by James Pinedo | Oct 30, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Joseph Barnett Canada has officially legalized the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis across Canada. While some foreign nationals may want to head north and celebrate, beware of potential consequences upon re-entry into the United...
by James Pinedo | Oct 22, 2020 | Investor Visas
Twenty-four states, including California, and the District of Columbia have enacted laws which legalize or decriminalize the use and possession of marijuana in some form for medicinal purposes. Four of these states (Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska) and...
by James Pinedo | Oct 16, 2020 | Investor Visas
By: Joseph Barnett Writ of mandamus lawsuits against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) are en vogue, and for good reason: as of December 2, 2019, the estimated time range to process a Form I-526 petition has skyrocketed from...
by Frank Alvarado | Sep 23, 2020 | Global
Summary: The Home Office has published further details on the new post-Brexit immigration system. Also, there was an update on international travelers arriving in the United Kingdom (UK). Overview: The Home Office recently published further details on the proposed new...
by Frank Alvarado | Sep 23, 2020 | Global
Beginning on July 15, 2020, foreign citizens and those crossing the Russian border on a regular flight, and entering Russia with any purpose except work, must present documentation of a negative COVID-19 test in Russian or English: (1) The document should confirm a...
by Frank Alvarado | Sep 23, 2020 | Global
When Germany agreed to change its skilled immigration laws in 2019 to facilitate the immigration of skilled employees from abroad, its economy was thriving and the labor market was robust and on the edge of turning into an employee market. IT professionals, engineers,...
by Frank Alvarado | Sep 23, 2020 | Global
Last Updated: September 22, 2020 LEGAL DISCLAIMER WR maintains a Global Travel Advisory for American travelers on our COVID-19 Resource page. Due to the evolving and unpredictable nature of the global pandemic, please be advised that COVID-19 related travel...
by Frank Alvarado | Sep 22, 2020 | Global
The government has made changes to the Québec Experience Class (PEQ) program. For the past 10 years, workers and students in Québec had the choice between two permanent residence streams: the expedited ” Québec Experience Class” (Programme de...
by James Pinedo | Sep 18, 2020 | Investor Visas
USCIS processing times have been frustratingly long and made even worse due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, the delays are now getting longer and adversely impacting the lives of employers, employees and families. As a result, more immigrants are turning to the courts for...
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...
