All recruitment through the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) career centers must adhere to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Ethical Professional Practice, and the career center’s terms and conditions detailed below, which are subject to change without prior notice. Career centers reserve the rights to suspend, terminate or modify access and/or recruitment privileges for any reason, in their sole discretion, including failure to abide by these policies and guidelines.
Non-Discrimination Policy
UMass Amherst is committed in policy, principle, and practice to maintaining an environment which prohibits discriminatory behavior and provides equal opportunity for all persons.
UMass Amherst prohibits discrimination on the basis of race (including traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture, hair type, hair length and protective hairstyles), color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, citizenship/immigration status and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or in the recruitment, employment and application for employment.
Citizenship/Immigration Status and National Origin Discrimination
The Immigration and Nationality Act prohibits citizenship/immigration status and national origin discrimination with respect to hiring, termination, and recruiting or referring for a fee. Citizenship/immigration status discrimination includes requiring U.S. citizenship for employment (unless a narrow exception applies) or only recruiting workers on OPT/STEM OPT or on an H-1B visa. National origin discrimination includes treating individuals differently because of their place of birth, country of origin, ancestry, first language, accent or because they are perceived as looking or sounding “foreign.” Employers should follow the best practices set forth by the Department of Justice.
- Unless legally required, job postings cannot limit eligibility based on citizenship or immigration status, such as “Only U.S. Citizens” or “H-1Bs and OPT Preferred.”
- Job postings cannot limit eligibility based on national origin, such as “Native English Speakers only.”
- Employers are not obliged to sponsor a candidate for work authorization, i.e., immigration sponsorship. An employer is allowed to disqualify a candidate because they lack work authorization. Employers may use the following language when they do not want to engage in immigration sponsorship: “Applicants must be authorized to work in the US.”
- Employers may not ask candidates specific questions about their work authorization or ask them to produce documentation until an offer is made and accepted.
- Employers may ask the following questions regarding an applicant’s U.S. work authorization:
- Are they currently work authorized?
- Will they now or in the future require work authorization sponsorship from their employer?
- Don’t use the ITAR or the EAR as a reason to limit jobs to candidates with certain citizenships, immigration statutes, or national origins – don’t limit jobs to U.S. citizens because the job involves assessing export-controlled items.
More Information
A full listing of our Recruiting Guidelines can be found on the UMass website. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
(Updated: 9/26/2023)