Services

Immigration Law Services

At Rachel M. Self, P.C. we specialize in all aspects of immigration law. We dedicate ourselves to honest and communicative representation while providing you with all possible resolutions for your immigration problem. Rachel M. Self, P.C. can represent you before the CIS throughout the United States and U.S. Consulates worldwide. We keep families together. We help businesses stay productive.

Rachel M. Self, P.C. can advise and assist you in the various areas of immigration below:

Business-PERM or H-1B Visas

If an employer wishes to sponsor a valuable worker in the United States or a skilled worker living abroad, they must first secure Alien Labor Certification for the job in question from the United States Department of Labor. We assist all types of businesses in preparing this complex application, and in finding creative solutions to find appropriate personnel, and match their company needs to those of the worker.
Whether you are looking for a skilled worker, tradesperson, or professional, we can assist your business in obtaining the proper visas and authorizations. We will work to qualify your business as a viable sponsor.

Individuals and Families

Asylum / refugee

People with a real fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership in or identification with a particular social group, or political opinion can apply for asylum or refugee status.

Deportation/Removal Procedures/Detention

We have particular expertise in the field of deportation defense. The process of deportation/removal may be very frightening for a person not familiar with our legal system. Put our experience and dedication on your side. We represent individuals that the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service is seeking to deport before the immigration courts and prepare applications for relief on their behalf. Some of the offenses we can help you with are overstays, criminal offenses, illegal entry, illegal work or employment, submission of fraudulent (false) documents, and false claims of U.S. citizenship.

Lawful permanent Residence through employment

If you want to become an immigrant (a foreign national who has been authorized to live and work permanently in the United States) based on the fact that you have a permanent employment opportunity in the United States, or if you are an employer that wants to sponsor someone for lawful permanent residency based on permanent employment in the United States, the foreign national must fall into one of the categories below:

First Preference (EB-1 priority workers): aliens with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and certain multinational executives and managers.
Second Preference (EB-2 workers with advanced degrees or exceptional ability): aliens who are members of the professions holding advanced degrees or their equivalent and aliens who because of their exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business will substantially benefit the national economy, cultural, or educational interests or welfare of the United States.
Third Preference (EB-3 professionals, skilled workers, and other workers): aliens with at least two years of experience as skilled workers, professionals with a baccalaureate degree, and others with less than two years experience, such as an unskilled worker who can perform labor for which qualified workers are not available in the United States.
Fourth Preference (EB-4 special workers such as those in a religious occupation or vocation): aliens who, for at least two years before applying for admission to the United States, have been a member of a religious denomination that has a non-profit religious organization in the United States, and who will be working in a religious vocation or occupation at the request of the religious organization.
Fifth Preference (EB-5 Employment Creation) If you would like to be granted immigrant status in the United States for the purpose of engaging in a new commercial enterprise, please see Lawful Permanent Residence through Investment. Permanent resident status is available to investors, either alone or coming with their spouse and unmarried children

Lawful permanent residence through Investment

Permanent resident status is available to investors, either alone or coming with their spouse and unmarried children. In general, “eligible individuals” include those:

Who establish a new commercial enterprise by:
- creating an original business;
- purchasing an existing business and simultaneously or subsequently restructuring or reorganizing the business such that a new commercial enterprise results; or
- expanding an existing business by 140 percent of the pre-investment number of jobs or net worth, or retaining all existing jobs in a troubled business that has lost 20 percent of its net worth over the past 12 to 24 months; and
Who have invested – or who are actively in the process of investing – in a new commercial enterprise:
- at least $1,000,000, or
- at least $500,000 where the investment is being made in a “targeted employment area,” which is an area that has experienced unemployment of at least 150 per cent of the national average rate or a rural area; and
Whose engagement in a new commercial enterprise will benefit the United States economy and:
- create full-time employment for not fewer than 10 qualified individuals; or
- maintain the number of existing employees at no less than the pre-investment level for a period of at least two years, where the capital investment is being made in a “troubled business,” which is a business that has been in existence for at least two years and that has lost 20 percent of its net worth over the past 12 to 24 months.

Naturalization

At Rachel M. Self, P.C., we assist clients in applying for U.S. citizenship and address the legal issues of physical presence, good moral character, age, knowledge of U.S. history and English, and disability waivers. We will always accompany you to your naturalization interview.

You may be eligible for U.S. Citizenship if:

You have been a permanent resident for five years; or
You are the spouse of a U.S. citizen and have been a permanent resident for 3 years; or
Your mother or father became a U.S. citizen before your 18th birthday

permanent Resident Visas (green cards)

Permanent resident visas, commonly known as green cards, entitle aliens to many benefits, including the right to live and work in the U.S. and the right to travel to and from the U.S. indefinitely. Rachel M. Self, P.C. will advise you about the eligibility requirements for qualifying for permanent resident status. There are many ways to establish permanent resident status, including:

Family-based Petitions – One of our main goals is to assist families as they try to re-unite in the U.S. If you have a qualifying family relative, such as a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident, you may be eligible for a green card.
Employment-based Petitions – Show that you have skills and qualify to fill a job, and that a specific employer is willing to sponsor you.
Investor Traders – You may be eligible for a green card if you are an entrepreneur interested in investing $750,000 to $1,000,000 in a new or existing business in the U.S.
Immigrant Lottery – Each year in October a “diversity lottery” is held. If you are a selected as a winner, you may be eligible for permanent resident status.
Registry. If you have lived in the United States continually since 1972, you may be eligible for a green card.
National of Cuba or Nicaragua – If you are a national of either of these countries, you may be able to obtain a permanent resident visa.

Non-immigrant (temporary) visas

Rachel M. Self, P.C. can assist families and individuals in bringing friends and relatives from other countries to the United States for temporary visits. We will discuss all of the possible non-immigrant visa options with you during your consultation. Some of the options include:

B: Tourists and business visitors
F: academic student visas to attend school
M: vocational student visas

We may also be able to obtain a temporary visa that would allow your friend or relative to work while in the United States. These include:

E: treaty-traders engaged in trade or treaty-investors engaged in U.S. investment
H: specialty occupation workers, temporary workers, and trainees
J: cultural exchange program participants
K: fiancés of U.S. citizens
L: executives, managers, and workers with specialized knowledge
P: entertainers and athletes
Q: cultural exchange employees
R: religious workers
TN: A special visa category for nationals of Canada/Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement.