Welcome to the U.S.: America is Open for Business Understanding the B-1 Visitor for Business Visa Classification

Fabricio Lopez, Adjunct Professor/Principal Counsel, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles/The Walt Disney Company, USA

More than one million people legally enter the U.S. every day. Because of traveling restrictions created after the 2001 attacks, however, the number of visitors to the U.S. has been flat and the U.S. market share of spending by international travelers decreased from 2000 to 2010 by more than 30 percent. As part of efforts to encourage travel to the U.S., President Obama recently declared that “America is open for business” as he announced an executive order to boost the issuance of visas in China and Brazil by 40% in 2012. President Obama’s focus on business is encouraging, as a significant percentage of those entering the U.S. every day do so for business. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with an overview of the B-1 visitor for business visa classification and an understanding of several related issues

G. Fabricio Lopez serves as Adjunct Professor of Business Immigration Law and The 21st Century Law Practice, and as a member of the Immigrant Advocacy Concentration Advisory Board at Loyola Law School Los Angeles. Mr. Lopez is Principal Counsel at The Walt Disney Company, with expertise in employment-based U.S. immigration law, and experience managing a department responsible for a caseload of thousands of cases across multiple businesses. Mr. Lopez received special acknowledgment for contributions to the theatrical production of The Lion King, and the feature animated motion pictures Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. Mr. Lopez serves as Course Developer and Instructor at University of California, Los Angeles, Extension (UCLA Extension), developing and teaching immigration law courses, and received UCLA Extension’s DISTINGUISHED INSTRUCTOR AWARD. Mr. Lopez serves as Lecturer at Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA). Mr. Lopez has served as Speaker at American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA) and Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA) conferences and programs. Mr. Lopez is a member of UCLA Extension’s Paralegal Training Program Advisory and Admissions Boards. Mr. Lopez has served as a member of the Communication Task Force Board at the American Council on International Personnel (ACIP) (an organization comprised of over 200 large, multinational corporations, universities and research institutions) and represented ACIP at stakeholder meetings with high-level U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials. Mr. Lopez has served as Southern California Advocacy Business Liaison, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Co-Liaison, Consular Affairs Co-Liaison and elected member of the Nominating Committee of the Southern California Chapter Board for AILA.

The Walt Disney Company is a multinational entertainment family of companies. Loyola Law School Los Angeles is an American Bar Association-approved law school in Los Angeles, California.