Our team has successfully represented clients in the following matters:
- Work Visas:
- H-1B: Professional Workers, including Cap-Subject and Cap-Exempt Filings
- L-1: Intra-Company Transferees in Managerial/Executive Positions or with Specialized Knowledge, including New Office L-1s and Blanket L-1s
- O-1: Persons of Extraordinary Ability in the Arts, Sciences, Business, Education, or Athletics
- TN: Professional Workers from Canada and Mexico under NAFTA
- J-1: Trainees
- Visitor Visas
- B-1: Visitors for Business
- B-2: Visitors for Pleasure
- Student Visas, including F-1 and M-1 and OPT and CPT issues
- Other Visas:
- K-1: Fiancé(e)s and Spouses of U.S. Citizens
- U: Victims of Certain Crimes
Employment-Based
U.S. Employers may sponsor individual workers for the green card through sponsorship. This is true of employees in professional capacities as well as unskilled workers. As long as the U.S. employer has a valid employment need and there are no U.S. workers available after a Department of Labor mandated recruitment process, an individual may be considered for the green card through an employment-based petition.
There are certain types of employment-based petitions that do not require a test of the labor market, including individuals with extraordinary ability, those whose work directly and positively affect the U.S. national interest, outstanding researchers and professors, certain health care professionals, and certain multinational managers and executives.
Our team has extensive experience representing cases involving the PERM process (recruitment-based green card sponsorship) as well as the various routes that qualify for an exemption to the PERM process.
Employment-based green card applications require advanced planning. Please contact us for a complete consultation on employment-based immigration options.
Family-Based
A U.S. Citizen may sponsor the following family members for the green card: parents; spouse; fiancé(e), children, and siblings.
A Permanent Resident may sponsor a spouse, and unmarried children under 21.
Because visa wait times may vary significantly per family classification, it is important to know what is necessary for family-based green card petitions and how to prepare a complete application to minimize unnecessary delays. Please contact us to discuss your family-based immigration needs.
Asylum/Refugee-Based
Persons who have suffered persecution or fear persecution in their home countries may be able to seek asylum within the U.S. Successful asylum applicants will be granted the right to remain in the U.S., and they will receive permanent resident status or the green card.
Those who have been persecuted on the account of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group—including sexual orientation and gender identity—or political opinion could qualify for asylum within the U.S. Please contact us for a full consultation about who may qualify for asylum and what the requirements are for such an application.
Naturalization
Naturalization or the ability to apply for U.S. Citizenship is often the ultimate goal of immigrants who start the permanent resident process. Most permanent residents will qualify for Naturalization within five (5) years of receiving the green card while spouses of U.S. Citizens qualify within three (3) years.
To qualify for Naturalization, a permanent resident must have lived within the U.S. for a significant amount of time and must have good moral character.
The Naturalization process requires an interview and a civics and English language exam. For additional information about applying for Naturalization, please contact us.
Waivers
Some cases require additional work due to disqualifying factors in a green-card applicant’s background. Our firm is ready to assist and prepare these complicated filings on behalf of clients. Please contact us for a full consultation about whether your case requires a waiver and what the requirements are for such cases.