Business Visas

Avoid Delays in Business Immigration Processing

Work with the Board Certified Immigration Law Specialists at Judith G. Cooper, P.C.

In a competitive, global economy, hiring the right people at the right time is critical for business success. Corporate clients and business professionals choose the Law Office of Judith G. Cooper, P.C., PC, because of our firm's in-depth knowledge of U.S. business immigration and extensive use of technology. Our technological advantage ensures your employment-based immigration documents are handled efficiently, and that future deadlines are flagged for proactive service. We handle every detail.

Contact our Houston law office to take the worry out of immigration paperwork for your business. Log in to the online Lighthouse immigration system.

Employment-Based Temporary Visas for Temporary Residency in the U.S.

Employment-Based Immigrant Visas for Permanent Residency

Foreign nationals seeking entry into the U.S. on a temporary visa for business purposes must:

Have a specific job offer from a U.S. employer and must work only for that employer (H-1B degreed professionals and specialty workers, L-1 inter-company transferee managers, executives and specialized knowledge workers, TN visa for NAFTA professionals from Canada or Mexico, B-1 for business professionals, O-1 persons of extraordinary ability, H-2B temporary workers who fill one-time, seasonal or peak load labor needs), and H-1B for Chileans and Singaporeans, and E-3 for Australians.
Be in the country for a specific purpose, such as investment or trade (E-1 treaty trader and E-2 treaty investor visas ), or
Be employed in conjunction with a course of study (F-1 foreign students or business trainees ).

While the H-1B visa is the most commonly sought business visa, limits on the numbers of this type of visa can make it more effective to seek entrance under another visa category.

The immigration law attorneys at Judith G. Cooper, P.C., can advise you on the visa category most likely to lead to a successful application and inform you of all criteria for admission into the U.S. Contact our office for prompt assistance with your H-1B visa or other temporary business visa.

The U.S. allows more than 140,000 foreign national workers to immigrate to the U.S. every year, accepting them on the basis of a complex set of criteria. There are five business immigrant categories, ranked in order of priority and the law establishes limits of the number of visas that can be issued each year.

A detailed list of employment-based immigration visa preferences is located on the U.S. State Department Web site.

Immigrants seeking permanent residency (a green card) are generally required to obtain a labor certification (PERM) from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and to file a petition with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Some business immigrants can petition for residency themselves (without an employer doing so) if they meet specific criteria or their entry would be in the "national interest."

A business immigration attorney at Judith G. Cooper, P.C., can explain these criteria and can assist you with petitions and special waivers (for example, waiving the two-year home residency requirement or the job offer and labor certification requirements).

Legal Consultation and Compliance Audits

At the Law Office of Judith G. Cooper, P.C., we regularly consult with our business immigration clients on policy issues that may affect their ability to secure international employees, Homeland Security issues that could impact certain technical professionals, as well as immigration audit and compliance concerns. Contact our office to discuss:

I-9 Audits: Avoid sanctions by engaging in a self-audit of INS I-9 employment verification to ensure compliance with regulations regarding I-9 forms.
LCA Audits: H-1B visas require that employers pay the required wage and immigration audits occur to determine if employers have complied.

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