Our Associate Attorney, Jennifer Early, met with two clients at the Peace Bridge yesterday to present their applications for U.S. work permits to Customs & Border Protection.  Both were quickly approved without issue.  Our immigration lawyers are at the U.S./Canadian border multiple times per week presenting TN and L-1A Visa applications.
Our first client applied for L-1A visa status based on his high-level managerial position within his company.  Oftentimes,  CBP will stop border crossers from entering the U.S. for business because they believe that the “work” they are doing does not fall within the permissible B-1 activities.  When a person’s border crossings “for a meeting” become more frequent  (greater than once per month) or develop a certain pattern, CBP may eventually require the individual to obtain a work permit.  Since our client’s entries into the U.S. were becoming more regular, we advised him to apply for L-1A status before CBP took issue with the frequency of his crossings.  We assembled a comprehensive packet detailing his qualifications, presented it to CBP at the Peace Bridge, and his L-1A status was approved.
Prior to retaining Berardi Immigration Law, our second client had previously applied for TN status but was denied.  His qualifications included the equivalent of a 3-year diploma and almost 10 years of experience.  When CBP reviewed his documentation, they correctly stated that the diploma is not the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree.  CBP advised him to obtain letters from former employers confirming his work in the industry to fulfill the evidentiary requirement of 5+ years’ experience.  The client retained us to advise and assist him in presenting this second application at the border, and he was approved TN status on the spot.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and allow us to assist you in crossing the border with confidence!