Client Payment Portal

WR Immigration End of the Year Recap

Dec 27, 2022 | Announcements

As we quickly approach the end of 2022, WR Immigration would like to take one last look back at all that has happened this past year. Below are some of the biggest webinars, awards, and news that came from 2022 on which we will continue to build as we enter the new year. Enjoy!

Webinars:
WR Immigration had a jammed pack year full of various webinars around the difficult topics of the immigration industry. Here are just a few we would like to highlight.

  1. I-9 Process Update – Multi-Webinar Series: WR Immigration hosted three webinars around the I-9 process updates and how to navigate through the process. This series is packed with useful information to help guide you through the I-9 filing and will continue on through next year.
  2. H-1B Cap Season for FY 2024: The intricacies of H-1B cap season can be difficult to understand. Partners Miki Kawashima Matrician and Naveen Rahman Bhora spoke on the effects of the current economic climate on the H-1B cap season.
  3. Chatting with Charlie: Demystifying the Immigrant Visa Backlogs with Charlie Oppenheim: Partner Charina Garcia joined by special guest Charlie Oppenheim, Former Chief of Visa Control and Reporting Division at U.S. Department of State, explain how to understand the Visa Bulletin and provide predictions on Visa movements.

Awards:
WR Immigration works tirelessly to maintain our status as a top-rated immigration law firm to ensure we are providing our clients with the best immigration services. Through the dedication and diligence of our entire team, WR Immigration has received numerous awards this year to represent our work.

  1. Best Law Firms: WR Immigration Ranked National and Regional Tier 1
  2. 16 Attorneys Recognized by 2023 Best Lawyers’ “Best Lawyers in America”
  3. Chambers Awards: Top Ranked in USA and Globally and WR Immigration Shortlisted for Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards
  4. Farshad Owji Elected AILA President-Elect 2022

News:
WR Immigration had a ton of exciting news to share this past year. Our firm experienced exponential growth as we continue to improve upon our already well-rounded team and practices.

  1. Rich Yemm and Naveen Rahman Bhora Named 2022 DEIA Committee Co-Chairs
  2. WR Immigration Expands Its Global and Southern California Practices, Announces WRapid™ Global alongside Partners Kimberley Best Robidoux and Audrey Lustgarten.
  3. WR Immigration presents new series, Tell Your Immigration Story, highlighting the great immigration stories of some of our amazing attorneys.
  4. 2022 WERC event: WR Immigration Takes the Stage
  5. Charlie Oppenheim Joins WR Immigration as Director of Visa Consulting

WR Immigration is proud of every accomplishment we have made this past year, big or small. Thank you for being a part of it! We hope this upcoming year is filled with nothing but good fortune. Looking ahead, WR Immigration is proud to continue our “Chatting with Charlie” webinar series with the next installment coming January 10th with Partners Bernie Wolfsdorf and Joey Barnett. Learn more about the webinar here.

Related Posts:

Updates on Child Status Protection Act Age Calculation by USCIS

On February 14, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a Policy Alert, which contains policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to update when an immigrant visa “becomes available” for purpose of calculation Child Status Protection Act age in certain situations.  In short, USCIS will now allow the Date for Filing chart to calculate these noncitizens’ ages As stated in the Policy Alert, this guidance is effective immediately on February 14, 2023, and applies to adjustment of status applications USCIS adjudicates on or after February 14, 2023. Therefore, noncitizens with pending adjustment of status applications based upon an immigrant petition in a preference category, on or after February 14, 2023, will benefit from this update. Background The CSPA is a United States federal law that was signed into law on August 6, 2002. The law was enacted to address the problem of immigrant children who “age out” of their eligibility for certain immigration benefits due to the lengthy processing times involved in the immigration system. The CSPA addressed this problem by changing the way that the age of a derivative child is calculated for immigration purposes. Under the CSPA, a derivative child’s age is “frozen” at the time […]

Read More

E Visa Update – December 2022 – New Domicile Requirements

For an in-depth look at this topic and other E-2 Visa strategies, register for WR Immigration’s Jan. 19, 2023, webinar. By Joey Barnett, Partner, WR Immigration On December 15, 2022, Congress substantially changed E Visa eligibility, in particular for those who have used Citizenship by Investment program of countries to acquire citizenship in a treaty visa country. It appears President Joe Biden will pass this provision into law by end of year as part of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. Now, an E visa applicant must be domiciled in that country of citizenship for “a continuous period of not less than 3 years at any point before applying for an E nonimmigrant visa.” 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(E), which defines the E visa class, now states (with emphasis on the new provision): An alien entitled to enter the United States under and in pursuance of the provisions of a treaty of commerce and navigation between the United States and the foreign state of which he is a national, or, in the case of an alien who acquired the relevant nationality through a financial investment and who has not previously been granted status under this subparagraph, […]

Read More