FAMILY BASED VISAS/ FIANCEE VISAS:
The Law Office of Michael Sharp has helped many fathers, daughters, mothers, sons, fiancés and other relatives enter the United States with either an immigrant or non-immigrant visa. The firm can guide you through the many options that are available, and make certain that the paperwork is all in order so the petition is granted.
I-130 Petition:
An I-130 is a Petition for Alien Relatives and it applies to mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and children. Parents, spouses and unmarried children under 21 years of age of U.S. Citizens are considered immediate relatives and are not placed under a quota system. The others are placed into preference order which determines who is given priority entry into the United States:
- First Preference: Unmarried, adult (21 years of age or older) sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
- Second Preference: Spouses of lawful permanent residents and the unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents.
- Third Preference: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
- Fourth Preference: Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.
This process can take a very long time (several years) depending upon the preference ranking. The most current online visa bulletin will give those who are waiting an idea of how long they must wait for their immigration application or green card to be granted.
For those seeking to bring a fiancé or fiancée to the United States, a K-1 visa application will allow the fiancé(e) to enter the United States. Both parties must be unmarried, legally divorced or annulled, or widowed. The marriage must take place within 90 days of entry into the United States.
The highly-prized “green card” enables a foreign national to be employed in the United States, although the right to work is not absolute and a green card holder can lose the card along with his/her employment status. When immigrants abandon the United States as their permanent home, legal resident status is lost and the green card becomes invalid. Attorney Michael Sharp has helped immigrants with many green card issues. He is also particularly adept in green card spousal immigration issues (three years to immigrate). If you are having problems getting your spouse granted entry into the United States, please call Immigration lawyer Michael Sharp at 866-435-2759 today for help.
Non-immigrant work visas (H, L, O, P, Q) require a CIS-approved petition from a U.S. sponsor. Treaty-trader or treaty-investor visas (E1/E2) can be applied for directly by the individual as long as he or she is from a country with which the United States has a treaty.
The most common work-related visas are H-1B Visas and L1 Visas. The H-1B is a way to bring foreign-born professionals to the United States for a period of up to six years. A sponsor is required, and the employment may only start up when the new employee is in the United States. The L-1 Visa is for people working for an employer abroad for one year in a related business entity in a manager/executive or specialized knowledge staff capacity, and who will come to the United States to continue providing services for his or her employer.
The paperwork is important, but so is the communication. Texas immigration Attorney Michael Sharp maintains excellent communication and regularly represents employees and employers within the following types of visa filings:
- B1 Temporary visitor for business
- B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business or pleasure
- F1 Student—Academic or Language Students
- Green card issues
- H1B (petition-based) Temporary worker in a specialty occupation
- H1C (petition-based) Registered nurses
- H2A (petition-based) Temporary worker performing agricultural services unavailable in the United States
- H2B (petition-based) Temporary worker performing non-agricultural services unavailable in the United States
- H3 (petition-based) Industrial trainee
- J1 Exchange visitors and waivers
- J2 Spouses and children of J1 holders
- K1 Fiance or Fiancee of U.S. citizen
- Labor Certification
- L1 (petition-based) Intra-company transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with an international firm or corporation)
- L2 (petition-based) Dependent of L1
- NATO (NATO personnel and family)
- R1 Members of religious organizations
EMPLOYMENT VISAS/LABOR CERTIFICATION:
The Law Office of Michael Sharp [Link to About Us] routinely handles all green card matters including green card applications and labor certification. The immigration law work Attorney Michael Sharp does for employees and employers can include, but is not limited to:
- B-1 - Business Visitors
- H-2A - Seasonal Worker Visas
- H-2B - Other Seasonal Work Visas
- L-1 - Inter-Company Transferees Visas
When the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented on January 1, 1994, a category for Mexican and Canadian professionals was created to allow for temporary entry into the United States.
Under the NAFTA, Mexican and Canadian professionals are now eligible for Trade NAFTA (TN) status. Under TN status, Mexican and Canadian citizens in certain professions may enter the United States to work for a U.S. company on a temporary basis. Eligible professionals may also work for Mexican and Canadian companies in the United States.
Professions Qualified For TN Status:
In order to qualify for TN status, the applicant must be intending to be involved in a profession listed in Appendix 1603.D.1 of NAFTA and the applicant must possess the required credentials to be considered a "professional." In most, but not all of the listed professions, a bachelor's degree or better is usually required. However, the list of eligible professions also includes occupations which do not necessarily require a bachelor's degree as a minimum requirement. Examples of these occupations are management consultants, hotel managers, librarians and graphic designers. The requirements for each of these categories appear in Appendix 1603.D.l of NAFTA.
If you need a visa, wish to immigrate, or want to help bring a family member or employee to the United States, Texas immigration Attorney Michael Sharp can help. Please call Immigration lawyer Sharp today, at 866-435-2759, or use the contact form provided on this site to schedule a consultation with an experienced U.S. immigration lawyer.
