Business immigration law firm in Florida
You tell us your business goals. We will tell you how. If you are a start-up, small local business, or large company, we can help you with strategic and tailored consultation to get your employees to your company quickly and compliantly. If you are an individual, we understand the importance of working with a caring and professional team who guides you through the immigration journey from start to finish.
Types of Business Visas
There are many ways in which a person may be able to work in the United States. An individual may seek an immigration visa that permits him/her to live and work in the United States permanently or temporarily. In most instances, an employer or potential employer must petition you; however, you can self-petition yourself in some cases.
Apostol Law Firm attorneys take pride and enthusiasm for what they do, and all of our immigration services are designed to provide value to meet your immigration goals.
Business Non-Immigrant Visas
Apostol Law Firm attorneys assists clients seeking non-immigrant visas for employment, studies, business, investment, tourism, medical treatment, marriage, intracompany transferees, and other purposes.
If you want to work in the United States temporarily as a lawful nonimmigrant, you must qualify for the visa category based on the planned employment purpose.
H-1B Specialty Occupation Visas
An H-1B nonimmigrant visa is a temporary visa for professional workers to work in a specialty occupation. Specialty occupation requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent as a minimum requirement. The H-1B visa is valid for three years and can be renewed for an additional three years. The H-1B is one of the most common work-related visas and is subject to annual quotas.
Occupations that qualify for H-1B visas typically require highly specialized knowledge in a field of human endeavor including, but not limited to: IT, Architecture, Engineering, Mathematics, Physical Scientific Research, Social Science, Biotechnology, HealthCare/Medicine, Education, Law, Accounting, Business, Theology, Arts, Computing, Finance, Accounting, Banking, Marketing, Sales, Recruiting, and Telecommunication.
The H-1B visa holders may be accompanied by spouses and unmarried children (dependents) who are under 21 years of age. Dependents may attend US schools, colleges and universities, but they are not authorized to work.
J-1 and Q-1 Exchange Visitor Visa
The J-1 Visa provides countless opportunities for international candidates looking to travel and gain experience in the United States. J-1 programs may cover au pairs, teachers, professors, camp counselors, physicians, short-term scholars, specialists, government visitors, international visitors.
L-1A Intracompany Transferee
The L-1 nonimmigrant classification enables a U.S. employer to transfer an executive, manager, and specialized knowledge employee from one of its affiliated foreign offices to one of its offices in the United States. It also enables a foreign company which does not yet have an affiliated U.S. office to send an intracompany transferee to the United States with the purpose of establishing one.
O-1 Extraordinary Ability Worker Visas
The O-1 category is for foreign nationals with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics.
P-1 Artist and Entertainer Visas
This visa covers athletes, artists, and entertainers.
R-1 Religious Worker Visas
This visa program is intended for religious workers.
TN NAFTA Professionals
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created TN professional visa for Canadian and Mexican nationals. The TN nonimmigrant classification permits qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens to seek temporary entry into the United States to engage in business activities at a professional level such as nurses, therapists, computer systems analysts, engineers. There is a wide variety of occupations included in the list of eligible TN jobs.
B-1 Temporary Business Visitor
You may be eligible for a B-1 visa if you will be participating in business activities of a commercial or professional nature in the United States such as consulting with business associates, traveling for a scientific, educational, professional or business convention, or a conference on specific dates, negotiating a contract, settling an estate, participating in short-term training, and other limited business activities.
F-1 and M-1 Student Visas
These visas are available to persons seeking to pursue full-time academic or vocational studies in the U.S. In some cases, students can obtain temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study under Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. Eligible students can apply to receive up to 12months or up to 24 months for STEM programs of OPT employment authorization.
Green Cards -Business Immigration
Permanent Resident status, known as “green card”, allows you to live and work in the U.S. without limitation. There are several basis for obtaining permanent residence. One way is through employment in the United States, usually based on a job offer from a U.S. employer.
Congress has designated employment-based groups to which it gives preference in immigrating to the United States, and they are subject to an overall numerical limitation. Immediate family members can also immigrate with the employment-based immigrant. No separate immigrant visa petition is required on behalf of such family members.
First Preference EB-1
EB-1 Extraordinary ability. Persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. A labor certification or offer of employment is not required.
EB-1 Outstanding Professor or Researcher. Outstanding Professors or Researchers with universities or private employers that have established research departments. A labor certification is not required.
EB-1 Multination Executive or Manager. Managers and Executives subject to international transfers to the United States. A labor certification is not required.
Second Preference EB-2
The second employment-based preference covers workers with advanced degrees in professional fields and persons of exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business. Although a job offer from an employer and a labor certification from the Department of Labor are generally required for the EB-2 classification, you may be eligible to self-petition if you are asking for a waiver of the labor certification requirement based on the national interest. A certified PERM labor certification is not required for Physical Therapists under Schedule A category.
Third Preference EB-3
Third Preference EB-3 is the catch-all category which covers skilled workers, professionals and other workers which require offers of employment and a PERM labor certification for their jobs. Registered Nurses and Physical Therapists are not required to obtain a PERM labor certification for their job since these occupations are pre-certified under Schedule A.
Fourth Preference EB-4
This category includes religious workers, special immigrant juveniles and a variety of other special immigrants.
Get legal help from an experienced business immigration law firm
At Apostol Law Firm, we never provide legal advice without first gaining a thorough understanding of your business, family, and immigration goals. Schedule a confidential consultation with our experienced business immigration law firm for an individualized and strategic one-on-one legal consultation. Our professional immigration team is ready to help you find the best business visa options.
