NON-IMMIGRANT VISAS

he H-1B or “Specialty Worker” visa is available for a United States company who wishes to directly employ a foreign individual, for a temporary period (initially 3 years) in a "specialty occupation.” A specialty occupation is defined as "an occupation, which requires theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge to fully perform the occupation." The position or the job for which the foreign national would be hired must be one that requires a baccalaureate or a higher degree or the equivalent, and the degree requirement must be common to the industry or the company must show that [...]

The L visa is available for multinational companies seeking to transfer high-level and essential employees from overseas to provide services in a similar capacity to a subsidiary, affiliate, branch or parent company in the United States. This individual employee is called an “intra-company transferee.” The intra-company transferee must have been working abroad continuously for one year by a firm or corporation or other legal entity or parent, branch, affiliate, or subsidiary of the U.S. company within the three years preceding the time of his/her application for an L-1. She/he must also be coming to the United States temporarily in order to [...]

If you are a person who is highly talented or acclaimed in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics, or have a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry, and wish to come to the U.S., the O-1 visa is a good option for you. This type of visa is especially helpful to artists, athletes, entertainers and high-end chefs, among others. "Extraordinary ability" is defined as a level of expertise indicating that the foreign national is “one of the small percentage who have risen to the very top of their field of endeavor.” In order to [...]

Canadian or Mexican professionals may work for companies in the United States on a temporary basis, under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), either as a direct employee or as a management consultant. The maximum period of the initial authorized stay under the TN category is one year, with unlimited one-year extensions. Under NAFTA there is a specific list of professions, which may qualify for TN category. This list is long and includes computer science, engineering, architecture, economics, and many other professions. A Canadian applicant for a TN status may file an application for admission directly at the United States [...]

The B-1 visa is available for any foreign national who wishes to enter the United States for any business-related function, such as to attend conferences, take orders, to negotiate with existing businesses or customers, or to execute service agreements. However, the visitor must be conducting temporary business activity for a foreign employer, and the trip must not lead to gainful employment in the United States. B-1 status is approved for the period of time necessary to complete the business activity and usually does not exceed six months. However, should the visitor require more time, s/he may apply for an extension while [...]

The E-1 and E-2 Visas are available for foreign nationals, who are citizens of countries which have treaties of “commerce and navigation” with the United States. Generally, the E visa is available to persons who will oversee a business in the United States, which is either engaged in trade between the United States and the treaty country or is created by “substantial investment” in the United States. In order to obtain an E visa, there must be an actual treaty existing between the U.S. and the foreign national’s country of nationality, the majority ownership of the company must be held by [...]