Nonimmigrant visas allow companies in the United States to take advantage of the worldwide talent pool by bringing the best employees from overseas to work in the United States for a temporary period of time. A non-immigrant visa is most often issued to an investor, a professional such as an engineer or specialty worker such as an athlete. The non-immigrant visa permits the person to travel to the United States during the validity of the visa to accomplish a specific purpose such as visiting, studying or working in a specialty job. Individuals who are traveling to the United States for a temporary purpose are classified as non-immigrants under U.S. law.
In this course, immigration attorneys Amy Ghosh and William Levings provide a comprehensive review of the most popular types of non-immigrant employee visas utilized by U.S. employers. The following types of visas are discussed in the program: E-1, E-2, O, P and L-1. Further topics discussed include the eligibility requirements that must be met for each visa, similarities & differences between the four types of visas, advantages & disadvantages of the four types of visas, the “substantial trade” & “principally between US and treaty nation” provisions of the E-1 visa, the nationalities that qualify for the E-2 investor visa, the definition of an athlete & entertainer for P-1 visas, P-2 Visas & Participants in Reciprocal Exchange Programs, P-3 Visas & Culturally Unique Groups, the use of L-1 visas by multi-national companies, L-1 visas & intracompany transfers, the L-1 blanket visa, specific requirements for the L-1 employer & employee, additional requirements for new offices under the L-1 visa and EB-1C category considerations & gaining lawful permanent resident status. The presenters also provide numerous practical considerations and practice points when clients are seeking to apply for the various types of visas.
Amy Ghosh has years of success conducting deportation defense and asylum cases before the Immigration Court, and also handles H1B visa, Labor Certification, Naturalization, Citizenship, and other immigration processes. She also has trial and appellate experience in civil and family law cases. William F. Levings specializes in immigration law and has prevented many immigrants from being forcibly removed from the United States. In addition to removal defense, Mr. Levings has obtained permanent residence and citizenship for countless clients. He has successfully represented immigrants requiring Form I-601A waivers at U.S. Consulates around the world. In recent years, Mr. Levings has moved into the fields of business and employment-based immigration. His emphasis is on EB-5 Investor Visas and he also represents clients seeking L-1, E-2, and H1-B visas.