- “AV Preeminent®, the highest-ranking level of professional excellence, skill and integrity under the Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating System. Martindale-Hubbell gave Carl an AV rating.
- Perfect 10.0 score on AVVO.com, a lawyer rating and referral website
- “Top Rated Lawyers in Florida, Immigration,” Lawyers of Distinction
- “Immigration Lawyer of the Year, USA” Lawyer Monthly’s Legal Awards
- “Nations Top One Percent,” the National Association of Distinguished Counsel
- “The Top 10 Immigration Attorneys, Florida,” Best of the Best Attorneys
- “10 Top Immigration Attorneys, Florida,” the American Institute of Legal Counsel
- “Top 10 Immigration Attorneys, Florida,” Attorney and Practice Magazine
- “The Top Immigration Attorneys, Florida,” The Top 100 Lawyers
- “Top Ranking Immigration Law Firms in Florida,” American Association of Attorney Advocates
- Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Member, Academy of International Business
Recent Case Approvals
We received approvals in all of these categories in the last eighteen months:
- EB1A, Extraordinary Ability Green Cards
- EB1C, Executive Green Cards
- EB2NIW, National Interest Waiver Green Cards
- EB2, Advanced Degree Green Cards
- EB3, Skilled Worker Green Cards
- PERM labor certification
- E2 Visas
- E1 Visas
- L1A Visas for Executives
- L1B Visas for Specialized Skill Workers
- H1B Specialty Occupation Visas
- TN Visas for Canadians
- 601 Waivers for fraud, criminal history, and unlawful presence
- Citizenship Applications
- Marriage Based Green Cards (adjustment of status and consular processing)
- Family Based Green Cards
- Fiancée Visas
Florida Immigration Lawyer | Immigration Services Offered
Florida immigration lawyer Carl Rothrock provides several immigration services, including visas for people with extraordinary ability, work visas, investor visas, and family-based visas.
Visas for Extraordinary Ability
EB1A Extraordinary Ability Visa: In order to qualify for an EB1A visa as an “alien of extraordinary ability,” the applicant must prove that he or she has an extraordinary ability in the fields of science, arts, education, business, or athletics. The applicant must show that his or her achievements have been recognized in his or her respective field. The EB1A visa allows an immigrant to enter the country with no job offer or relationship to a U.S. citizen.
EB2 National Interest Waiver: In order to qualify for an NIW visa, the applicant must have an “advanced degree” or “exceptional ability” in the sciences, arts, or business. Further, the applicant must prove that the United States government should waive its requirement of having a job offer because the applicant’s presence in the United States has substantial merit and national importance. An employer may sponsor an employee for the National Interest Waiver. In addition, the applicant can self-sponsor. Like the EB1A, the immigrant does not need a job offer or relationship to a U.S. citizen.
Rothrock Immigration Lawyer Florida | Work Visas
Permanent Work Visas | Florida Immigration Lawyer Carl Rothrock
An employer may sponsor an employee for a permanent job. The permanent residence card is also known as a “green card.” If the petition is approved, the employee’s spouse and children under 21 may also receive green cards. There are three primary categories of business visas. The first is the “EB1,” visa. The second is the “EB2” visa. The third is the “Eb3” visa. The government limits the number of visas each year in each category by country of citizenship as well as type of visa. Some of these categories require the applicant to have a job offer while others do not. Visit our work visa web pages for these visas to learn more.
Rothrock Immigration Lawyer Florida | Investor visas
Immigrants have a number of investor visa options to choose from. Some of these options lead to green cards, while others are temporary options. Below is a list of different types of investor visa options. Click on the link for additional details about the individual visa.
Golden Visa | Florida Immigration Lawyer Carl Rothrock
EB5 Visa: This visa is sometimes called the “Golden Visa” because an investor can obtain a green card by investing a large sum of money. This visa currently requires an investment of $800,000.00 to $1,050,000.00 USD. Depending on the type of EB5 visa selected, the investor may not need to participate in managing the business.
Treaty Visas | Florida Immigration Lawyer Carl Rothrock
E2 Treaty Visa: This visa allows an investor to enter the United States with a smaller investment amount than an EB5. Depending on the investor’s country of citizenship, the investor might be able to own and operate a business with an $80,000 initial investment. Although this visa does not lead to a permanent green card, it allows the investor to work in the U.S. for up to five years, and it can be renewed indefinitely. While the investor is running a business in the U.S., he or she might consider another immigration option that leads to a green card.
E1 Treaty Visa: This visa allows an investor to enter the U.S. for a period of time up to five years to conduct trade. This visa does not require that an individual have an office in the U.S., nor does it require a minimum investment amount. Rather, the treaty holder must prove active trade between the U.S. and country of citizenship. Like the E2 visa, this visa does not lead to a green card, but it can be renewed indefinitely.
Entrepreneur Visas
L1 Visa. The L1 visa is a hybrid visa between the E2 and the EB5 visas. Like the E2, it is a temporary visa with an investment amount of approximately $100,000 to $150,000 USD. However, the L1 visa is a dual intent visa. The investor can initially enter the U.S. temporarily but transition to a permanent green card by filing an EB1C visa application.
EB1C visa. This visa allows an entrepreneur to manage a company in the United States. Most applicants initially enter the U.S. on the L1 Visa. After they run their business for a year, the can then apply for an EB1C visa to permanently manage the company.
Green Card Through Marriage
An immigrant may obtain a permanent green card by marrying a United States Citizen or U.S. green card holder. In order to obtain a green card through marriage, the immigrant must prove that he or she is legally married to the U.S. citizen or green card holder and that the marriage was not entered into for immigration purposes. The United States government does not recognize “common law” marriages. The parties must be legally married. The marriage green card has the shortest processing time of all the permanent green card options. If a U.S. citizen marries a foreign citizen, the U.S. citizen can sponsor both the spouse and child under 21 for a green card, provided the marriage occurred before the child turned 18.
Other Family-Based Green Cards
An immigrant may obtain a green card if he is the parent, child, or sibling of a US Citizen. An immigrant may obtain a permanent green card if he or she is the child of a U.S. Citizen or green card holder. Note that the parent or sibling of a green card holder may not apply of U.S. residency. In addition, aunts, uncles, grandchildren, and cousins are not eligible to apply for family-based green cards. Processing times vary according to the relation between family members. Visit our family-based green card webpage for additional information.
