An L-1 visa is a visa that is available when a company outside of the U.S. wants to transfer an employee that has worked there for one year to the U.S. You can find out more about the L-1 requirements…
Jenny ZhanApril 1, 2020
As a result of the unprecedented Corona Virus pandemic, Congress has passed bipartisan economic relief legislation. The components include stimulus payments to individuals, expanded unemployment benefits and coverage, student loan modifications, changes to retirement rules, help to small businesses, and…
Jenny ZhanMarch 31, 2020
The newspaper Politico is reporting that there are rumors that the Trump Administration is considering reducing the current TEA EB-5 investment amount from $900,000 to $450,000 and increase the number of visas allotted to EB-5 applicants from 10,000 to 75,000.…
Jenny ZhanMarch 30, 2020
A common misconception among undocumented immigrants is that if they have lived in the United States for at least 10 years, they can obtain their work authorization and then their green card. While after 10 years there is some remedy…
Jenny ZhanMarch 30, 2020
An E-1 visa is a visa that is available to applicants or companies that conduct a significant amount of trade with the U.S. In order to qualify, you must be a Treaty Country, and at least 50% of your international…
Jenny ZhanMarch 30, 2020
A TN visa is a visa that is available for nationals from Canada and Mexico. The applicant must have a job offer and must also have a degree in a designated profession or field. You can find out more about…
IanScottMarch 29, 2020
For many immigration petitions and forms (Eg. I-129, G-28, I-140), USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) normally only accepts “wet” signatures. As both lawyers and applicants have to sign many forms, this creates logistical issues when freedom of movement has…
IanScottMarch 29, 2020
The O-1 nonimmigrant visa is for individuals who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who have a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and has been recognized nationally…
Jenny ZhanMarch 27, 2020
The latest statistics released by USCIS shows that while there has been an increase in the issuance of Request for Further Evidence (“RFE”) in recent years across the board for all visa types, the overall approval rates still remains relatively…
Jenny ZhanMarch 27, 2020
USCIS has announced that they have received sufficient electronic registration during the initial registration period to complete the lottery for FY 2021. Petitioners with selected registrations will be notified no later than March 31, 2020. Only selected registrations may file…
Jenny ZhanMarch 27, 2020
USCIS has announced today that it is adopting measures to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding to requests for evidence (RFE) or notices of intent to deny (NOID) dated between March 1 and May 1, 2020. Any applicants who…
Jenny ZhanMarch 27, 2020
We just had an O-1B visa approval for a design professional that focuses on window displays. The visa was was approved for 3 years and the national was from Italy. The applicant applied using premium processing and the application was…
Jenny ZhanMarch 26, 2020
Covid-19 has changed the rules for travel, engagement and employment. Many companies have already started to reduce wages and put staff on leave. Some companies have terminated employees. For companies that have employees in E-3 or H-1B status, they must…
Jenny ZhanMarch 26, 2020
Additional U.S. Embassies and Consulates that cancelled and rescheduled their nonimmigrant and immigrant visa appointments due to the COVID-19 outbreak. These consulates have stopped routine procedure for most except for emergency U.S. citizen service. These are the latest updates: The…
Jenny ZhanMarch 26, 2020
One of the E-1 visa requirements is that the trade between the U.S. and E-1 treaty country is substantial. Our clients often ask us: What is substantial trade? What amount is substantial? How many transactions there have to be over…
Jenny ZhanMarch 26, 2020
One of the E-1 visa requirements is that the trade is principally between the U.S. and a treaty country. This means, that more than 50% of the total volume of the international trade must be between the U.S. and the…
Jenny ZhanMarch 26, 2020
Due to many companies moving operations to remote working or working from home, the Department of Homeland Security has issued interim guidelines on remote I-9 verification during this emergency. In normal times, when an employee starts at a company, companies…
Jenny ZhanMarch 26, 2020
On March 17, 2020, USCIS temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASC) to help slow the spread of the COVID-19. The initial suspension was until April 1, this date has now been…
Jenny ZhanMarch 26, 2020
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, many of our clients ask us the following question: Can I apply for unemployment benefits? If I apply for unemployment benefits, will the government determine that I am likely to become a public charge? Let’s…
Jenny ZhanMarch 25, 2020
USCIS has announced on March 25, 2020 that it has temporarily closed its offices in Rome, Italy and Nairobi, Kenya to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows the March 12 announcement that the U.S. embassies were closed…
Jenny ZhanMarch 25, 2020
Yes. If you are in the U.S. on an E-1 visa and your spouse wants to work in the U.S., he/she will have to apply for and get a work authorization before starting working. The Federal regulations expressly state that…
Jenny ZhanMarch 24, 2020
There are certain situations when our clients qualify for both an E-1 and an E-2 visa. An E-2 visa is a great option if you want to start a business in the U.S., you have invested a substantial amount of…
Jenny ZhanMarch 24, 2020
Starting on March 21 and continuing to at least April 20, the land borders between Canada, the United States, and Mexico will be restricted to essential travel only. This does not apply to air, rail, or sea travel at this…
Jenny ZhanMarch 23, 2020
E-1 visa is a great visa for treaty traders who engage in international trade between the U.S. and their home country. If you want to find out more about an E-1 visa, click here. What is visa validity period? The…
Jenny ZhanMarch 23, 2020
