Chicago Fire soccer player Jhon Espinoza of Ecuador is the most recent player to receive a U.S. green card in order to play professional sports in the United States. Team members Przemyslaw Frankowski, Robert Berić and Luka Stojanović also recently received their green cards. The sports organization is trying to get as many green cards as possible for its foreign players, as part of an overall strategy to recruit international athletes. A green card holder is a permanent resident in the U.S., and no longer needs a limited international slot.
Sports immigration is an opportunity for foreign professional athletes to get a green card and play for an American team. Getting green cards for his foreign players is part of Chicago Fire first-year head coach Ezra Hendrickson’s strategy to build a winning team in Chicago. Internationally recognized athletes and coaches often apply for an EB-1 visa.
What Is An EB-1 Visa?
An EB-1 visa is an opportunity for an internationally known professional foreign athlete to get a green card. This petition can be filed through a sponsoring employer or as a self-petition.
• An EB-1 is available for foreign nationals with “extraordinary ability” and “sustained national and international acclaim.”
• The petition can be filed by a sponsoring employer or as a self-petition. An athlete with extraordinary ability does not need to have an employment offer to petition for an EB-1 visa.
• The visa application must show that the athlete plans to continue to work in sport and continue to be at the top of their field.
• Foreign athletes who are married to a U.S. citizen can also have their spouse sponsor their green.
Sports immigration EB-1 visas for foreign athletes are highly competitive. An experienced EB-1 visa lawyer can simplify the application process and help you secure an EB-1 green card. Contact the experienced business and sports immigration lawyers at Godoy Law Office to schedule a consultation. Call us today at 630-912-0322.
AREAS WE SERVE: Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will, and Lake Counties
Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.
