Visa Application Attorneys

The immigration attorneys at Murphy & Price help individuals, families and employers with every kind of visa request. If you have questions about a visa, give our visa application lawyers a call at 410-280-2500, or drop us a line using this online form.

Immigrant Visas

Permanent residence (green card): If you would like to seek permanent resident status in the United States, commonly known as having a green card, there are a variety of visas you can apply for. The immigration attorneys at the Federal Practice Group can help you figure out which visa is right for you, guide you through the appropriate forms and procedures, and represent you at any and all interviews and hearings required by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Visas for family members: If you’re a foreign national with family members living in the United States who are either U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, it may be possible to obtain a family-based green card depending on the nature of the relationship. Parents, spouses, and unmarried children under the age of 21 receive the highest preference and can usually obtain green cards within one year of submitting their application. Other applicants, such as the siblings or the adult/married children of U.S. citizens can also obtain green cards based on the family relationships, but the process may take longer. In certain situations, it is possible to obtain temporary visas for the family members and fiances of U.S. citizens while the family-based green card application is being processed under the Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act.

Visas for fiances: United States Immigration allows U.S. citizens to obtain visas for their fiances and their fiance’s children. Once a fiance visa has been issued, the couple has 90 days to get married following the arrival of the noncitizen fiance in the United States. Due to the fact that the fiance visa has been used to illegitimately circumvent immigration law by individuals in the past, the process of obtaining the fiance will require you to prove that your relationship is authentic and legitimate in nature. In addition to advising you through every step of the fiance visa process, the attorneys at the Federal Practice Group will help you prepare for the interviews by briefing you on the questions you’ll likely be presented with.

Immediate relative family visas include:

IR-1: Spouse of a U.S. citizen

IR-2: Unmarried child (under 21) of a U.S. citizen

IR-3: Orphan adopted abroad by a U.S. citizen

IR-4: Orphan to be adopted in the U.S. by a U.S. citizen

IR-5: Parent of a U.S. citizen who is at least 21

Green card lottery visas: This program offers residence in the U.S. to up to 55,000 people annually. To be eligible you should come from a country with a low immigration rate to the U.S.

Nonimmigrant Visas

U.S. Immigration law allows for a limited number of individuals to qualify for a permanent resident visa (commonly known as a green card) every year based on employment. However, immigration law is extremely complex and usually difficult for the layperson to understand. The immigration attorneys with the Federal Practice Group can help you determine if you qualify for permanent resident status, and if so, help you navigate the forms necessary to apply for the correct visa.

Visas for medical professionals: The United States issues a limited number of visas to foreign-born doctors every year, allowing them to qualify for medical residencies, fellowships, and perform patient care. While visas for medical professionals are similar to other visas, there are some important exemptions and waivers which apply, including an exemption from the foreign labor certification requirement for medical professionals who have been licensed through certain foreign professional programs.There are three visa classifications for doctors:

• H-1B Visas for foreign doctors
• J-1 visas for foreign doctors
• Permanent residence for foreign doctors

Visas for researchers, professors and scientists: The United States also offers visas to professional educators, scientists and researchers. Such visas are available to individuals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability in their fields (EB-2), as well as people who have proven themselves as being in the top of their field (EB-1). If you meet the threshold requirements to qualify for an EB-1 or EB-2 visa, the process of obtaining can be significantly expedited.

Treaty trader visas and treaty investor visas: There are two types of visas available to foreign nationals of a treaty nation to enter into the United States for the purpose of carrying out substantial trade between the United States and the treaty county (E-1) or investing in a business in the United States (E-2).

A More Complete Listing Of Specific Visa Types

Murphy & Price, LLP, of Annapolis, Maryland, welcomes your inquiries about every kind of visa.