by James Pinedo | Sep 11, 2020 | Investor Visas
USCIS processing of Forms I-829 Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status has taken a turn for the worse, and conditional green card holders are suffering with the bureaucratic challenges that arise from USCIS’ delays, which damage their...
by Frank Alvarado | Sep 8, 2020 | Global
Belgium has added to the list of categories of travelers with an essential function or need, and has issued an update on restrictions on non-essential travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. List of categories of essential travelers. Belgium has extended, effective July...
by James Pinedo | Sep 6, 2020 | Investor Visas
USCIS is reporting online that the estimated processing time for a Form I-829 Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status at Immigrant Investor Program Office is now 37 to 248 months. USCIS is only allowing case inquiries for cases...
by Frank Alvarado | Sep 3, 2020 | Global
A Turkish work permit cannot be self-sponsored; it must be sponsored by a Turkish legal entity (a joint stock company, joint venture, limited liability company, or liaison office), with the exception of domestic workers, who may be sponsored by the appropriate...
by Frank Alvarado | Aug 18, 2020 | Global
A frequently asked question: What are the policies and procedures on employer sponsorship criteria in Italy? To sponsor a work permit application in Italy, a company/entity must: Be registered with the Italian Business Register (Registro Imprese) or equivalent (see...
by James Pinedo | Aug 6, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Joseph Barnett, Robert Blanco, and Afshan Randera With current Form I-829 average processing times extending beyond 3 years, it’s critical for EB-5 conditional green card holders to maintain lawful immigration status. U.S. laws provide immigration...
by James Pinedo | Aug 6, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Bernard Wolfsdorf and Joseph Barnett Yesterday USCIS released new guidance on the EB-5 Visa which updates the adjudication policy on issues related to Form I-526 and Form I-829 petitions. In particular, the new guidance...
by James Pinedo | Aug 6, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Joseph Barnett Earlier this week, new Immigrant Investor Program Office Chief Sarah Kendall addressed the EB-5 community at the AILA/IIUSA EB-5 Industry Forum in Chicago, Illinois. We are happy to see this type of engagement by USCIS and are hopeful...
by James Pinedo | Jul 23, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP On March 8, 2018, a draft of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa and Regional Center Program Comprehensive Reform Act (the “EB-5 Reform Act”) was released. This new proposal is similar to earlier congressional reform attempts but...
by James Pinedo | Jul 14, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Joseph M. Barnett, Esq. With 39,443 I-526 EB-5 petitions filed in the past three fiscal years, at least $19 billion has been invested in the U.S. economy through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program during the period from October 1, 2014 to September 30,...
by James Pinedo | Jul 6, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Joseph Barnett and Avi Friedman Earlier this month we blogged about the long-awaited E-2 Treaty Investor visa for Israeli nationals, with starting availability as of May 1, 2019, and its basic eligibility requirements. For those with...
by Frank Alvarado | Jul 2, 2020 | Global
Briefing Canada has extended its travel ban on most international travelers until July 31, 2020. It is noteworthy that Canada has not reciprocated with the European Union, which lifted Canada from its travel ban yesterday. The extension of the foreign travel ban was...
by Frank Alvarado | Jul 1, 2020 | Global
Briefing The European Union has opened its borders to 14 countries: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. On June 30, each of these countries was placed on the EU’s...
by Frank Alvarado | Jul 1, 2020 | Global
Russia has announced extensions of patents for certain foreign citizens, a new e-visa, and COVID-19 procedures updates. Patents can be extended multiple times. A federal law effective April 24, 2020, changes the procedure of reissuance of patents for work in Russia by...
by James Pinedo | Jun 20, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Bernard Wolfsdorf and Joseph Barnett The EB-5 visa waiting line for mainland-Chinese has become so long that many Chinese nationals are now seeking other ways to enter the U.S. often so their children may study at U.S. universities. Some are...
by Frank Alvarado | Jun 15, 2020 | Global
Turkey In Turkey, police clearances (criminal background checks/records, Adli Sicil Kaydi) are issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office within the Ministry of Justice. This may be requested by the individual in person at the Prosecutor’s Office and is...
by Frank Alvarado | Jun 11, 2020 | Global
Italy has lifted some travel restrictions. A new law extends residence permit validity and suspension of administrative procedures. Also, Italy has published a “Phase 2” decree related to COVID-19 rules. The government is drafting a decree to boost...
by Frank Alvarado | Jun 9, 2020 | Global
Canadian immigration matters often require a police clearance certificate and/or RCMP criminal record check. WR provides the following overview to familiarize clients with Global Affairs Canada’s request for these documents as well as necessary document...
by James Pinedo | Jun 6, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Bernard Wolfsdorf A silver lining exists for some immigrants due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. With most U.S. consulates closed or limited to emergency visa processing, there will be many more employment based (EB) immigrant visas available in Fiscal Year...
by James Pinedo | Jun 6, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Joseph Barnett, Esq., Bernard Wolfsdorf, Esq., and Robert Blanco, Esq. 80 countries have treaties with the U.S. that permit foreign nationals to obtain E-2 Treaty Investor visas, which allow an investor or certain key executives permission to work...
by James Pinedo | May 27, 2020 | Investor Visas
A new law effective October 19, 2020, increased the fee for premium processing requests from $1,440 to $2,500 for almost all filings, except those for nonimmigrant worker petitions requesting H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status. For the latter, the fee increased from...
by James Pinedo | May 20, 2020 | Investor Visas
It can be frustrating to file an application or petition before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) only to wait through seemingly endless delays. But all may not be lost: USCIS will consider requests to expedite applications and petitions on a...
by James Pinedo | May 6, 2020 | Investor Visas
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reported struggles with delays in scheduling and re-scheduling biometrics appointments due to a combination of factors, including demand, capacity, restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and extreme...
by Frank Alvarado | May 4, 2020 | Global
There have been changes in the Immigration Health Surcharge fee and in the minimum Tier 2 salary for Indefinite Leave to Remain applications. Immigration Health Surcharge fee increase: The latest budget includes an increase in the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)...
by Frank Alvarado | May 1, 2020 | Global
A new Schengen code regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 amending Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas) came into force February 2, 2020. This reviewed regulation applies to...
