Immigration Law
The Immigration and Nationality Act, or INA, with its respective amendments over the years, provides the structure that regulates the traffic of visitors, workers, and immigrants to the United States.
In general, any not American citizen who wants to come to the United States, will have to obtain a non-immigrant visa for a transitory stay, or an immigrant's visa for a permanent residence.
The Immigration and Nationality Act, or INA allows the immigration of aliens to the United States based on certain bonds of relationship with an American citizen or legal resident or on a job offer.
Business Immigration Services for Employers and Employees
Our immigration practice is dedicated to advising foreign-based companies and their executives regarding all aspects of business immigration matters.
Non-Immigrant Visas (Work Visas)
There are several classifications of non-immigrant's visas, among the most common ones, are the following:
- Extraordinary ability (O Visa): This category of visa applies to persons who possess extraordinary abilities in the sciences, arts, education, business and sports, or those who have been highlighted in the film or television production.
- Executives and Managers (L Visa): This category of visa applies to employees in a charge of high-level executive or managerial capacity in a foreign company, which is to establish a subsidiary, branch or subsidiary in the United States.
- Treaty traders / investors (Visa E1/E2): This category of visa applies to persons from countries maintaining a bilateral trade agreement with the United States. The applicant for this visa needs to travel to the United States to carry out a business or to develop or direct the operations of a company in which the person has invested or is actively in the process of investing, an important capital.
- Professionals (Visa H-1B): This category of visa applies to professional workers who are employed by U.S. companies in specialty occupations. Part of the approval process conducted by the Immigration Service for this visa requires that the prospective employer submits a labor certification to the Department of Labor. This category of visa has limited quotas.
Family Immigration Services for U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents and Foreign Nationals
Immigrant Visas (Family Petitions)
The Immigration and Nationality Act allows the immigration of aliens to the United States based on certain bonds of kinship to a U.S. citizen or legal resident in the United States. These visas are divided into two groups: Unlimited and numerically limited.
- Visas not limited:
- Spouse and children under 21 years of the petitioner U.S. citizen; and
- Father-mother of the petitioner U.S. citizen.
- Numerically limited visas: In some of the categories of visas through a familiar U.S. citizen, the Immigration Act of the United States numerically limits the emission each year. These categories are:
- Unmarried Children over 21 years (the first category-1st);
- Sons-married (third-3rd category); and
- Brothers (fourth-4th category).
- Wives and children under 21 years (second category-2a); and
- Unmarried children over 21 years (second category-2b).
The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your individual situation.
