NONIMMIGRANT VISA SERVICES

Temporary Employment Visas

In order to be considered for a nonimmigrant temporary worker visa, the applicant's prospective employer or agent must file form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, with the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS). Once approved, the employer or agent is sent a notice of approval of the petition, form I-797. This approval allows an individual to apply for the appropriate visa, but does not guarantee issuance.

To apply for a temporary work visa:

• Register for an appointment at any branch of Credit Libanais Bank, where they must pay a $100 (or equivalent in Lebanese currency) non-refundable application fee. Both copies of the bank receipt must be presented at the time of the interview.
• Complete and sign DS-156 (electronic version) and DS-157 application forms, also obtainable from Credit Libanais Bank.
• Attach a recent photograph to the application.
• Possess a passport, signed by the applicant and with a validity date at least six months beyond the applicant's intended period of stay in the United States. (Note: If more than one person is included in the passport, each person desiring a visa must make a separate application.)
• Present at the visa interview: original approval notice of action (I-797); petition for a nonimmigrant worker (I-129) may also be required.
• All applicants should bring a family extract showing the names of their parents and siblings, or, if married, a family extract showing the names of their spouse and children, with an English translation.

Applicants, with the exception of H1 and L1 applicants, may also need to show proof of binding ties to a residence outside the United States which they have no intention of abandoning. It is impossible to specify the exact form the evidence should take since applicants' circumstances vary greatly.

With the exception of Q-1 (cultural exchange visitors), the spouse and unmarried, minor children of an applicant under any of the classifications listed below may also be classified as nonimmigrant in order to accompany or join the principal applicant. At the time of the interview applicants should provide the original approval notice of action (I-797) for spouses and minor children, an original marriage certificate translated to English by a sworn translator (for spouses), or an original birth certificate translated to English by a sworn translator (for minor children).

A person who has received a visa as the spouse or child of a temporary worker may not accept employment in the United States. The principal applicant must be able to show that he or she will be able to support his or her family in the United States.

All of the below classifications have fixed time limits in which the alien may perform services in the United States. In some cases those time limits may be extended by the BCIS in order to permit the completion of the services. Thereafter, the alien must remain abroad for a fixed period of time before being readmitted as a temporary worker under any classification. The BCIS will notify the petitioner on form I-797 whenever the visa petition, an extension of a visa petition, or an extension of stay is approved. The beneficiary may use a copy of form I-797 to apply for a new or revalidated visa during the validity period of the petition.

Categories of Temporary U.S. Employment Visas:

H-1B classification applies to persons in specialty occupations which require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge requiring completion of a specific course of higher education. This classification requires a labor attestation issued by the U.S. Secretary of Labor; it also applies to government-to-government research and development, or co-production projects administered by the U.S. Department of Defense;

H-2A classification applies to temporary or seasonal agricultural workers;

H-2B classification applies to temporary or seasonal nonagricultural workers. It requires a temporary labor certification issued by the U.S. Secretary of Labor;

H-3 classification applies to trainees other than medical or academic. It also applies to practical training in education of handicapped children;

L classification applies to intracompany transferees who, within the three preceding years, have been employed abroad continuously for one year, and who will be employed by a branch, parent, affiliate, or subsidiary of that same employer in the u.s. in a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge capacity;

O-1 classification applies to persons who have extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business, athletics or extraordinary achievements in the motion picture and television field;

O-2 classification applies to persons accompanying an O-1 alien to assist in an artistic or athletic performance for a specific event or performance

P-1 classification applies to individual or team athletes, or members of an entertainment group that are internationally recognized;

P-2 classification applies to artists or entertainers who will perform under a reciprocal exchange program;

P-3 classification applies to artists or entertainers who perform under a program that is culturally unique (same as P-1);

Q-1 classification applies to participants in an international cultural exchange program for the purpose of providing practical training, employment, and the sharing of the history, culture, and traditions of the alien's home country.

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