Whether you are an individual seeking to join your spouse or immediate family member(s) in the US, an entrepreneur looking to move your start-up to the United States, an entertainer looking to become an American star, an Investor seeking to make an investment into the US, or a Business seeking to transfer employees or hire a foreign worker in the US, the attorneys of Norris Echetebu Law can help you. We have the experience, creativity, and strategic thinking needed to take on the hardest cases and ensure that our clients receive the highest caliber of immigration legal representation.
Non-immigrant work visas:
We provide representation to employers and investors to obtain a variety of non-immigrant visas including:
- A (diplomats)
- E-1/2 (treaty traders/investors)
- E-3 (Australian professionals in specialty occupations)
- H-1B (professionals in specialty occupations)
- H-1B-1 (Chilean and Singaporean professionals in specialty occupations)
- I (journalists and media)
- J-1 (Exchange Program Participants)
- K (spouse/fiancé(e))
- L (intra-company transferees)
- O (persons of extraordinary abilities in creative and performance arts, science, business and technology)
- P (certain athletes and entertainers)
- TN (certain Canadian and Mexican professionals)
Business Visitors and Tourist Visas:
We represent and assist clients in the Consular Processing or Extension of business visitor and tourist visas.
These are the visas needed by:
- Individuals seeking to travel to the United States who are not eligible under the Visa Waiver Program; and
- Individuals seeking to visit the United States for longer than 90 days at a time, or who intend on multiple yearly entries and wish to mitigate the risk of being denied entry at the border.
Immigrant (“Green card”) Visas:
EB-1 Priority Workers:
The EB-1 (first preference) category visas provide employment-based permanent residency for “priority workers” which are foreign nationals who have “extraordinary abilities” in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics (national or international acclaim required), as well as outstanding professors and researchers, and executives and managers of foreign companies who have already been transferred and are currently working in the US.
EB-2 Advanced Degree Professionals:
The EB-2 (second preference) category visas provide employment-based permanent residency to members of professions holding advanced degrees (or equivalents),foreign nationals who show exceptional abilities in the sciences, arts, or business (strict criteria must be met), and foreign nationals who demonstrate that their work in the US is in the “national interest” of the United States.
EB-3 Professional, Skilled, and Unskilled Workers:
The EB-3 (third preference) visa provides employment-based permanent residency for skilled workers, professionals, and “other workers“. This category of employment-based visa is less stringent than the previous categories, but it must be noted that there is a substantial backlog of applications and these visas take quite a long time to process.
EB-5 Investor Visas:
The EB-5 visa allows for conditional residency and eventually lawful permanent residency for an investor (and family) seeking to fund an investment in the statutorily required amount (currently $1,000,000 USD or $500,000 USD if the investment is in a Targeted Employment Area) that will create at least 10 full time jobs. The investments can also be made through Regional Center programs. We provide start to finish strategic planning and business and immigration legal representation needed to navigate the highly complex EB-5 program.
Family-Based Immigrant Visas:
We provide US citizens and US permanent residents with representation in sponsoring their immediate relatives and family for permanent residency.
- IR-1: Spouse of a US Citizen
- IR-2: Unmarried Child Under 21 Years of Age of a US Citizen
- IR-3: Orphan adopted abroad by a US Citizen
- IR-4: Orphan to be adopted in the US by a US citizen
- IR-5: Parent of a US Citizen who is at least 21 years old
Family Preference Immigrant Visas:
These visa types are for specific, more distant, family relationships with a US citizen and some specified relationships with a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) (Green Card holders). The family preference categories are:
- Family First Preference (F1): Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens, and their minor children, if any.
- Family Second Preference (F2): Spouses, minor children, and unmarried sons and daughters (age 21 and over) of LPRs. At least seventy-seven percent of all visas available for this category will go to the spouses and children; the remainder is allocated to unmarried sons and daughters.
- Family Third Preference (F3): Married sons and daughters of US citizens, and their spouses and minor children.
- Family Fourth Preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of US citizens, and their spouses and minor children, provided the US citizens are at least 21 years of age.
Note: Grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and cousins cannot sponsor a relative for immigration.
US Citizenship through Naturalization:
We provide representation to US Permanent Residents who seek to obtain US Citizenship.
Relinquishing and/or Renunciation of US Citizenship:
From Expatriates to “Accidental” Americans, giving up your US Citizenship may be the wisest thing for you to do. We provide legal analysis should you want to know your options and representation for the relinquishment or renunciation application and ceremony.
Inadmissibility Waivers:
We provide representation for the filing of I-601 waivers of inadmissibility for immigrant visas, as well as INA 212(d)(3) waivers of ineligibility for non-immigrant visas.
Adjustment of Status:
We provide representation for our clients who are physically in the US with filing Form I-485 for Adjustment of Status from non-immigrant to immigrant status.
Work Permits:
We can assist our clients and their eligible family member(s) with applying for and obtaining work permits—also known as an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
Travel Documents:
- US Passports: We can assist our US citizen clients with filing for and obtaining US Passports for themselves and their US citizen families, including children born abroad.
- Advanced Parole: We can assist our clients with obtaining Advance Parole documents when their I-485 Applications for Adjustment of Status is pending.
- US Passports: We can assist our clients who are US Permanent Residents or Conditional US Permanent Residents who wish to remain outside the US for a prolonged period not greater than 2 years with obtaining a re-entry permit. A Re-Entry Permit is also available to US Permanent Residents who wish to travel outside the US but who for certain permissible reasons, are unable to obtain a passport from their own country of nationality.
Loss of Permanent Residency Status/Green Card:
Leaving the United States when one is a Permanent Resident may result in the loss of the Green Card. Further, the loss of the Green Card does not necessarily mean that one does not still have a US tax obligation. Our firm provides analysis and advice concerning unauthorized absences from the United States and potential tax consequences for US Permanent Residents.
Consular Processing:
Our firm is located near the US Consulate in Auckland, and we are experts in representing and preparing our Clients in their applications and interviews to the Consulate for visas, expatriations, or other Consular-handled matters.
