Services Offered

NONIMMIGRANT: TEMPORARY STATUS VISAS

B-1-Visitor for Business/B-2-Visitor for Pleasure: Note: Nationals of some countries are allowed to visit the United States without the need to obtain a visa.

E-1-Treaty Trader/E-2 -Treaty Investor: Investors, traders and their employees may receive permission to carry on their business in the U.S. if their home country has a commercial treaty with the United States that allows for such permission.

F-1-Academic Student: Persons that have been accepted into a full course of study at an eligible U.S. educational institution can obtain F-1 status for the duration of their program.

H-1B-Professional in a Specialty Occupation: Persons holding at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent can obtain H1B status to perform work in a position that is “professional in nature.” Only the organization seeking to a fill the temporary specialty position may sponsor the individual. There are a very limited number of visas available in this category for every fiscal year.

H-1C-Registered Nurses: Pre-qualified hospitals and health care facilities may petition to temporarily employ a certified nurse. There are a very limited number of visas available in this category for every fiscal year.

H-2A-Temporary Agricultural Work: U.S. employers may sponsor eligible persons to come to the U.S. and perform temporary agricultural work. There are a very limited number of visas available in this category for every fiscal year.

H-2B-Temporary Nonagricultural Work: U.S. employers may sponsor eligible persons to come to the U.S. and perform temporary nonagricultural work. There are a very limited number of visas available in this category for every fiscal year.

J-Exchange Visitor: A person invited to come to the U.S. as a member of an eligible exchange program may request J-1 status. Eligible exchange programs are usually reserved for students, scholars, job trainees, professors, research scholars, etc. Situations exist where a particular J-1 program will require that the visitor spend at least two years outside of the U.S. before being eligible change to another status or to gain permanent residency.

K-Fiancé/e: A U.S. citizen may petition to bring his/her fiancé/e to the U.S. for the purpose of marriage and subsequently to begin the permanent residency process.

L-1-Intra Company Transferee: Executives, managers and employees (performing specialized duties) moving to their employer's U.S. affiliate, may be eligible to obtain this type of visa.

O-1/O-2-Person with Extraordinary Ability: Persons with extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business or athletics or with extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry may be eligible to obtain this type of visa. Their support staff may also be eligible to secure an O visa.

P-1/P-2/P-3-Athletes and Group Entertainers: A person coming temporarily as an athlete, artist, or entertainer may be eligible to obtain this type of visa.

R-1-Religious Vocation or Profession: A person with membership in a religious denomination of at least two years, now coming to the United States to perform temporary work in a religious capacity, may be eligible for this type of visa.

TN-NAFTA Professionals: A U.S. company may petition to employ a qualified individual to work in a position that is published on the NAFTA job series list. Only nationals of Canada and Mexico are eligible for this type of visa.

Note: Where applicable, our Law Firm can complete visas for immediate relatives of the primary applicant.

IMMIGRANT: PERMANENT STATUS, EMPLOYMENT BASED

First Preference, Persons of Extraordinary Ability: Persons who are recognized as Outstanding Professors or Researchers, Multinational Managers or Executives may be eligible to petition for permanent residency without completing the difficult labor certification process.

Second Preference, Members of the Professions holding Advanced Degrees or Aliens of Exceptional Ability: Candidates must have a job offer and their employer must complete the labor certification process. Obtaining labor certification requires the employer to test the job market to demonstrate that the permanent hiring of the foreign candidate will not adversely affect American workers. There are special circumstances in which the labor certification may be waived.

Third Preference, Skilled Workers, Professionals and other Workers: This category is the most inclusive option for foreign workers seeking to live permanently in the U.S. Employers may petition for persons with at least two years of experience in a skilled position, professionals with a baccalaureate degree or workers with less than two years of experience who will work in a position for which qualified U.S. workers are not available. Candidates must have a job offer and the employer must complete the labor certification process.

Fourth Preference, Special Immigrant (Religious Workers): This category is reserved for persons seeking employment in a religious capacity. To qualify, the foreign candidate must be a member of a religious denomination that has a non-profit affiliate in the U.S. An offer of employment must be present and the foreign candidate must have been a member of the religious denomination for the two years prior to applying for admission to the United States. Lastly, the foreign candidate must have been employed in the position that he/she will undertake, for the two years prior to obtaining permanent residency.

IMMIGRANT: PERMANENT STATUS, FAMILY BASED:

U.S. Citizens can petition for their parents, spouses, siblings, and children. Permanent Residents can petition for their spouses and children only. There is no government issued quota for visas issued to “immediate relatives” of U.S. Citizens. This translates into no waiting list for the following relatives of U.S. Citizens: spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents. Relatives in the following “preference” categories are subject to a waiting list due to the limits on the number of visas that can be issued each year.

First Preference: Unmarried sons or daughters (over age 21) of U.S. Citizens.

Second Preference: (2A) Spouses and unmarried children (under age 21) of Permanent Residents; (2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (over age 21) of Permanent Residents.

Third Preference: Married sons and daughters of U.S. Citizens.

Fourth Preference: Brothers and sisters of U.S. Citizens.

ASYLUM REPRESENTATION:

People with a real fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership in or identification with a particular social group, or political opinion can apply for asylum status. Our office can assist you with affirmative or defensive asylum applications.

NATURALIZATION:

Our law firm can help eligible persons file application for U.S. Citizenship. If required we can also assist with the naturalization appeals process.

REPRESENTATION IN IMMIGRATION COURT:

Immigration violations, as well as criminal convictions, can result in deportation, ineligibility for relief from removal, and being barred from gaining citizenship. "Removal" proceedings, as they are often known, are processed in the immigration court with jurisdiction over your place of residence.

Removal proceedings affect the ability of a person to remain in the United States. Deportation affects people who are already in the United States, either legally or illegally, by forcing them to leave.

Our law firm has been providing removal/deportation defense in cases throughout Southeastern Michigan for more than a quarter century.

APPEALS OF IMMIGRATION COURT DECISIONS:

You have the right to appeal a decision of an Immigration Judge to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). You can appeal a BIA finding to the appropriate Federal Circuit Court of Appeals (Sixth Circuit Court has jurisdiction over Michigan). The appeals process involves an innumerous amount of preparation. Our law firm has extensive experience as well as success in representing clients throughout the complicated appeals process.