Jones Stevenson, LLC is a national immigration law firm based in Las Vegas, Nevada that offers clients exceptional legal services in all aspects of immigration and nationality law with an emphasis on complex employment-based immigration issues. Our attorneys have developed outstanding reputations as authorities on immigration law, providing legal counsel to a broad and diverse array of clients including major national and international corporations, global entertainment groups, entrepreneurs, and the world's most accomplished artists, athletes, and researchers. Jones Stevenson limits its practice exclusively to immigration law, allowing us to focus on the ever changing laws, regulations, and policies of the agencies that perform the U.S. immigration function. To find out how Jones Stevenson can provide a solution to your immigration problem, please contact our offices at (702) 436-6101, or via email at info@jonesstevenson.com. Attorneys David Jones, Bryant Stevenson, Liliana Loftman, Alexander Laird, S. Anthony Silva, M. Arda Beskardes, David Delgado, Barry Frager, Sheryl Winarick. Immigration Services Provided: Treaty Trader and Investor Visas (E-1/E-2). E-1 and E-2 treaty trader and investor visas are for individuals from "treaty countries" who wish to come to the U.S. to carry on substantial trade (E1), or who wish to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which they have invested or will invest a substantial amount of capital (E2). The E-3 visa was created by a treaty between the U.S. and Australia, and allows nationals of Australia to enter the U.S. to perform services in a "specialty occupation." A specialty occupation is an occupation that requires highly specialized knowledge, and in most cases, also requires attainment of a bachelors or higher degree in the specific specialty. Student Visas (F-1/M-1). Student visas (F-1) and vocational student visas (M-1) are intended for those who have been accepted by an educational institution that is qualified to sponsor a student for an academic program. In conjunction with the academic program, most students will be able to further their education by applying what they have learned in on-the-job training, referred to as Optional Practical Training (OPT). OPT allows the student to work for 12 months following completion of their course of study, and in some cases students are able to work under OPT while in school. H-1B Specialty Occupation Visas. The most commonly used temporary work visa is the H-1B, and it is used by U.S. companies to bring individuals to the U.S. for work in a specialty occupation or as a distinguished fashion model. A "specialty occupation" is an occupation that requires application of a body of specialized knowledge, and that requires at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent. Only 65,000 H-1B visas are issued per fiscal year. USCIS reserves 6,800 H-1B1 visas out of the 65,000 for use only by nationals of Singapore and Chile as part the US-Chile and US-Singapore Free Trade Agreements. There also are an additional 20,000 visas allotted for individuals with U.S. master's degrees. H-2A and H-2B Temporary Worker Visas. Employers may use the H-2 visa to meet a one-time occurrence, seasonal, peak load, or intermittent need for labor. The H-2A is for agricultural labor, and the H-2B is for all other non-agricultural labor. Employers must conduct recruitment to show that they were not able to fill such need with U.S. workers. Similar to the H-1B, there is an annual limit of 66,000 H-2A visas issued; however, with the H-2 visa, only 33,000 become available at the beginning of the fiscal year. The remaining 33,000 visas are held until April 1 to allow for a fair distribution of visas over the seasons. J-1 Exchange Visitor Visas. The J-1 visa is given to those who will be entering the US to participate in an educational or cultural exchange program. J-1 programs typically include graduate medical training programs, international or government visitors, specialist training programs, teaching and research scholar programs, and employment training programs. L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visas. The L-1 intracompany transferee visa is used for transferring certain employees from an overseas company to a financially related company in the U.S, or one with a "qualifying relationship." The transferring employee must have been continuously employed by the company abroad for one year out of the last three years, and the employee must be coming to the U.S. to work as a manager, executive, or "specialized knowledge" employee. The L-1 visa can also be used by a foreign company to transfer certain employees to the U.S. to establish a new U.S. operation that is related to the foreign company. O-1 Extraordinary Ability Worker Visas. The O-1 Extraordinary Ability visa is intended for those who have an "extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics" which "have been demonstrated by sustained national or international acclaim." The O-1 visa is also used by those in motion pictures and television industries who can demonstrate a record of "extraordinary achievement." P Artist, Entertainers and Athlete Visas. The P-1 visa is used by individuals who will be coming to the U.S. to perform in the athletics, performing arts, entertainment industries (includes special provisions for circuses). Individuals who will work as support personnel for athletes, athletic teams, or entertainment groups are also eligible for the P-1 visa. The P-2 visa is issued for entertainers coming to the U.S. under a reciprocal exchange program, and the P-3 is reserved for culturally unique programs. Q-1 Exchange Visitor Visas. The Q-1 Exchange Visitor visa is used by foreign nationals who are coming to the U.S. to participate in an international cultural exchange program or event. The Q-1 visa permits the individual to participate in employment, but the employment must be done in conjunction with the cultural exchange program. R-1 Religious Worker Visas. The R-1 Religious Worker visa is reserved for those who wish to enter the U.S. to work as minister or religious leader, to work in a professional capacity in a religious occupation, or to work for a religious organization. TN visas allow citizens of Canada and Mexico to enter the U.S. to engage in an occupation that is "at a professional level." These occupations are generally defined as those that require at least a bachelor's degree, or accreditation and experience that demonstrates that the occupation is a professional one. The occupation must also typically fall within NAFTA's list of acceptable occupations. The EB-1 Extraordinary Ability EB-1 is reserved for individuals who possess "extraordinary ability" in the field of science, art, education, business or athletics. "Extraordinary ability" is defined as "a level of expertise indicating that the individual is one of those few who have risen to the top of the field of endeavor." EB-1 Outstanding Professors and Researchers subcategory requires an applicant to have international recognition as outstanding in a specific academic field, at least three years teaching or research in the field, and an offer of employment. This employment typically requires a teaching or research position with an educational institution, or a research position with a larger, private company. EB-1 Multinational Executives and Managers subcategory is used by companies who wish to sponsor an executive or manager for permanent residency. The individual must have worked for one year in the previous three years for the petitioning U.S. company, and the employment must have been in an executive or managerial capacity. EB-2 applications for Exceptional Ability are reserved for those in the arts, sciences, or business who possess a level of expertise above that which would normally be encountered in their field. EB-2 Exceptional Ability applicants may also qualify in some cases for "blanket labor certification" if they can meet separate Department of Labor regulations, which would allow the applicant to avoid most of the usual labor certification requirements. Advanced Degree Professionals are required to have a job offer in a profession in which a baccalaureate degree is the minimum requirement for entry, and the applicant is required to have an "advanced degree" (any academic or professional degree above the level of a bachelor's degree). Five years of experience in the field can be substituted for the advanced degree requirement. National Interest Waivers. Applicants with advance degrees may be able to avoid the labor certification requirement if they qualify for a National Interest Waiver. To qualify, the applicant must show that the work performed has substantial intrinsic merit, that the benefit of the work will be national in scope, and that the national interest would be adversely affected if a labor certification was required. For the EB-3 Professional Worker category, the applicant must posses U.S. bachelor's degree or its foreign equivalent, and a job offer for a position that requires a bachelor's degree. To qualify as an EB-3 Skilled Worker, the position offered must require at least two years training and experience, and the applicant must possess the required experience. While there are very few restrictions on the EB-3 Unskilled Worker subcategory, only a small number of EB-3 Unskilled Worker visas are issued each year. As a result, there is often a large backlog for the EB-3 Unskilled Worker subcategory. PERM is the current method used by the Department of Labor to determine whether there are insufficient U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified, and available to perform a particular job, and whether the employment of the alien will have an adverse effect on the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers similarly employed. The PERM process requires a simulated recruitment program for the desired position, and PERM regulations set guidelines as to which recruitment methods can and must be used. An approved PERM Labor Certification is a prerequisite for many types of employment-based immigrant visa options. The EB-5 Immigrant Investor category was created to bring foreign capital into the U.S. and to create new employment for American workers. To qualify for the EB-5, an applicant must establish a new business or invest in an existing business that was created or restructured after November 19,1990, must invest $1 million in the enterprise ($500,000 in some cases), and must create full-time employment for at least 10 U.S. workers.