In our law offices in San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento, our immigration lawyers and staff offer a range of services. Working for many years as an immigration lawyer, sometimes I take for granted that potential clients have a sound idea about what services they should expect.
However, for many undergoing the E-2 and L-1 visa process, this is a first-time experience and they may not know what to expect. Here’s a list of what a good immigration lawyer should do for you if you’re applying for an investor visa. Continue reading ‘Investor Visa Application: What Your Immigration Lawyer Can Do’
In the San Francisco Bay area, where I work as an immigration lawyer, there are many people holding E-2 visas who come to my office inquiring about the possibility of obtaining their Green Card. Green Cards are not automatically awarded to those holding an E-2.
There are ways in which you may obtain a Green Card once you’ve been awarded an E-2 visa. As an immigration attorney in San Francisco, here are some of the ways in which my clients have qualified for their Green Card.
Green Card Qualifiers
- Relative Sponsorship: If you have an immediate relative who is a U.S. citizen, they may be able to sponsor you (Spouse, parent, or child).
- Investment: If you’re able to invest $1 million in a business or $500,000 in a rural area business and create 10 new jobs, you may qualify.
- Green Card through employment (PERM) Continue reading ‘E-2 Visa and Green Card’
As an immigration lawyer in the San Francisco Bay area, I often work with people seeking their E-2 visas. The E-2 visa is designed to allow entrepreneurs and business people into the country who have the means and ability to create a company or business and, thus, employ people in the U.S. There’s been an emphasis on this particular visa since many believe that encouraging such investment will help the country’s struggling economy.
Those who want to come to the country under an E-2 must apply through the American Embassy. Alternatively, if you are in the United States you may be able to change status to an E-2 status. Recently, documentation standards have become more stringent, making the process more difficult. The San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, California, like so many other parts of the state, is certainly a place that can benefit from startup companies; as an immigration lawyer, I am constantly monitoring the requirements for the E-2 visa. Here’s the latest regarding the key requirements for the E-2. Continue reading ‘Qualifying for an E-2 Visa’
I’ve found as an immigration lawyer working in the San Francisco and San Jose Bay area that often those applying for an E-2 visa do not want to enter the country alone. Sometimes, they have a co-investor or a co-business partner who is a relative or one who is unrelated to them. There’s nothing wrong with this but there are regulations of which applicants must be aware.
These are the primary rules and regulations pertaining to co-investors and family members that I’ve found to be most important in working as an immigration lawyer with my clients in San Jose. Continue reading ‘Immigration Lawyer Addresses Important E-2 Visa Policies’
In my law office in San Francisco, our immigration lawyers have been working with various companies and individuals on L-1 visa applications. In order to be approved, applications must meet certain criteria and they must also file all of the right paperwork.
Documents Required for L-1 Application
As an immigration lawyer, one area in which I focus is ensuring that all documents are in order when someone is applying for a L-1 visa. Some of the necessary documents necessary for applying for an L-1 visa after the L-1 petition has been approved is the following:
- Form DS-156 from the USCIS.
- A recent passport photograph showing the applicant’s full face. This is taken against a light background and there can be no head covering.
- A passport that’s valid for travel in the U.S. for at least six months past the termination date of the applicant’s visit.
- Employee’s copy of INS Form 1-797 Approval Notice.
- Copy of USCIS Form 1-129, which is the Petition for a Nonimmigrant visa, and supporting documents. This form is filed with the USCIS by the applicant’s employer. Continue reading ‘L-1 Visa Documents’
The L-1 visa, I’ve found in my work as an immigration attorney, has been in demand in the San Jose and San Francisco Bay areas. The point of the L-1 visa is to allow managers, executives or workers who work in a foreign country to transfer to a branch or subsidiary company in the U.S. If no U.S. office exists, then a L-1 may be granted to establish a new office in the U.S.
Large companies that do a lot of business can obtain Blanket L-1 visas, which allows for the quick processing of paperwork and issuing of visas. In order to qualify, a company must employ at least 1,000 U.S. workers, have generated sales of $25 million or more and have had 10 ore more L-1 visas approved the year before. Continue reading ‘L-1 Visa Requirements’
