Grossman Young & Hammond’s business immigration team has a proven track record of assisting employers and foreign nationals achieve their temporary work visa needs across the entire spectrum of nonimmigrant work visa options. Temporary work visas are available for individuals at all stages of their careers and cover a duration of work authorization from several weeks to several years. Our experienced attorneys work closely with employers and foreign nationals obtaining a work visa for the first time, extending or changing their visa status, and changing employers. We help clients holistically integrate their temporary visa needs with permanent residency goals, family concerns, and corporate compliance requirements.

Typically, temporary work visa requests must be filed by an employer – such as a private company, education institution, or non-profit organization – on behalf of a specific foreign national for a specific job. The requirements for hiring foreign workers varies widely by job type and industry, and some work visa categories, such as the H-1B visa for professional workers in a specialty occupation, are restricted by numerical caps or quotas. Other visa categories, such as the TN “Trade NAFTA” work visa for citizens of Canada and Mexico or the E-3 visa for Australian citizens, are restricted to certain nationalities. Finally, some visa categories, such as the H-3 and J-1 visas for trainees and the L-1A category for multi-national managers and executives, are specific to position level.

The process to obtain a temporary work visa typically requires the approval of a visa petition by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services in the U.S., followed by an in-person interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate in the foreign national’s home country. Some temporary visa categories also require certification from the U.S. Department of Labor that the employer has not offered wages or working conditions to the foreign national worker that adversely affect the wages or working conditions of U.S. workers.

Please see the menu of temporary work visa categories on the right for the most common temporary employment visa categories, or contact Grossman Young & Hammond now to discuss your temporary work visa options. We look forward to working with you.