Jacksonville Work Visa Attorney

Dedicated Legal Help for Business & Employment Visas: (904) 447-1937

Individuals from foreign countries can be employed in the U.S. on a temporary or permanent basis by small businesses, corporations, universities, hospitals, sports facilities, entertainment industries, and other professional groups. This usually begins with sponsorship by a U.S. employer.

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At our law firm, we handle a variety of work visas for a wide variety of organizations, from small startups and entertainment groups to religious organizations and major corporations since 2006. Work directly with a Jacksonville work visa lawyer to ensure that the process for your group is accurately and responsibly prepared, documented, and followed up. Contact Ms. Fakhre today for a consultation about your case.

Nonimmigrant Work Visas

There are many different employment-based nonimmigrant visa categories that allow employers to hire and petition for foreign nationals to work in specific jobs for a limited or specific period of time, depending on the visa category.

Other nonimmigrant visa categories, such as the E2 investment visa, allow the foreign national to invest in a business in the United States.

Our firm handles nonimmigrant visas for:

• E-1: Treaty Traders
• E-2: Treaty Investor
• E-3: Certain Specialty Occupational Professionals from Australia
• H1-B: Professional Worker Specialty Occupations
• L1-A: Executives or Managers
• L1-B: Specialized Worker
• O-1A: Individuals with Extraordinary Ability in the Sciences, Education, Business, or Athletics
• O-1B: Individuals with Extraordinary Ability in the Arts or in the Motion Picture or Television Industry
• P-1A: Members of an Athletic Team or Internationally Recognized Athlete
• P-1B: Members of an Internationally Recognized Entertainment Group
• P-2: Individual Performer or Part of a Group Entering to Perform on a Reciprocal Exchange Program
• P-3: Artist or Entertainer Coming to Be Part of a Culturally Unique Program
• Q-1: Cultural Exchange Visitor
• R-1: Temporary Nonimmigrant Religious Workers
• TN / NAFTA: Canadians or Mexicans Who Work in Certain Occupations as Part of the NAFTA Treaty

Should your employment-based visa not fall into the above categories, let Ms. Fakhre provide you with the appropriate legal options available to you to resolve your matter.

Immigrant Petitions

A foreign national can become a legal permanent resident based on a self-petition Employment or Investment. Self-petitions are available to individuals with extraordinary ability or those who have been granted a National Interest Waiver.

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Consular Processing & Adjustment of Status

Our Jacksonville immigration lawyer provides dedicated legal help in handling consular processing for those individuals outside the United States seeking nonimmigrant or immigrant visas.

For those foreign nationals who are already in the United States, and eligible to become legal permanent residents, an Adjustment of Status (AOS) application can be filed. Our office is here to help you in understanding and pursuing an AOS or finding other legal options should this not be available to you.

Obtaining a US Work Visa Without Sponsorship

While most work visas require sponsorship, some do not require an approved petition by a potential employer. These include:

• EB-1A/O-1 - For immigrants with exceptional expertise. You can prove your expertise by providing copies of your awards or publications.
• EB-5 - For immigrants planning to significantly invest in the U.S. economy and create jobs.

Immigration Compliance for Business Owners

In today’s increasingly global economy, many business owners and corporations seek to find and hire qualified personnel worldwide. Such business owners must follow all of the rules and regulations set forth by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and remain compliant throughout the duration of their foreign-born employees’ stay. Applications for immigrant and nonimmigrant visas can be complicated and many classifications exist under U.S. law, whose requirements and processing must be followed to the letter.

Under U. S. immigration law, employers are allowed only to employ individuals who may legally work in the United States. Form I–9, Employment Eligibility Verification, must be used to certify that the employer has reviewed the work eligibility of the employee within three business days from the date the employment began.

Employees must provide original documents for Form I-9, the only exception being a certified birth certificate. Penalties are applied to employers ranging from $100 to $1,000 for missing or incomplete forms. Additionally, workplace audits and I–9 inspections have become commonplace. Therefore, it is recommended that employers have I–9 files reviewed annually. Ms. Fakhre can assist you in reviewing your I–9 forms to ensure workplace compliance.