Practice Areas: Business Immigration

 











Business/Work Immigration

1. I-9 Compliance - The Immigration Reform and Control Act made all U.S. employers responsible to verify the employment eligibility and identity of all employees hired to work in the United States after November 6, 1986. To implement the law, employers are required to complete Employment Eligibility Verification forms (Form I-9) for all employees, including U.S. citizens.
   
2. Nonimmigrant Visas - Each year hundreds of thousands of people travel to the United States to do business and work temporarily. The United States welcomes the international exchange of commerce, the contribution of temporary workers to our society, and cultural, educational and training programs in the U.S. The kind of visa you will need is defined by immigration law, and relates to the intended purpose of your travel. Some of these Visa's include H-visas for skilled occupations, temporary workers, temporary trainees, and immediate relatives of H-visa holders; also L-visas for intracompany transferees who work as managers, executives, or persons with specialized knowledge, and the immediate relatives of L-visa holders.
   
3. Extending a Stay/Changing Status in the United States - When holders of nonimmigrant visas enter the United States, they receive an I-94 card that specifies the deadline date by which they must leave the United States. To extend a stay beyond that date, permission must be obtained from the USCIS prior to the expiration date on the I-94 card. Of course, only people who lawfully entered the United States in the first place are eligible to seek an extended stay.
   
4. Permanent Resident Status (Green Cards) - Immigrant visas are for people who want to live permanently in the United States. You must have one even if you do not want to work in the United States. For foreign nationals here on a workers visa, changing of status to Permanent Resident will require Labor Certification of the job position by the employer with the Department of Labor. The green card (Legal Permanent Residency) requirements for the L-1A Manger/Executive require a showing of all of the same evidence of the L-1A Manger/Executive visa petition. The main additional requirement is that the U.S operation be in existence for at least a year.