On March 19, 2019, the Supreme Court overruled a Ninth Circuit ruling that had granted certain protections to immigrants in Nielsen v. Preap. Previously, mandatory detention without a bond hearing only applied when immigrants were detained immediately after their release from criminal custody. This 5-4 ruling has opened the floodgates... read more →
Apr
05
Mar
29
Unmarried immigrant juveniles under the age of 21 may be eligible for a specific immigration benefit known as Special Immigrant Juvenile Status or SIJS. In order to qualify, the immigrant juvenile must be present in the United States and have been declared dependent on a juvenile court located in the... read more →
Mar
22
Occasionally I write on labor and employment issues related to immigration law. This is one of those times. The purpose of this article is to inform both employers and employees alike of what the law is. While it should not be construed as legal advice, it should be interpreted as... read more →
Mar
15
Becoming a United States citizen is very important to most lawful permanent residents. In fact, many await anxiously the time when they can apply for this great benefit. However, citizenship is not guaranteed. In addition to filing an application for citizenship, an applicant will undergo a mandatory interview and background... read more →
Mar
08
Q: I have a bachelor’s degree, am I eligible for an H-1B visa? A: It depends. You don’t automatically qualify based solely on your degree. The occupation itself must require a bachelor’s degree or higher in a specific specialty. And, your degree must relate to the specialty occupation. Q: How... read more →
Feb
22
2018 was a year of lengthy debates regarding immigration policy in the U.S. and a fight to make significant changes to that could impact thousands of people. While the topic of the wall at the southern border is the most frequently discussed, it actually has little impact on how you... read more →
Feb
09
On January 31, 2019, United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) published its final rule on registration requirements for Petitioners seeking to file H-1B visas. The H-1B visa is traditionally the most sought-after nonimmigrant visa allowing U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Specialty occupation generally requires... read more →
Jan
15
On December 22, 2018, the government shut down when an agreement could not be reached on President Trump’s request for Congress to approve funding of $5.7 billion to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. As a result, some federal agencies were forced to cease all operations including non-essential services.... read more →
Jan
05
介绍 获得L-1A跨国公司签证成为许多外国商人/企业家的最佳移民选择，特别是那些：1）已经在本国建立了美国海外公司; 2）在过去3年中， 在海外公司至少有1年的高管或经理经验; 和 3）准备在美国建立公司或将会被转到美国现有公司，继续当高管或经理。 2018年11月15日，美国移民局 (“USCIS”) 发布了一份政策备忘录 (“memo”) ，解释“一年海外就业要求”是什么意思。 如果要满足这要求，在提交L-1A申请的前3年中，L-1A受益人必须在海外公司连续担任至少1年的高管/经理。 请注意以下几点： 在所需的1年工作期间，L-1A受益人必须在美国境外; 职位必须是全职的; 受益人的职位必须是总裁或管理性质的; 和 在提交最初的L-1A申请之前，必须满足这1年工作要求。 常问问题 (“FAQs”) 1. 如果我在美国期间接受海外公司发的薪水，这时间会计入1年的工作要求内吗？ 不会。只有在美国海外/境外的工作经验才算。 2． 为了商业或度假原因而在美国短暂旅行是否会扰乱1年的工作要求？ 不会。不会扰乱也不会有所帮助。 Memo指示移民官在那1年工作经验里减去受益人在美国度过的时间。 例子如下： 如果海外公司于2016年1月1日开始雇佣受益人，而受益人在1年内短暂逗留在美国，共计60天，受益人必须再累积至少60天（在2017年1月1日之后）的海外高管/经理工作经验才能符合L-1A的申请要求。 3． 如果我在美国以H-1B或E-2签证身份为海外公司工作，这会计入1年工作要求里吗？ 不会，但可以调整3年期限。如上所述，1年就业期必须在提交L-1A申请的前3年中进行。如果受益人从2017年1月2日至2018年1月2日都在美国境内，用H-1B身份为海外公司工作，则在2018年1月2日提交L-1A申请，3年期限就会是从2014年1月1日至2017年1月1日（而不是2015年1月1日至2018年1月1日）。 只要USCIS允许受益人用H-1B身份为海外公司工作，那H-1B职位就无须是总裁或管理性质的。 4． 如果我用F-1学生签证进入美国，然后获得OPT为海外公司工作，那么3年期限会被调整吗？ 不会， 因为F-1签证的目的是为了学习，而不是工作。即使后来获得OPT为海外公司工作，任何花在F-1身份的时间都不会计入1年就业要求里，也不会调整3年的期限。 5． 如果我在美国处于L-2状态，这会有帮助吗？ 不会。同样的问题 - L-2签证的目的不是为海外公司“工作。 ” 6． 如果在过去3年中，我停止为海外公司工作超过2年（或长时间休息），我的1年工作经验会被中断吗？ 会中断， 需要重新算起。 结论... read more →
Jan
05
Introduction Obtaining an L-1A intracompany transferee executive/manager visa has become an attractive immigration option for many foreign nationals, especially those who: 1) have established successful businesses in their home countries; 2) have worked there for at least 1 year in the past 3 years as an executive or manager; and... read more →