B-1 & B-2 Visas for Business & Pleasure

Columbus Immigration Lawyers with Offices in Columbus Ohio, Cleveland Ohio, Southfield Michigan and Washington, D.C.

If you want to visit the United States, a B-1 business visitor or B-2 tourist visa may be the appropriate option for you. There are specific requirements that must be met, and documentation furnished, to facilitate a swift and favorable result. Our Columbus immigration attorneys at The Law Firm of Shihab & Associates can help you determine the right type of visa and can handle your application so you can achieve your goal of visiting the U.S.

Contact us for representation before a U.S. Consulate to obtain a visitor’s visa. Often times, U.S. Consul Officers may deny a visa because the supporting documentation did not clearly establish that the applicant is qualified. Overcoming a denial may be a difficult task, hence it may be in the applicant’s best interest to be represented by experienced immigration attorney who can submit the best possible application and supporting documentation.

To discuss your unique situation, intentions, and options call (888) 915-5057 for a consultation with one of our skilled immigration lawyers.

Business Visitor Visa (B-1)

Foreign Business persons planning to visit U.S. to engage in consultations with U.S. business associates, or attend professional conferences or conventions, or solicit sales and negotiate a contract, then B-1 visa (business visitor visa) is an appropriate visa to travel to U.S.

B-1 visa is also available to personal or domestic employees accompanying a U.S. citizen employer having permanent home or is stationed in a foreign country, or a foreign citizen employer in U.S. in non-immigrant visa status like E, H, L, M, P visa status.

The B-1 visa is one of the categories that may be available to you if you are an entrepreneur interested in starting up a business in the United States. This may be appropriate if:

• The purpose of your visit to the United States would be for a short and temporary period of time, typically a maximum of six months.
• You intend to return to your home country after your visit.
• You will engage in business activity related to your work abroad.
• You will not be paid by a U.S. entity.

B1 visitor for business may be admitted for not more than one year and may be granted extensions of temporary stay in increments of not more than six months each. Failure to depart the U.S. will cause the visitor to be out of status. It is important to depart the U.S. before the last day the visitor is authorized to be in U.S. This is based on the end date on Arrival-Departure Record, Form I-94. Under the provisions of the Immigration Law, if a visitor overstay beyond the authorized stay in U.S., the visa will be automatically voided.

B-1 in Lieu of H-1B

Filing for an H-1B may not always be practical for foreign employers who only intend to send their employees to the United States for a short period of time. The B-1 in Lieu of H-1B category enables foreign employers to send their employees to the United States to perform specialty occupation work for up to six months without having to go through the lengthy and often expensive adjudication process of an H-1B. Our Columbus immigration attorneys can advise you of this course of action and help you determine whether it applies to your situation.