Non-Immigrant Visa Lawyer in Houston

A B-1 visitor visa allows certain kinds of business travel. The definition is limited and does not generally allow gainful employment. In the applicable U.S. immigration law, the term is limited to:

• negotiation of contracts
• consultation with business associates
• litigation
• participation in scientific, educational, professional or business conventions, conferences or seminars
• other similar activities

A B-1 visa always goes together with a B-2, so it covers two reasons for travel. The first is business, and the second is pleasure or medical reasons. People from every country, including European Union member states, must apply for a U.S. visa if they intend to stay for more than 90 days.

Many foreign nationals in professional jobs begin their work in the United States through an H-1B. Initially, this non-immigrant visa is for three years and may be renewed once for another three.

Herrera Law Firm attorneys have successfully filed H-1B applications, change of employer applications, extensions and amended applications for individuals and corporate clients. We have filed visas for doctors, students, scientists, business people, marketing researchers, IT professionals and more.

There is a limit on the number of these visas every year. As of now, 65,000 are available each fiscal year, plus an extra 20,000 for people with advanced degrees from U.S. universities.

The L-1 is a non-immigrant visa that allows an organization to transfer employees from its foreign offices to its U.S. operations for up to seven years. The U.S. office must be a parent, sister or child company of a foreign organization. The employee must have worked for an office of the U.S. business outside the U.S. for at least one year out of the last three years.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created TN status for Canadian and Mexican professionals to work in the United States. It gives Canadian, Mexican and American citizens the opportunity to work in the United States or Canada in a fairly limited set of occupations. Under TN status, these nationals can work for up to a year at a time.

The U.S. government issues J-1 visas to people who take part in a cultural exchange program. These programs are created for students, trainees, research assistants and people on cultural missions. Exchange opportunities for students include summer employment programs and internship programs for university students.

The O-1 is a non-immigrant, employment-based visa for foreign nationals who have “extraordinary ability”. It is also for people who can demonstrate sustained national or global praise for accomplishments in education, science, sports or business. People in television work can qualify if they show a record of “extraordinary achievement”. In the fields above, this implies that the person has risen to the very highest level of the field.

USCIS has recognized that the H-1B shortage has caused issues for some businesses. It has also been more reasonable and far-reaching in deciding O-1 cases. It has extended this classification to positions that might not have qualified for O-1 status previously.

The P-1 visa allows foreign nationals to enter the U.S. for a specific event, performance or competition. It covers individuals who compete at a globally recognized level. P visas are for internationally recognized athletes, artists or entertainers.