Tennessee Immigration Attorneys

We help U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents sponsor family members for immigration papers. The immigration laws are strict, various government agencies are involved, and the process is extraordinarily picky. Our experienced attorneys can guide you so that your family remains united. We allow you to feel confident you understand what is required and that are doing everything possible for your family.

If you are interested in learning more about applying for permanent residence for your husband or wife, parent, or brother or sister, we welcome you to call our office. We will listen to you to learn what goals are most important to your family, and based on that will discuss the specific route your case would take.

There are a variety of possibilities, including the K-1 visa for fiancés of U.S. citizens, parole in place for certain relatives of active duty service members or veterans, family petitions, and applications for permanent residence. Some cases, including those for people who entered the U.S. without permission originally, require waivers of inadmissibility. We proudly represent LGBT families, as well as families with members who are undocumented. There are expanded options for family members who have been victims of abuse, including VAWA self-petitions for some, as well as the U visa for victims who have been cooperative with law enforcement. We take great pride in seeing our clients all the way through U.S. citizenship, also, and regularly represent Permanent Residents in the naturalization process.

Trust the lawyers at Saev Hernandez Immigration to help you let love win!

If you are an artist or athlete, and you’ve done some research, you know many of the typical work visa options do not exactly apply to your situation. For example, you might have multiple employers, work seasonally, or be self-employed. Plans may change very quickly for an artist or athlete, and support staff may be crucial to your success.

Having routinely represented artists and athletes in immigration matters for many years, our attorneys can guide you in seeking a tailored immigration solution. We have experience obtaining work visas for country music artists, songwriters, and producers, as well as dancers, bands, choral groups, puppeteers, hairdressers, designers, and sound engineers. We have also successfully worked with college and professional athletes and coaches.

The possible work visa categories for artists and athletes include the gold standard O-1 visa for individuals with extraordinary ability, the P-1 for internationally recognized athletes or members of an internationally recognized entertainment group, and the P-3 visa for culturally unique artists. Other options may include the H-2B temporary worker category or the P-2 for Canadian performers. In addition to temporary work visas, we regularly represent artists and athletes in the process of applying for permanent residence through adjustment of status or an immigrant visa. Often the quickest route to permanent residence is the first employment-based permanent category, called EB-1, for people with sustained national or international acclaim. EB-2’sexceptional ability category is another possibility for artists with a degree of expertise significantly above that ordinarily encountered in the field.

The United States should particularly welcome people from other countries who have university degrees. Why wouldn’t we be proud that the best and brightest from around the world are attracted to our communities? And indeed there are multiple visa options for professionals, but the array of options can be confusing and limited. The H-1B category has long been the primary solution for professional workers. But with a nationwide cap of only 85,000 H-1Bs per year, employers and professional workers alike need alternatives.

The attorneys at Saev Hernandez Immigration Practice are ready to analyze your chances of success with other visa categories that are not subject to the cap and may be less onerous for your employer or prospective employer. For example, the E-2 investor visa category is a great alternative for professional workers whose employers share their same nationality and whose countries of origin have investment treaties with the United States. Another alternative is the L-1 visa for people who were employed by the same parent organization abroad and are now being transferred to the U.S. location. O-1 visas are a possibility for professional workers, including scientists and executives, with stellar resumes. TN visas are available for certain Canadian and Mexican workers. R-1 is often the best route for religious workers, while J-1 and H-3 are possible categories for trainees.

We regularly meet with graduate students to provide tips on making a successful transition from the student visa to a work authorized visa, and permanent residence beyond that.

You company has an international reach. If you have considered hiring talent from abroad, let us help you. We can take care of the work visas and permanent residence, and counsel your company on immigration policies as well as I-9 compliance for the entire workforce. We have worked with companies ranging from multinational car manufacturers to universities, and including biotechnology, healthcare, IT and construction companies. We are well familiar with the kinds of talent you employ and the fact that you don’t need visas to delay operations.

Visa solutions range from Optional Practical Training for F-1 students, as well as the H-1B visa, one of the most frequently encountered work visas in the U.S. immigration system. Alternatives to the H-1B include TN visas for certain Mexican and Canadian professional workers, E-1 treaty trader or E-2 treaty investor visas, L-1 intracompany transferee visas for managers and specialized knowledge intracompany transferees. Also to be considered are the O-1 extraordinary ability visa, as well as J-1 or H-3 training visas for interns.

For your particularly values employees, we can also assist you with company sponsorship for permanent residence. Options include the EB-1 multinational manager classification, the National Interest Waiver for highly skilled and experienced professional workers, as well as the PERM labor certification process.

We have worked with various colleges and universities over the years and understand the particular visa and permanent residence requirements for professors, researchers, coaches, and IT staff. We also understand your need for budgetary certainty. Our university clients can vouch for our outstanding level of service, just ask for a reference.

Scientists who are working at research organizations or institutions of higher education in the United States have several immigration options available. PhDs and even those who hold master’s degrees in STEM fields may qualify for the O-1 extraordinary ability visa. We can provide an objective point of view to help you decide whether to try for this visa, is an option even for professionals who would otherwise need a J-1 waiver to be able to work in the United States.

There are special options for permanent residence that apply to scientists and professors, including Special Handling. This is a simplified version of the labor certification process within 18 months of hire for foreign faculty hired in the first place through a competitive selection process. In addition, EB-1 extraordinary ability is the permanent residence equivalent to the O-1 visa classification. EB-1 outstanding researcher is a sub-class within the EB-1 category that is typically used by scientists employed at prominent research organizations. The National Interest Waiver is another self-petition option.

Congratulations on starting your own business! Our attorneys are dedicated to realizing the needs of startups, foreign entrepreneurs, and investors. Especially because of the job creation potential involved with investors and entrepreneurs, the number of immigration solutions are growing as the United States realizes how valuable foreign investors can be to the economy.

Investors usually first arrive in the U.S. using B-1 visas (or ESTA if travelling on visa waiver) to meet with potential business partners, evaluate business opportunities and establish initial contacts. To fully engage with investment work, however, a specific work visa is almost always required. Options here include the E-1 treaty trader or E-2 treaty investor visas, the L-1 intracompany transferee visas, or even the O-1 visa. Investors may also consider applying for the H-1B specialty occupation visa.

Investors and entrepreneurs who are willing to remain in the United States for the long term should consider permanent residence (“green card”) options. These include the EB-1 extraordinary ability category, as well as National Interest Waiver for entrepreneurs whose work is of substantial intrinsic merit and national in scope, and who can also show that they will serve the U.S. national interest to a substantially greater extent than the majority of their peers. Finally, EB-5 is an options for entrepreneurs who invest $1,000,000 or $500,000 in a high unemployment/rural area or with a Regional Investment Center.