• Must meet visa requirements — Meet all requirements for the particular visa that requires Solo W-2, Inc. sponsorship.
  
  
• Have a bona fide offer — Have a bona fide offer of contract work from a client in the United States.
  
  
• Six-month contract minimum — The initial contract assignment must be for six months or greater with the same client.
  
  
• Client must accept Solo W-2, Inc. — Client is willing to accept Solo W-2, Inc. as the employer of record.
  
  
• Contract must be acceptable to Solo W-2, Inc. — If the client is an agency or consulting firm, the contract must be acceptable to Solo W-2, Inc. (However, we strongly prefer that you evidence your ability to land projects on your own by going directly to the user-client, without the help of an agency.)
  
  
• Billing rate must be at or above market rate — The billing rate must be equal to or higher than the market rate for a U.S. citizen with equivalent skills and experience.
  
  
• All paper work must be received before starting the application process — Before Solo W-2, Inc. will file the application form, these items must be received:
  
  
  • A completed Client Site Information Form.
    
    
  • Either a contract or a letter of intent from the client indicating an initial contract assignment of six months or greater beginning after the visa is approved.
    
    
  • The Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, (to show that the applicant is legally able to work in the United States).
    
    
  • All other required employment forms.
    
    
  • Proof of payment of all applicable fees related to your visa application.

Sponsorship of your visa is not a guarantee of employment.
Solo W-2, Inc. has a general policy that the employment agreement is dependent upon the Contract Professional procuring appropriate contract assignments. This holds true for all Solo W-2, Inc. Contract Professionals. Accordingly, Solo W-2, Inc. will not employ a Contract Professional until there is billable work in the form of a signed contract or a letter of intent with a client.

Sponsorship of your visa will be cancelled for extended downtime.
Solo W-2, Inc . will terminate its employment agreement with a Division Manager after a specified period of inactivity, at which time Solo W-2, Inc. also will terminate sponsorship of the work visa. You must be able to continue to locate and negotiate new contracts without extended downtime in order to keep your visa active.

In all respects, notwithstanding sponsorship of the visa, Solo W-2, Inc. treats sponsored visa holders the same as any other contract professional employed by Solo W-2, Inc. This means that visa holders also must meet the same requirements as other Solo W-2, Inc. contractors.

TN visas are issued to Canadian (TN-1) and Mexican (TN-2) nationals.

TN-1 visas are obtained at the Canadian border, and typically they do not require the assistance of an attorney.

• The cost to the beneficiary is negligible, and the primary requirement is an offer letter from P.A.C.E.
  
  
• P.A.C.E. will draft an offer letter when the criteria for visa sponsorship, above, are met.

Read about TN-1 visas from Canada.

Read about TN-2 visas from Mexico.

Allow sufficient time.
It normally takes three to six months to obtain an H-1B visa for the first time, and foreign nationals may not work in the US until their visa is approved.

If you already have a visa, you can quickly change to Solo W-2, Inc.
Once you have an H-1B visa and a Social Security number, you can change employer sponsors relatively easily and quickly. If you are transferring your visa from another employer, you may start working for the new employer as soon as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) accepts the application for a new visa sponsored by your new employer. Notification of Acceptance usually takes only two or three weeks after all paperwork has been submitted.

Expedited processing is available.
You can expedite the first-time-visa process.

• The USCIS charges an extra $1000 for "Expedited Processing."
  
  
• The USCIS guarantees a "response" in fifteen days. If you are overseas, you will have to add consulate processing time to the response time. This could add a few weeks to a few months.
  
  
• There is no guarantee that your visa will be approved, but for the extra $1000 dollars the USCIS will let you know in fifteen days if it is to be approved, not approved, or if they need more information.
  
  
• There are problems associated with "benching" newly hired visa holders, so Solo W-2, Inc. requires that you have a contract lined up before we submit your H-1B visa application to the USCIS. For a first time visa, however, we recommend that you consider paying the additional $1000 for premium processing so that you can give your new client reasonable assurance within two or three weeks that you will be able to start on their project once the paperwork is finished.

Read about H-1B visas.

Strategic alliance.
Solo W-2, Inc. has a strategic alliance partnership with VisaPro, an online immigration processing firm at www.VisaPro.com.

All Solo W-2, Inc. visa applications must be processed through VisaPro.

Use this online form to schedule a telephone or e-mail consultation. A friendly member of our staff will contact you and answer all of your questions and determine if Solo W-2™ is a match for your and your solo career.

Or call us during normal working hours:

• 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, Pacific Time, Mon-Fri
  
  
• (925) 680-0200 or
  
  
• (877) 4SoloW2
  (877) 476-5692

Solo W-2, Inc. will, at its sole discretion, sponsor the Green Card application process for foreign nationals who have been productively employed by Solo W-2, Inc. for at least six months.