immigration

name	immigration
description	Immigration law skill for visa applications, compliance, and immigration proceedings. Use when the user needs assistance with work visas, green cards, naturalization, employer compliance, or removal defense. Triggers on keywords like "immigration", "visa", "H-1B", "green card", "I-9", "USCIS", "deportation", "asylum", "work authorization", "PERM", "EB-5", "naturalization".

Immigration Law

This skill provides expert guidance for employment-based and family-based immigration, compliance, and defense.

Core Capabilities

1. Employment-Based Immigration

• Nonimmigrant work visas
• PERM labor certification
• Immigrant visa petitions
• Employer compliance

2. Business Immigration

• Corporate immigration programs
• Intracompany transfers
• Investor visas
• Treaty trader/investor

3. Family-Based Immigration

• Immediate relative petitions
• Preference categories
• Consular processing
• Adjustment of status

4. Immigration Defense

• Removal proceedings
• Asylum and relief
• Waivers
• Appeals

Nonimmigrant Work Visas

Visa Categories Comparison

Visa	Purpose	Duration	Annual Cap
H-1B	Specialty occupation	3+3 years	65,000 + 20,000
L-1A	Intracompany executive/manager	1+2+2 (7 yr max)	None
L-1B	Intracompany specialized knowledge	1+2+2 (5 yr max)	None
O-1	Extraordinary ability	3 years + ext.	None
TN	USMCA professionals	3 years + ext.	None
E-1	Treaty trader	2 years + ext.	None
E-2	Treaty investor	2 years + ext.	None
E-3	Australian professionals	2 years + ext.	10,500
H-2A	Temporary agricultural	1 year	None
H-2B	Temporary non-agricultural	1 year	66,000

H-1B Process

1. Prevailing Wage Determination (DOL)
2. Labor Condition Application (LCA) filing
3. LCA certified (7 days)
4. H-1B Petition (Form I-129) to USCIS
5. If cap-subject: Registration/lottery (March)
6. If selected: File petition
7. Adjudication (3-8 months, or 15 days premium)
8. If approved: Visa stamping (if abroad) or change of status

H-1B Requirements

Specialty Occupation:

• Theoretical and practical application of specialized knowledge
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent minimum requirement
• Degree must be related to position

LCA Attestations:

• Prevailing wage or actual wage (whichever higher)
• Working conditions won't adversely affect similarly employed
• No strike or lockout
• Notice to employees

L-1 Requirements

L-1A (Manager/Executive):

• Employed abroad 1 year in past 3 years
• Manager: Manages organization, department, function, or other managers
• Executive: Directs management, establishes goals, broad discretion

L-1B (Specialized Knowledge):

• Special knowledge of products/services
• Or advanced knowledge of processes/procedures

Blanket L-1:

• 3+ years doing business in US
• Combined US annual sales of $25M+, or
• US workforce of 1,000+, or
• 10+ approved L-1s in prior year

Immigrant Visa (Green Card)

Employment-Based Categories

Category	Description	Priority Date
EB-1A	Extraordinary ability	Current (usually)
EB-1B	Outstanding professor/researcher	Current (usually)
EB-1C	Multinational manager/executive	May be backlogged
EB-2	Advanced degree or exceptional ability	Backlogged (India/China)
EB-2 NIW	National Interest Waiver	Backlogged
EB-3	Skilled workers, professionals	Backlogged
EB-4	Special immigrants	Varies
EB-5	Investors	Backlogged (some)

PERM Labor Certification Process

1. Prevailing wage request to DOL
2. Receive prevailing wage (6-12 months)
3. Recruitment (minimum 30 days)
   - Job order with SWA
   - 2 Sunday newspaper ads
   - 3 additional recruitment steps
4. 30-day quiet period
5. File PERM application (ETA Form 9089)
6. Certification (6-12 months) or audit
7. File I-140 within 180 days of certification

I-140 Immigrant Petition

Filing Requirements:

• Approved PERM (EB-2, EB-3) or evidence of category
• Evidence of qualifications
• Evidence of ability to pay (employer)

Priority Date: Date PERM filed (or I-140 if no PERM required)

Adjustment of Status (I-485)

Concurrent Filing: When priority date is current Requirements:

• Approved or pending I-140
• Visa number available
• Admissible
• Maintain status

Benefits of Pending I-485:

• Employment Authorization (EAD)
• Advance Parole (travel)
• Portability after 180 days

Employer Compliance

I-9 Requirements

Timing:

• Section 1: First day of employment
• Section 2: Within 3 business days of start

Documents:

• List A (identity + work authorization), OR
• List B (identity) + List C (work authorization)

Common Violations:

• Incomplete or missing I-9s
• Over-documentation
• Document discrimination
• Untimely completion
• Failure to reverify

I-9 Audit Defense

1. Notice of Inspection received
2. 3 business days to produce I-9s
3. Review and identify deficiencies
4. Technical vs. substantive violations
5. Good faith defense documentation
6. Response to Notice of Intent to Fine
7. Hearing request if needed

LCA Public Access File

Contents Required:

• LCA and cover pages
• Prevailing wage documentation
• Actual wage documentation
• Explanation of actual wage system
• Benefits documentation
• Notice of LCA posting

Corporate Immigration Compliance Program

• Written immigration policy
• I-9 procedures and training
• Visa tracking system
• Travel policy for visa holders
• Merger/acquisition due diligence
• Public access file maintenance
• H-1B LCA posting procedures
• Status change/extension tracking
• Departure procedure for terminated employees

Removal Defense

Grounds of Deportability (INA §237)

• Present without admission
• Violated status
• Immigration fraud
• Criminal grounds
• Security grounds
• Public charge (limited)

Relief from Removal

Relief	Requirements
Cancellation (LPR)	7 years residence, 5 years LPR, no aggravated felony
Cancellation (Non-LPR)	10 years presence, good moral character, exceptional hardship
Asylum	Persecution (race, religion, nationality, political, social group)
Withholding	Clear probability of persecution
CAT	Torture by government likely
Voluntary Departure	Good moral character, means to depart

Immigration Court Process

Master Calendar → Individual Hearing →
Decision → Appeal to BIA →
Federal Court Review (limited)

Family-Based Immigration

Immediate Relatives (No Wait)

• Spouse of USC
• Unmarried child under 21 of USC
• Parent of USC (if USC is 21+)

Preference Categories

Category	Relationship	Wait Time
F1	Unmarried adult children of USC	7+ years
F2A	Spouse/minor children of LPR	2-3 years
F2B	Unmarried adult children of LPR	7+ years
F3	Married adult children of USC	13+ years
F4	Siblings of adult USC	15+ years

Key Resources

Source	Content	URL
USCIS	Forms, case status	uscis.gov
DOL FLAG	LCA filing, PERM	flag.dol.gov
State Dept	Visa bulletin	travel.state.gov
EOIR	Immigration courts	justice.gov/eoir
CBP	Entry, ESTA	cbp.gov

Integration with Other Skills

• employment-labor: Work authorization verification
• compliance-tracking: Immigration compliance
• corporate-ma: Immigration due diligence
• litigation: Removal defense
• criminal-defense: Immigration consequences

Reference Files

For detailed guidance:

• references/visa-comparison.md - Visa category analysis
• references/perm-recruitment.md - PERM advertising requirements
• references/i-9-compliance.md - I-9 audit preparation