Immigration Lawyers

The Immigration & Nationality Law practice group represents corporate employers, both large and small, as well as individuals in all U.S. immigration matters.  We have extensive experience in all areas of immigration and nationality law, including employment-based immigration, I-9 compliance, family-based immigration, removal hearings, naturalization, citizenship cases, and consular processing.  Our immigration attorneys utilize a web-based immigration software program that is designed to assist in case preparation and tracking of expiration dates to help corporate clients manage their foreign national employees’ status.  We provide clients with the best quality representation and personal attention to details for each case.  We are committed to making the immigration process easy and understandable for everyone involved.

We represent employers and individuals in all types of nonimmigrant visas.   Employers may be able to petition for temporary employment of a foreign national in several nonimmigrant visa categories including the following:  E-1/E-2 Treaty Trader or Treaty Investor category, E-3Australian professional occupation category, H-1B specialty occupation category, H-3 trainee category, L-1 Intra-Company transferee category, O-1 extraordinary ability category, P-1, TNprofessional category for Mexican and Canadian citizens, and R-1 religious occupation category.

Our immigration lawyers also have experience with immigrant visas and represent employers and individual sponsoring a person for permanent residence.  Below is a sample of immigrant visas we have experience with:

Employment-based Immigrant Visas

• Employment-based First Preference: This category includes persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; outstanding professors and researchers; and certain executives and managers.
• Employment-based Second Preference: This category includes professionals holding an advanced degree (beyond a baccalaureate degree), or a baccalaureate degree and at least five years progressive experience in a profession and have a job offer from an employer for a position with those requirements.   The category also includes persons with exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, or business.  Most positions in this category require the employer to file a labor certification, unless the position qualifies for a national interest waiver.
• Employment-based Third Preference: This category includes skilled workers, professionals holding a bachelor degree, and others.  Positions in this category require the employer to file a labor certification.

Family-based Immigrant Visas

• Immediate Relatives: This category includes spouse, children under 21, and parents of a U.S. citizens.  Additionally, this category is the only category with no numerical limit for the number of visas given out per year.
• Preference Categories:
  A.  U.S. citizens can sponsor children over the age of 21 (married or unmarried) and siblings for an immigrant visa.
  B. Lawful Permanent Residents can sponsor their spouse and children (unmarried) for an immigrant visa.

All of the immigrant visa categories, with the exception of immediate relatives in the family-based category, have numerical limits for each fiscal year.  Therefore, it is possible that there may be a long backlog before a person obtains the immigrant visa after being sponsored.

If you are an employer or individual in need of immigration assistance, please follow this link to learn more about the practice of Donald Sheppard.   Mr. Sheppard is recognized as a Certified Specialist in Immigration & Nationality Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. If you would like more information or would like to speak with a San Diego immigration lawyer, please contact us today.

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