By Janelle M. Lewis, Principal Attorney, The Law Office of Janelle M. Lewis For foreign companies that either have or are seeking to establish a parent company, a branch, a subsidiary, or an affiliate in the U.S.; and want to send a foreign employee who is either an executive, a manager, or an employee with specialized… Read More
Immigrant Investor Regional Centers: What Prospective EB-5 Petitioners Should Know Before Investing
By Janelle M. Lewis, Principal Attorney, The Law Office of Janelle M. Lewis EB-5 petitioners who are seeking this visa classification have two options for investing in the U.S. – direct investment, where their qualified investment results in the direct creation or preservation of at least 10 permanent full time jobs for U.S. workers; or… Read More
“Oh What Talent You Have!” U.S. O-visas Options for Individuals with Extraordinary Abilities or Achievement
By Janelle M. Lewis, Principal Attorney, The Law Office of Janelle M. Lewis Do you possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics? Do you have a demonstrated record of achievement in the motion picture or television industry and have been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements? If you fall into… Read More
Foreign Entrepreneurs Seeking EB-5 Visas Must Now Provide Substantially More Information To Be Considered for Visa Classification
By Janelle M. Lewis, Principal Attorney, The Law Office of Janelle M. Lewis As of June 9th, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a new edition of the I-526 Immigrant Petition for foreign entrepreneurs seeking the EB-5 visa. This article discusses the new edition of form I-526 and the information that… Read More
U.S. Immigration Law Update: USCIS Cannot Approve Employment-Based Visa Petitions that Do Not Meet Minimum Wage Standards.
By Janelle M. Lewis, Principal Attorney, Law Office of Janelle M. Lewis In Matter of I- Corp., Adopted Decision 2017-02 (AAO Apr. 12, 2017), the Administrative Appeals Office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a binding policy guidance to USCIS personnel as it relates to Employment-Based Visa Petitions. According to it’s… Read More
“E is for Entrepreneur…but also for E-visas”
With increasing controversy surrounding H1-B visas in the U.S. and its impact on foreign workers and opportunities for foreign entrepreneurs, many other visa options have been overlooked, which could provide foreign entrepreneurs with opportunities to establish or expand their business operations to the U.S. One such group of visa options are the E-visas. Foreign entrepreneurs who… Read More
New “National Interest Waiver” Framework Could Increase the Eligibility of Self-Employed Foreign Entrepreneurs to Obtain U.S. Permanent Residency
This blog post was first published on January 12, 2017. Last month’s decision in the Matter of Dhanasar (26 I&N Dec. 884 (AAO 2016)) by the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has vacated the old framework of adjudicating national interest waivers for EB-2 visa petitioners and adopted… Read More
