Cleveland Work Visas Attorney
Guidance for Foreign Nationals Looking to Work in the U.S.
Before a foreign national can legally secure employment and work in the United States, he or she must obtain a visa that authorizes such employment. To make matters more complex, U.S. immigration law does not provide one single visa that gives a blanket authorization to work. Instead, there are more than 20 unique types of non-immigrant work visas, each one intended for a different situation.
A Cleveland employment-based immigration lawyer from our firm can help you select the most appropriate type of visa for you and assist you with the entire application process. We work with both individuals and employers, providing knowledgeable legal counsel and outstanding representation.
Types of Visas for Non-Permanent Employment
The B-1 visa is for temporary business visitors who are coming to the United States for purposes such as consulting with associates; negotiating contracts; participating in training on a short-term basis; attending a scientific, educational, professional, or business convention or conference; or settling an estate.
Certain countries around the world are party to treaties of trade and commerce with the United States, and the citizens of these countries enjoy special rights and privileges under the provisions of U.S. immigration law. Visas are available for treaty investors and treaty traders who plan to conduct business in this country.
The F-1 visa is one of two available student visas; it enables the holder to attend a college, university, seminary, high school, elementary school, or other educational institution on a full-time basis. It also allows the student to work on campus under certain circumstances and off campus in certain types of positions after the first year.
There are several types of visas in the H visa category, including visas for specialty occupation workers, registered nurses, seasonal agricultural workers, and trainees. H visas are in high demand, and the yearly allocation typically runs out in a short period of time.
The I visa is reserved for representatives of the foreign press, radio, film, or other types of information media. It does not permit the holder to engage in activities such as creating material of a commercial nature, for staged events such as reality TV shows, quiz shows, or documentaries with staged recreations.
J visas, which are also referred to as exchange visitor visas, are provided with the purpose of promoting understanding between the people of the U.S. and the rest of the world. There are several categories of exchange visitor, including students, physicians, au pairs, professors, and trainees.
If you work for a multinational corporation and are going to be transferred to offices within the United States, then you will need a visa in the L category for intracompany transferees, either the L-1A executive / manager or the L-1B specialized knowledge visa.
Individuals with extraordinary ability or achievements in the arts, sciences, business, education, or athletics, or extraordinary achievements in the motion picture and television film may be eligible for the O visa category, which allows the holder to stay in this country for a period of up to three years.
There are several different types of P visas, but the category is generally intended for athletes, artists, entertainers, and their immediate family members. The visa is reserved for individuals who have achieved recognition for performance on an internationally recognized level.
When you are planning to travel to the United States for the purpose of taking part in an international cultural exchange program, you can apply for a Q visa. Whereas the J visa is for cultural exchange programs sanctioned by the Department of State, the Q visa enables the holder to enter the U.S. to participate in programs recognized by USCIS.
With the R-1 visa, certain types of religious workers are permitted to travel to the United States for an initial period of two and a half years or up to five years with extensions. To prove that you are eligible for the R-1 visa, you must be a member of a bona fide non-profit religious organization for at least two years and must be planning to work at least 20 hours per week during your time in the U.S.
TN (trade NAFTA) status is a temporary worker visa status intended for individuals who live in the North American Free Trade Agreement countries. Workers from Mexico and Canada may be eligible for this type of visa provided that they work in one of several listed professions, have a prearranged position of employment, and can meet the other requirements for eligibility.
How Brown Immigration Law Can Help You
The attorneys of Brown Immigration Law - Robert Brown, Rishi Oza, Aleksandar Cuic, Erin Brown, and Kathryn Russell - have more than 70 years of immigration experience, and have earned accolades such as the Martindale-Hubbell® AV® peer-review rating and inclusion in the prestigious Super Lawyers® Rising Stars℠ list. We work as a team, pooling our extensive knowledge of U.S. immigration law and collaborating on strategies to ensure that we achieve the best possible results for our clients.
Contact us now for a consultation with an lawyer from our firm, during which you can ask all of your questions about the case and learn more about how we can help. We serve clients in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and throughout the world.
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