A North Carolina Immigration Lawyer Can Help You Get the Right Work Visa

If you would like to live and work in North Carolina, a North Carolina immigration lawyer can give you advice as to the correct work visa you need. There are a wide variety of work visas immigrant workers can apply for, based on their particular personal circumstances, and a North Carolina immigration attorney will work with you to get the appropriate one. If you would like to study in the US, an immigration lawyer can also assist you in getting the right student visa so you can realize your dream of studying in one of the country’s best universities.

The most common work visa issued by the US is the H-1B visa, which allows workers to enter the US legally to work in a variety of fields such as health care and engineering. However, since regulations regarding the H-1B visa are constantly changing, you should consult with an experienced immigration lawyer in North Carolina when applying for one. Note that to qualify for an H-1B visa, an applicant must have a sponsoring American employer as well as the equivalent of a US Bachelor’s degree or other recognized qualification. There is also a cap on the number of H-1B visas that can be issued each fiscal year.

Foreign workers who will be employed in ‘specialized occupations’ should apply for an H-1B1 visa, which requires the applicant to have theoretical and practical knowledge of a particular specialized area as well as the necessary qualifications before being eligible for the visa. Or in the case of foreign workers who will work in the non-agricultural sector on a seasonal or one-time basis, those individuals can have an H-2B visa. If you fall into one of these categories, an immigration lawyer will advise you how to apply for these visas as well as the application requirements.

Individuals who are considered as “outstanding” in their particular field of endeavor can apply for an O-1 visa which allows one to enter the US to work for temporary periods. The term is loosely defined and applicants in a wide variety of fields can qualify, ranging from entertainers to athletes, as well as those in the professions such as carpenters and chefs.North Carolina immigration lawyers can advise you on whether you qualify as well as how to apply for the O-1 visa.

If you are an employer who is planning to bring in foreign nationals to work in the state, an immigration attorney can provide you with advice as to the right visa for those employees. For example, if you need temporary agricultural workers, you need to apply for H-2A visas on behalf of your workers. An experienced NC immigration attorney can help you with all the stages of applying for these visas, including filing a Temporary Labor Certification and then petitioning for the agreed number of H-2A visas with the USCIS.