage for Archivist roles in the job's metro area. Check the wage level that applies to your experience tier using the OFLC Wage Search before salary discussions begin.
Request the LCA before your start date
The LCA must be certified by DOL before USCIS can adjudicate your I-129. Ask your employer's HR or immigration counsel for the LCA certification number and effective dates once it's filed, so you can confirm the timeline aligns with your current status expiration.
Document specialized credentials during the petition
Professional certifications such as the Academy of Certified Archivists credential strengthen the specialty occupation argument in your I-129 packet. Include any digitization project experience or institutional accreditation records, as USCIS officers sometimes scrutinize whether Archivist roles require degree-level expertise.
H-1B Visa Archivist: Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Archivist role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes, Archivist positions qualify as specialty occupations under H-1B when the employer requires at least a bachelor's degree in archival science, library science, history, or a directly related field. USCIS evaluates whether the specific position, not just the job title, necessitates that theoretical and practical application of specialized knowledge. Roles that accept any degree field without a direct connection to archival practice are more vulnerable to RFEs.
Which types of employers sponsor H-1B visas for Archivists?
Universities, federal and state government archives, presidential libraries, large public library systems, and major cultural institutions such as museums and historical societies are the most consistent H-1B sponsors for Archivist roles. Many of these are cap-exempt, allowing year-round filing. You can browse Archivist openings at employers with confirmed LCA filing history on Migrate Mate.
How does the H-1B lottery affect Archivist job seekers?
If your target employer is a private company subject to the annual H-1B cap, your petition must be registered during the March lottery window for an October 1 start date. However, universities and government-affiliated archives are typically cap-exempt, so many Archivist positions sidestep the lottery entirely. Confirming an employer's cap-exempt status early in your job search prevents timeline surprises.
What wage level should an H-1B Archivist expect on the LCA?
DOL assigns prevailing wage levels from Level I through Level IV based on experience, supervision, and complexity. Entry-level Archivist positions at universities typically fall at Level I or II, while senior or specialized roles in federal archives or large research institutions may reach Level III. Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up the current prevailing wage for SOC code 25-4011 in your specific metro area before your offer is finalized.
Can an Archivist on H-1B change employers mid-status?
Yes. Under H-1B portability rules established by AC21, you can start working for a new employer once the new I-129 petition is filed and receipted, provided your current H-1B has been approved for at least 180 days. The new employer must file a new LCA certifying the prevailing wage for the Archivist role at the new worksite location before USCIS can adjudicate the transfer petition.