Garfinkel Immigration’s Healthcare Specialty Practice Group (SPG) centralizes the Firm’s decades of experience developing innovative legal solutions across the spectrum of the healthcare community, including for physicians, nurses, medical technicians and therapists, as well as for IT and HR professionals in health-related fields.
The SPG team has extensive experience leveraging creative approaches and industry-leading expertise to provide uniquely valuable legal advice. The team structure leverages the talent of our Partners, attorneys, and highly qualified paralegals, concentrating their skills to develop and implement best immigration practices for hospitals, medical providers of all sizes, and other key healthcare infrastructure sectors in the Carolinas, the Southeast region and across the United States.
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 strategies for healthcare workers include:
- J-1 (Exchange Visitor)
- H-1B (Specialty Occupation)
- O-1 (Extraordinary Ability or Achievement)
- TN (NAFTA Professionals)
- J-1 Conrad 30 and other 212(e) Waivers
Immigrant visas (green cards) in the United States can be gained through an offer of permanent employment from a U.S. company.
There are often specific nuances and exceptions to immigration law that apply to healthcare workers. For example, many physicians, nurses and physical therapists are eligible to bypass what is typically the longest and most costly step of the green card process, known as the PERM Labor Certification step, by filing a Physician National Interest Waiver or a Schedule A immigrant visa petition.
The Garfinkel Healthcare SPG team has deep expertise creating long-term, efficient strategies for healthcare workers to find employment in the U.S. on a permanent, full-time basis.
Garfinkel Immigration also assists healthcare workers as well as other employers and employees in the following areas:
- Processing visa paperwork
- Preparing forms for filing
- Maintaining status
- Assistance and training for human resource managers and/or immigration coordinators
- Global and outbound visa solutions and services
- Work site compliance management
- Litigation
- Education immigration solutions