If you’re an employer in El Paso wanting to sponsor a foreign national to become a permanent resident based on employment, then you’ll need to know how to navigate the process to obtain work permits. It can appear complicated st first. However, with the right attorney to advise you, the multi-step process can become very manageable. Here are a few things you need to know about getting work permits for foreign national employees. These are extremely important if you are planning to move forward with the sponsorship.
Understand the Application
The first thing you may want to consider is the Application for Permanent Labor Certification. This application must be certified and approved by the Department of Labor. After this application, an employer can continue the process by filing Form I-140, which is Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker. Understanding the application will help you to understand the next step. Remember, one mistake can set back an application or even disqualify it. So, you should consider getting the help of an immigration attorney like Cynthia R. López to ensure accuracy.
Understand Eligibility
This step can come before or after the initial application. What needs to happen at this stage is that you need to know how your employees are eligible for work permits. For example, there are a total of four occupational priorities. The first is called EB-1 – Priority Workers. This is for aliens with extraordinary abilities in the workplace. Typically, they are the employees who provide a highly specialized service. The second EB Visa category is EB-2 – Professionals With Advanced Degrees or Persons With Exceptional Ability. In these cases, you need to make sure that you can prove how invaluable this employee is to your business. In addition, other occupational priorities include skilled workers and special immigrants, such as religious workers.
Understand Filing
After initially looking at the application and determining how your employee(s) might be eligible for work permits, understand how to file a petition on an employee’s behalf. The best advice to heed here is to get an attorney. You can attempt this on your own; however, it is not the best course of action. The filing process can be very lengthy and the margin of error will large, if you don’t have proper professional guidance. So, an immigration lawyer like Cynthia R. López can help with the intricate filings and forms.
If you’re in the El Paso area, and interested in obtaining a work permit, contact us today. At Cynthia R. López, we’d be happy to answer any questions. The process should be as simple and as painless as possible.
