Articles Posted in International Athletes

Are you interested in self-petitioning for a green card (permanent residence) in 2024? If so, you won’t want to miss this important video.


Overview


Did you know that it is possible to apply for a green card on your own through a self-petition and avoid the process of getting a U.S. job offer? In this video, we discuss the top three ways you can apply for permanent residence without a U.S. company sponsoring you and without a U.S. job offer.


Option #1: Employment-Based First Preference Category, EB-1A Aliens of Extraordinary Ability


The first immigrant visa classification we will discuss is the EB-1A visa. This immigrant visa is suitable for individuals who have attained “extraordinary ability” in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics through sustained national or international acclaim in their field.

Those who qualify for the EB-1A category can self-petition for their visa on their own. They do not need a U.S. job offer nor employment sponsorship to apply for permanent residence.

EB-1A is Current on the Visa Bulletin 

Additionally, as of June 2024 the EB-1A category remains current on the Visa Bulletin for all countries except India and China, which means that most applicants will not need to wait to apply for adjustment of status to permanent residence so long as the category remains current. For nationals of India and China please see the EB-1A wait times on the June 2024 Visa Bulletin.

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In this video attorney Jacob Sapochnick discusses the P-1A visa for internationally recognized athletes.

Overview: 

The P-1A visa is suitable for internationally acclaimed athletes coming to the United States for the purpose of performing temporarily at an athletic competition or as part of an internationally acclaimed group or team.

To succeed in obtaining this visa, you must be able to provide evidence that you are internationally recognized in your particular field or sport. This can be demonstrated by showing significant honors or awards in your sport, international media coverage, evidence that your competitors are internationally recognized, evidence that you command a high degree of esteem within your sport etc.

The athlete must be coming to the United States to compete at a major event that is internationally recognized within that sport.

The P-1A visa is issued for the period of time necessary to complete the specific competition, event, or performance.

This is a great visa for individuals who compete regularly in the United States and are well known in their field.

Please contact our office to determine whether the P-1A visa is suitable for you.

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