Garfinkel Immigration’s Education Specialty Practice Group (SPG) centralizes the Firm’s decades of experience developing innovative legal solutions for clients in the education field, including teachers, professors, administrators and infrastructure personnel.

The SPG team has extensive experience leveraging creative approaches and industry-leading expertise to provide quality legal advice. The team structure leverages the talent of our Partners, attorneys and highly qualified paralegals, concentrating their skills to develop and strategize best immigration practices for private, public and charter schools of all sizes as well as colleges and universities in the Carolinas, the Southeast region and across the United States.

Many of Garfinkel Immigration’s Education Specialty Practice Group team members are fluent in Spanish.

Some examples of services provided by our Education Specialty Practice Group include:
Nonimmigrant visa options for education professionals

Nonimmigrant visas are generally temporary in nature, with specific periods of validity.  There are multiple categories of visas, all with detailed and highly specific eligibility requirements.

Some specific nonimmigrant work visa options for education professionals include:

  • H-1B (Specialty Occupation)
  • J-1 (Exchange Visitor)
  • O-1 (Extraordinary Ability or Achievement)
  • R-1 (Religious Worker)

The Garfinkel Education SPG team has deep expertise navigating the complex licensure requirements for education professionals as well as creating efficient strategies for those in the field to find employment in the U.S.

Immigrant visas (green cards) for education professionals

Immigrant visas (green cards) in the United States can be gained through an offer of permanent employment from a U.S. company.

In many circumstances, professionals in the education field who seek to immigrate to the United States through an offer of permanent employment generally must first, through their prospective employer, obtain clearance from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), known as the Application for Permanent Employment Certification (PERM).

Garfinkel Immigration’s Education SPG focuses on guiding clients throughout the process from start to finish. The team careful examines DOL decisions and audit trends to proactively address challenges and avoid case pitfalls; files the required forms, obtains evaluations and provides needed templates; and administers the labor market test.

Further details and information

Garfinkel Immigration also assists education professionals as well as other employers and employees in the following areas:

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"I am excited to get this great news! Thank you so much for your tireless efforts and understanding to make this great difference in my career!"
- Nonimmigrant visa client
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“Thank you all so much! It means so much to work with a partner who has the same level of care and concern for our associates that we do. We really appreciate our partnership with you!"
- Employment-based client
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“I wanted to personally thank you for your exceptional services over the years. It is very clear that everyone in your firm works very hard and truly cares about the immigrants. Thank you for the exceptional work that you do - it is appreciated.”
- Nonimmigrant visa client