H-1B, H-2B and Other Business Visas

On August 23, 2011, in Immigration, by John A. Weber IV, ESQ.

Business Visas

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recognizes that there is a shortage of American workers available to fill specialty occupations at businesses and professional organizations in the United States and therefore allows certain business visas. Approximately 65,000 H-1B Specialty Occupation visas are available through the USCIS each year. Typically, the visas are granted for three years, but may be extended an additional six years. In addition, if the sponsoring employer is willing to continue sponsoring the specialty worker for residency status, the employee may apply for green card status to remain legally in the United State permanently.  There are several occupations that are currently listed by the USCIS as specialty occupations, and additional occupations may be considered on a per-applicant basis. The list includes occupations such as:

  • Certain healthcare professionals
  • Accounting professionals
  • Computer analysts
  • Programmers
  • Database administrators
  • Engineers and scientists
  • Licensed professionals such as architects and lawyers

Eligibility

In order for an applicant to be eligible for an H-1B Specialty Worker visa, one requires:

  • Profession must be a “specialty occupation”
  • Petition must be submitted by the employer (there are some exceptions to this requirement)
  • Bachelor’s degree required or requisite experience
  • Employee must have a bachelor’s degree or US equivalent or experience in the specialty occupation
  • The employer must pay the employee the prevailing wage
  • The employee meets state licensing requirements if such license is required

H-2B Visas

Employers may file H-2B visas for their semi-skilled or skilled employees to meet seasonal, intermittent, one-time occurrence or peak time needs. For instance large resorts that cannot meet their staffing needs are eligible to file an H-2B visa to meet their “seasonal” needs. The employer must file a labor certification application with the Department of Labor (DOL) and demonstrate that no qualified worker is able to fulfill the position. Subsequent to meeting this requirement, the employer may file an H-2B petition with the USCIS. Unlike the H-1B visa, the employer may file a blanket petition for their workers. Thus multiple employees may be included in the labor certification and USCIS petition. Since there are only 66,000 visas allotted for the year, it is important that the H-2B petition is filed before the H-2B cap is met.

Other Business Immigration Visas

In addition to H-1B visas for specialty occupations, the USCIS also grants business immigration visas for workers who lack the requisite college education, but have recognized experience in the field. Other business immigration visas include, TN visas under NAFTA, and E-1 treaty traders visas.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call us at (516) 858-2620 to speak to an Immigration Attorney!

Immigration Options for Battered Spouses

On August 2, 2011, in Family Law, Immigration, by John A. Weber IV, ESQ.

Immigration Options for Battered Spouses

Generally, U.S. citizens (USC) and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) file an immigrant visa petition with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of a spouse or child, so that these family members may emigrate to or remain in the United States. The Petition for Alien Relative is filed by the USC/LPR, the petitioner, on behalf of the family member who is the beneficiary. The petitioner controls when or if the petition is filed. Unfortunately, some U.S. citizens and LPRs misuse their control of this process to abuse their family members, or by threatening to report them to USCIS . As a result, most battered immigrants are afraid to report the abuse to the police or other authorities. Immigration history protects persons whom are being beaten by their spouses.

Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) passed by Congress in 1994, the spouses and children of United States citizens or lawful permanent residents (LPR) may self-petition to obtain lawful permanent residency. The immigration provisions of VAWA allow certain battered immigrants to file for immigration relief without the abuser’s assistance or knowledge, in order to seek safety and independence from the abuser. Victims of domestic violence should know that help is available to them through the National Domestic Violence Hotline on 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 [TDD] for information about shelters, mental health care, legal advice and other types of assistance, including information about self-petitioning for immigration status.

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is the law that governs immigration in the United States. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provisions relating to immigration are codified in section 204(a) of the INA. Rules published in the Federal Register explain the eligibility requirements and procedures for filing a self-petition under the VAWA provisions. These rules can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 8 CFR § 204. The Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000 (BIWPA) made significant amendments to section 204(a) of the INA.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call us at (516) 858-2620 to speak to an immigration attorney! The Law Firm of Vaughn, Weber & Prakope, PLLC will be glad to be of assistance in any Immigration matters you may have.

USCIS Waiver of Filing Fees

In addition to the timelines and stress of dealing with the government, many people find that the costliness of filing fees involved with visas and petitions prohibit them from proceeding with their Immigration issues.  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is funded largely by application and petition fees, however they have instituted a few policies which make it possible for certain individuals to have their Immigration Fees waived.  A person who seeks to have the fees waived must demonstrate an inability to afford to pay the fees associated with certain applications and forms.  The USCIS has created a form I-912 which will waive the fee for benefit services including but not limited to Applications to replace Permanent Resident cards, Applications for Travel Documents and Applications to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.  In the case of the latter, Asylum seekers and/or battered or abused spouses may have their fees waived because of their special circumstances.  The granting of any fee waiver is at the sole discretion of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) however an immigration attorney may help navigate through this difficult process.   As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call us at (516) 858-2620!

 

I-485 Adjustment of Status

On July 5, 2011, in Immigration, by John A. Weber IV, ESQ.

I-485 Adjustment of Status

Recently, we have been receiving questions concerning the adjustment of status requirement for obtaining a Green Card.  When applying for a Green Card, you must first adjust your status from that of non-immigrant to permanent resident of the United States by filing an I-485 Application.  Where one files is determined by their category of eligibility.  Depending on their situation, one may have to file in Chicago, Vermont, Phoenix, Dallas or Nebraska.  The usual filing fee is over $1000 unless you fall under an exception such as age, refugee status, etc.  It is difficult to determine how long it will take to receive approval for an I-485 Application.  The process depends on many factors including petition category and security background checks.  You can check the status of your I-485 Application online, by phone/email or in person.  Not everyone is eligible to apply for Adjustment of Status including but not limited to persons not admitted or paroled following inspection by an immigration officer or someone whose authorized stay expired before filing their I-485 or cases of unauthorized employment.  Although not essential, it may often be beneficial for applicants to attain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) or Advance Parole (AP) travel document.  In addition, drug or alcohol related offenses as well as arrests must be reported on the I-485 application.  If all of the paperwork is in order and satisfactory, it shouldn’t be long before one may receive their Green Card.   As always, if you have any questions regarding the immigration process, please feel free to call us at (516) 858-2620!

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 own situation. This website is Attorney Advertising. It does not form an attorney-client relationship. We are a debt relief agency and a law firm that helps people file for bankruptcy relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code – Title 11. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Proudly assisting residents of Long Island, Nassau county, Suffolk county, New York City, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan