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California Immigration Lawyers Helping Businessmen, Investors, Students, Entrepreneurs, and Entertainment Professionals Live and Work in the U.S.

filling out an immigration application Since its inception, the United States has been a beacon of new opportunities, exciting possibilities, and fresh starts. Whether you wish to obtain an O visa as a person in the arts, film, television, music, or athletics, or whether you are looking to move to the U.S. to begin a new business or expand your current foreign operations, or invest to obtain a green card, navigating the immigration process can be confusing, complex, and overwhelming. 


Understandably, you probably have many questions relating to the U.S. visa options that exist and which path is best suited for your career and future goals. You may be an artist, a film or television professional, musician, or athlete, with upcoming opportunities in the U.S., or you may be an investor wondering about the EB5 investment-based green card option and whether it is the right path for you and your family. As a professional, could you live and work in the United States and perhaps qualify for a Green Card?

At the Law Offices of Vaughan de Kirby, our San Francisco immigration law firm takes pride in answering all of your questions by providing reliable and detailed immigration information with an understanding and caring demeanor. To speak directly with our California immigration lawyers, please call our office at 415-221-2345 or contact us via the contact tab on this website. Also feel free to browse our website practice areas and request your free immigration law e-book, prepared by our San Francisco visa lawyers, about the visa option you are interested in.

Our San Francisco immigration lawyers are here to serve your needs whether you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, located outside California, or even outside the U.S. Our lawyers have assisted a multitude of clients located all over the world. To read a sampling of our testimonials please visit our Successes page. We are proud to provide our clients with efficient, thorough, and responsive legal services as we work together with you to successfully navigate the current immigration landscape.

Our immigration attorneys offer a range of non-immigrant and immigrant visa legal services, including assistance with O visa, L visa, EB5 green card, E visa, and H1B visa processing including others. Below is a brief description of the various services we focus on through our experienced lawyers. Please feel free to click on the visa of interest to be taken to a particular practice area page and feel free to click on the eBook title following each description to sign up to receive your free eBook today:

Non-Immigrant Visas - Temporary Working Visa Allowing a Beneficiary to Enter the U.S. for a Specified Time

O-1 Extraordinary Ability Visas. These temporary work visas allow those with outstanding talents to live and work in the United States either for an employer or to participate in upcoming projects and events. Those who may qualify for the extraordinary ability visa include persons in the arts, television, film, sciences, education, business, and athletics. Individuals applying for this visa should be planning on practicing their talent in the United States and will need to satisfy varies regulatory requirements. Attorney Vaughan de Kirby and Hendrik Pretorius have both represented a large number of artists, entertainers, and athletes from around the world, including internationally acclaimed persons such as dancers for the world famous ballet company Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo, and other internationally acclaimed film and television professionals, musicians, athletes, and artists. The O-1 Visa is a visa that could enable you to work and perform in the United States. At the Law Offices of Vaughan de Kirby, Immigration Attorney Hendrik Pretorius, who has extensive experience in assisting clients, along with their families and assistants, with O visa matters is available to answer all your O visa questions. For more information on the O visa itself, please request our free eBook providing detailed information on the visa process by clicking on this link, Using Your Extraordinary Ability in Film, T.V., Arts, Athletics, Business, and more to Work in the U.S.
L-1 Intracompany Transfer Visas. This is a temporary worker visa that allows foreign national business owners and employees to either start new operations in the U.S., related in ownership with an established foreign company, or to transfer employees between a foreign and an already established U.S. operation. Further, the L visa provides a specific path to a green card for L-1A managers and executives. While the L-1 visa is a non-immigration visa, it gives foreign workers the opportunity to live and work in the U.S. for up to seven years (for managers and executives) or five years (if a specialized knowledge individual) depending on the particular position and to possibly work toward permanent residency. For more information immigration information specifically about the L visa process, please request our free eBook by clicking on the following link, The Business Owner's Guide to United States Residency Via the L-1 Visa.
H-1 Visa. The H-1B professional worker visa is a non-immigration visa appropriate for foreign specialty workers seeking temporary employment in the United States. To qualify for this visa, which allows you to live in the U.S. for up to seven years and beyond in certain circumstances (if you have started the employment based green card process), workers must hold at least a Bachelors Degree or its equivalent in working experience. The H-1B visa has a yearly quota of 65,000 available visas and is a two step process in terms of a petition having to include a Labor Condition Application before it can even be filed with USCIS for adjudication. A very important part of the H-1B process relates to specific job duties in the U.S. as well as a beneficiary's prior experience or prior education. For more immigration information related to this visa, please request the H-1B eBook prepared in detail by our qualified immigration attorneys, Professionals-Employers: Special Report H-1 Employment Visa.

Immigrant Visas (Green Cards) - Applications for Permanent Residency Allowing an Applicant to Live in the U.S.

EB-5 Investor Green Cards. Each year, 10,000 EB-5 visas are available to foreign investors who wish to immigrate to the United States. To qualify for the visa, immigrants must invest between $500,000 and $1 million in either a new or existing commercial enterprise that will improve the US economy and must create at least ten jobs. The amount that needs to be invested can depend on a number of factors including where the business is located, unemployment rates in the area, whether an area is considered rural and so forth. Two forms of the EB-5 green card exist, the first depending on an applicant investing in their own business which they themselves operate and the second, often much simpler and advantageous option, allowing for an investment in a USCIS approved regional investment center. The EB-5 process is complex and has many considerations. There are many advantages provided by the EB-5 process as opposed to other employment based categories such as the overall processing time, the fact that applicants can live anywhere in the U.S. (depending on which EB-5 route is chosen), as well as several other benefits which are discussed in detail in our EB-5 published book. For more information about the EB-5 process, in depth explanations about the process, comparisons of the two EB-5 routes, as well as a comparison of the EB-5 visa against other green card routes, please request our free Book, The Investor's Path to a Green Card. This publication has been written by our EB5 immigration lawyers.
EB-1 & EB-2 Immigrant Visa. The EB-1 and EB-2 visa are employment-based immigrant visa applications that allow working immigrants and their families to secure permanent residency in the United States. The EB-1 visa focuses in part on priority workers such as outstanding college professors, extraordinary researchers, or specialized executives from multinational organizations (L-1A visa holders qualify under this section). The EB-2 visa focuses on persons with Exceptional Ability as well as Masters Degree holders among others. These processes have various steps to them and are often very complex. To receive a free eBook providing more detail about the EB-1 process, please request the eBook here, Professionals-Employers: Special Report EB-1.

Interested in the O-1, L-1, H-1B, EB-5, or EB-1 visa processes? Request a free book for additional information. Our titles include:
The Investor’s Path to a Green Card. If you are considering becoming a permanent resident of the United States via immigration through investment, we urge you to request a free copy of our book on the subject, The Investor’s Path to a Green Card. Available in both English and Chinese, this easy-to-understand 200-page guide clearly and thoroughly explains the EB-5 immigrant investor’s green card process and answers many common questions about the program, including:
 

  • What is the EB-5 investor green card?
  • What is the difference between the original program and the pilot program?
  • How much do I have to invest in order to become a resident?
  • What are the basic requirements for a Eb-5 investor green card?
  • Are there investment opportunities in California?
  • How do I apply for an EB-5 visa?


To order a copy of the our free book, written by immigration attorney Vaughan de Kirby and Hendrik Pretorius, call us at (415) 221-2345 or fill out a request form.

Using Your Extraordinary Ability in Film, T.V., Arts, Athletics, Business, and more to Work in the U.S. This concise guide answers many questions often asked by our O-1 visa clients regarding the O visa process, including what documentation is required to satisfy the regulatory elements, who can act as a sponsoring petitioner, and many others. To order a copy of the our free O visa guide, written by immigration attorney Vaughan de Kirby and Hendrik Pretorius, call us at (415) 221-2345 or fill out a request form.

The Business Owner’s Guide to United States Residency Via the L-1 Visa. Our concise L-1 visa guide provides an overview of the L visa process, the manner in which an L visa can lead to a Green Card, and considers many of the basic visa requirements. To order a copy of the our free L visa guide, written by immigration attorney Vaughan de Kirby and Hendrik Pretorius, call us at (415) 221-2345 or fill out a request form.

Working with the USCIS is not easy!


Immigration Officers are well-trained professionals who enforce US Immigration Law very strictly. Your Immigration Attorney must both know the law and be ready to work well with the USCIS Immigration Officers. We recommend that you order one of our free books and Special Reports to get the truth about US Immigration. Call us today for a free consultation.

Contact Vaughan de Kirby today, and begin working toward your future in America.


It can be difficult to find accurate, straightforward information about immigration law – and it can be even harder to find legal representation that can handle your visa application process promptly and professionally. To speak with an attorney at the Law Offices of Vaughan de Kirby, call us at (415) 221-2345 or fill out the electronic contact form on this page. Start your journey today.

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Vaughan de Kirby
California Immigration Attorney