Overview

We specialize in handling various matters related to immigration law. Immigration law encompasses legal regulations concerning international migration and residency, covering topics such as green card and citizenship applications, visa applications and extensions, asylum and refugee claims, as well as the rights and obligations of immigrants. We provide legal services.

The employment-based immigration process is divided into three categories: first preference (EB-1), second preference (EB-2), and third preference (EB-3). Unlike the first preference category, which does not require a sponsor, applicants in the second and third preference categories must obtain a Labor Certification (LC) through the U.S. Department of Labor before proceeding with their immigration application.

Labor Certification, obtained through the Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) system introduced in 2005, is a document filed by the employer sponsoring the immigrant, demonstrating that there are no qualified U.S. workers available for the position. Under PERM, the processing time for obtaining Labor Certification has been reduced compared to the previous system, known as Reduction in Recruitment (RIR). If there are no suspicions or audits initiated by the Department of Labor, the process typically takes about 6 to 8 months from the start of advertising to approval.

Once the Labor Certification is approved through PERM, the employer can file an Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker (Form I-140) based on the certification. If the priority dates for the second or third preference categories are current (as of July 2012, priority date for EB-2 is January 1, 2009, and for EB-3 is September 8, 2006), the employee can concurrently file for Adjustment of Status (Form I-485), Employment Authorization (Form I-765), and Travel Document (Form I-131). However, if the priority dates are not current, the I-140 petition can be filed, but the employee must wait for the priority dates to become current before filing the remaining documents.

There are generally no restrictions on the number of times an immigration petition can be submitted or whether multiple petitions can be submitted simultaneously. Therefore, applicants in the first preference category can also apply for family-based immigration concurrently, and applicants in different preference categories can apply simultaneously as well. Additionally, even if an immigration petition is denied once, it can be refiled at any time. Therefore, if eligible, applicants can concurrently pursue National Interest Waiver (NIW) and employment-based immigration in other preference categories.

First Preference(EB-1)

The first preference in employment-based immigration is typically reserved for individuals who are considered the foremost experts in their respective fields with international recognition. Each year, a quota of 40,000 visas is allocated across the first, second, and third preference categories. For the first preference category, any unused quotas from the fourth and fifth preferences, which are relatively less utilized, can also be added. This pathway allows for a relatively expedited acquisition of permanent residency (green card) as it bypasses the labor certification process, enabling applicants to proceed directly to the filing of the Form I-140, Petition for Immigrant Worker.

To qualify for first preference employment-based immigration, the applicant must first submit Form I-140, Petition for Immigrant Worker, to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Approval of this petition is required. Typically, the petition is filed by the employer in the United States.

Types and Conditions

Individuals with Extraordinary Ability in Sciences, Arts, Education, Business, or Athletics

Applicants must demonstrate exceptional ability in their field, with recognized achievements both domestically and internationally. They do not necessarily require an employer in the United States, and thus, they can directly submit their I-140 petition to USCIS without undergoing the labor certification process.

Outstanding Professors and Researchers with International Recognition and Over Three Years of Experience

Applicants falling under this category must have at least three years of experience in teaching or research, along with international recognition. While they do not need labor certification, their employer in the United States must submit the I-140 petition to USCIS.

Executives or Managers of Multinational Companies, Subsidiaries, Affiliates, or Branches

Individuals in managerial or executive positions within multinational companies or their subsidiaries, affiliates, or branches can qualify under this category. Like the previous categories, they do not require labor certification, but their U.S. employer must submit the I-140 petition to USCIS.

Second Preference (NIW)

Employment-based immigration through the second preference category (NIW) requires submitting a Form I-140 petition to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), along with a job offer from a sponsor and approval of a labor certification from the Department of Labor. However, certain foreign nationals may be exempt from these requirements if their immigration is deemed to be in the national interest of the United States, a provision known as the National Interest Waiver (NIW).

Conditions

The applicant must possess substantial intrinsic merit in their expertise.
The applicant’s expertise must have a national scope of influence rather than being limited to a specific region.
If a labor certification is required of the applicant, the request itself must be contrary to the national interest.

In reviewing cases where applications for NIW were based on these three criteria but were not approved, it is observed that many were denied because the applicant failed to demonstrate that the requirement for a labor certification would be contrary to the national interest. This highlights the importance of seeking assistance from expert attorneys when pursuing immigration through NIW. Of course, the success of NIW cases primarily depends on whether the applicant’s qualifications are properly established and effectively presented in the application.

It is crucial to emphasize that merely being highly educated or having achieved notable accomplishments is not sufficient. Rather, it is essential to highlight how these qualifications will enable the applicant to contribute to the benefit of the United States in the future. For instance, in the case of an applicant in a research-related field, having a substantial number of papers demonstrating influence in their area of expertise, frequent citations of these papers within the field, and strong recommendations from renowned scholars or reputable institutions can quantitatively demonstrate the applicant’s excellence. The more compelling evidence is provided to showcase the applicant’s outstanding abilities and potential for future contributions, the more advantageous it will be for the NIW application.

This is the part of the process where you will most likely need the assistance of an attorney who can properly advise you on whether you have made all of the other requirements and whether your arguments are logical and persuasive enough to sway the examiner’s mind in your favor.

Third Preference EB-3

Among the various employment-based immigration categories, the third preference (EB-3) is one of the most sought-after and competitive options. The EB-3 category further divides into three subcategories based on the skill level required by the sponsoring employer:

Professionals

“Professionals” are persons whose job requires at least a U.S. baccalaureate or foreign equivalent degree and are a member of the professions.

Skilled Workers

“Skilled workers” are persons whose jobs require a minimum of 2 years training or experience, not of a temporary or seasonal nature. The skilled worker must meet the educational, training, or experience requirements of the job opportunity. Relevant post-secondary education may be considered as training.

Other Workers

The “other workers” subcategory is for persons performing unskilled labor requiring less than 2 years training or experience, not of a temporary or seasonal nature.
Unskilled labor refers to all types of occupations that do not fall under the two categories mentioned above, typically requiring low skills or experience. Immigrants working in unskilled labor positions can still apply for permanent residency, but the number of visas allocated annually is relatively limited, and the eligibility criteria for unskilled labor applicants can be stringent, leading to significant backlogs in immigration applications.

Characteristics

All professional, skilled, and unskilled occupations require sponsorship from an employer who offers a permanent, full-time position (in contrast to temporary or part-time positions) and approval of a labor certification. Additionally, a significant evaluation criterion is the demonstration that the position the applicant intends to fill could not be filled by a U.S. worker—meaning, it does not displace American jobs. However, there are exceptions where a labor certification is not required.

All employers must submit evidence demonstrating their ability to pay the prevailing wage to the prospective employee/applicant continuously from the priority date onwards. This evidence can include tax returns, audited financial statements, or annual financial reports of the employer. These documents serve as proof of the employer’s ability to meet the financial obligations associated with sponsoring the employee.

주재원비자 (L-1/L-2 )

L-1비자는 국제기업의 직원을 미국에 파견해서 일하게 하는데 유용한 체류신분으로 예를 들어 한국의 본사가 미국의 지사에 주재원을 파견하여합법적으로 미국내에 장기 채류하게 하고자 할 때 유용한 비이민 비자입니다.

아직 미국에 정식으로 지사가 설립돼 있지 않다면 방문 비자로 미국에 입국한 후 일을 진행하는 것도 가능합니다. 또한 방문비자인 B-1/B-2 로 미국에 입국한 뒤 현지 사정을 다시 한 번 살펴보고, 미국에 지사를 설립한 후 체류신분을 L-1으로 바꾸실수도 있습니다.

이를 Change of Status라고 하며 아직 비즈니스를 미국에서 시작하지 않았더라도 그 비지니스 계획이 입증되면 L-1으로 체류신분을 바꾸는 것을 이민국에서 인정하기 때문입니다 L-1 의 체류기간은 처음에 3년까지 받을 수 있으나, 일반적으로 미국내에 회사를 설립해서 비즈니스를 시작하는 과정에서는 보통 1년을 받습니다.

또한 연장이 가능한데 주재원이 매니저 급 이상인 L-1A 의 경우는 최대 7년, 특별한 지식이나 기술을 가진 주재원의 경우인 L-1B의 경우 최대 비자 기간이5년까지 가능합니다. 그리고 주재원의 가족들은 L-2 체류신분을 획득할 수 있으며 남편이 먼저 미국에 들어와서 주재원으로 체류신분을 바꾼 후 이민국의 체류신분 변경 승인서를 가지고 한국에 나가 가족들과 함께 비자를 받아 다시 입국할 수 있습니다.

이 경우 본인은 L-1 비자, 가족들은 L-2 비자를 받게 됩니다 . 단 자녀의 경우는 21세 미만의 미혼 자녀일 때만 L-2 비자가 가능 합니다 L-2 배우자의 경우 E-2 배우자와 마찬가지로 미국내에서 합법적으로 취업 할 수 있는 취업허가( Employment Authorization)를 받을 수 있는 등 비이민 비자이면서도 영주권에 버금가는 혜택을 가능하게 하는 비자입니다.

조건

한국의 본사에서 미국에 지사를 설립하여 주재원을 파견하는 경우에 주재원의 첫째 조건은 최근 지난 3년 동안 적어도 1년을 한국의 본사나 (본사의) 다른 해외지사에서 일한 경력이 있어야 합니다. 가장 최근 1년일 필요는 없지만 지난 3년 중 1년은 스폰서가 될 한국의 본사의 직원으로서 일을 한 경력이 있어야 이러한 자격 조건에 충족됩니다

미국 지사가 미국내에서 비즈니스를 해야 하며 미국 내 지사에 단순히 에이전트만을 두고 실제로는 비즈니스를 하지 않는 경우는 해당하지 않습니다.

미국에 주재원으로 오는 사람은 한국 본사나 해외지사에서 매니저급 이상으로 일 한 경력이 있거나(L-1A의 경우) 특별한 지식이나 기술을 요구하는 직책에서 일한 경력이 있어야 합니다. (L-1B 의 경우). 이 후 그 주재원이 L-1 비자를 받게 되면 미국 지사에서도 그에 상당한 직책, 즉 매니저급 이상, 혹은 특별한 지식이나 기술을 요구하는 직책을 맡아서 일해야 합니다.

특징

조금 까다로워 보이는 자격 조건임에도 많은 분들이 L-1비자에 관해 문의해 오는 것은, 일단 주재원 비자를 받게 된 후 이를 기반으로 이민신청을 할 경우 이민의사와 귀국의사가 예외적으로 동시에 인정되고 (소위 Dual Intent), 노동승인이 필요 없고 스폰서인 회사에 관한 각종 증명이 기와의 제출 서류로 대체 될 수 있다는 등 여러 가지 이점이 있기도 하고 무엇보다 L-1A 주재원 자격으로 영주권을 신청했을 경우, 다른 체류 신분에 비해 승인받는 시간이 단축될 수 있습니다.

일반적으로 취업에 근거한 영주권을 받기 위해서는 흔히 영주권 1단계라고 말하는 노동승인을 받아야 하지만 매니저급 이상의 주재원에게 주는 L-1A의 경우 국제기업 간부로서 노동승인 단계를 생략할 수 있습니다.

취업이민비자(H-1B)

전문분야의 지식과 기술의 소유자들이 미국에서의 단기취업활동을 하기위해 필요한 비자로 반드시 미국내 고용주가 신청인의 비자를 스폰서해주어야만 합니다. H-1B 비자를 위한 전문분야는 전문적 지식과 수준높은 복잡한 기술의 숙련을 필요로 하는 분야로 미국에서 그 분야의 일을 하기위해 일반적으로 최소한 학사이상의 학위가 필요한 분야를 의미합니다.

비자승인조건

해당분야나 관련분야 전공의 미국대학 학사이상 또는 동등한 외국대학의 학위
해당분야 자격증 (해당 주에서 일하기 위해 필요한 경우 예 – 의사, 변호사, 회계사, 건축설계사, 약사 등)
학위의 취득에 상당하는 해당분야에서의 교육, 훈련, 경력

주의사항

H-1B를 신청하기 위해서는 그전에 반드시 노동국으로부터 노동조건신청서 (Labor Condition Application)를 승인받아야 합니다.

H-1B 승인을 위해서 고용주는 비자신청인의 직종과 경력에 걸맞는 충분한 임금(prevailing wage)을 지불하고 있다는 것을 증명해야 합니다.

이민국이 매년 승인할 수 있는 H-1B 비자의 갯수는 아래의 경우 이외에는 제한되어 있으므로 신청시기의 결정에 신중을 기해야 합니다.

고등교육기관, 정부및 정부관계 비영리 연구기관 종사자
기존의 H-1B 소지자들의 비자연장