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Category Archives: Immigration

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By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in EB-5, EB-5 Program, Immigration, Immigration Law

The National Law Journal selected the 2018 Trailblazers in Immigration. This year, Greenberg Traurig Immigration & Compliance attorneys Laura Reiff and Kate Kalmykov were recognized on the list for their notable achievements in the practice of law. Kalmykov leads the immigration practice group in the firm’s New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia offices.  She has… Continue Reading

By Robert Y. Maples on Posted in E-Visa, Immigrant Visa, Immigration, Immigration Law, Visa, Visa Issuance

As an update to an earlier post, on Aug. 1, the president signed the Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors Act (KIWI Act) granting E-1 and E-2 status to certain New Zealand nationals under mutual considerations. This will permit citizens of New Zealand to apply for U.S. visas to carry on significant trade with the United States… Continue Reading

By Nadia Sowinski* on Posted in Department of State, EB-5, Immigration

The Department of State (DOS) has informed EB-5 stakeholders that retrogression of the EB-5 category in the chargeability area including Vietnam, is imminent; however, DOS is unable to provide specific dates of which priority dates will retrogress at this time, though it did clarify that this is not going to occur in April 2018. As… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Events, Immigration

GT hosted a Washington, D.C. reception of the National Immigration Forum (NIF) on “What Drives The Immigration Debate: A Conversation.” Welcoming remarks were made by Eddie Aldrete, Senior Vice President, IBC Bank, and Board Chair of the National Immigration Forum that recognized Laura Reiff, immediate past Chairman of the NIF, for her former and continued… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Immigration, President Trump's Administration

Greenberg Traurig Laura Reiff, Co-Chair Business Immigration and Compliance, was recently quoted in the Bloomberg Law article, “Immigration Attorneys on Their toes in the Age of Trump.” The article discusses developments in immigration in 2017 and how attorneys are handling the new environment. Reiff expresses the importance of being proactive as immigration attorneys anticipate the… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in DACA, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration, Immigration Law, Legislation, President Trump's Administration, USCIS

On Sept. 5, 2017, Attorney General (AG) Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump Administration will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).  DACA is a mode of temporary relief given to children (now college-aged or older) who entered the United States without inspection with their parents and allowed them to apply for temporary work… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Awards & Recognitions, Immigration

Greenberg Traurig’s Business Immigration & Compliance Practice has been recognized by The Legal 500 United States 2017 Guide (Guide) in the area of “Labor and Employment – Immigration.”  GT immigration attorneys Laura Reiff, Kate Kalmykov, Ian Macdonald, Pamela Mak, and Martha Schoonover have once again been recommended by The Legal 500 United States 2017 editorial.  The… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Awards & Recognitions, Immigration

Greenberg Traurig’s Business Immigration & Compliance Practice and two of the group’s attorneys were included in the 2017 Chambers Global Guide. The 2017 guide includes 37 Greenberg Traurig attorneys and 23 practice areas. According to its website, Chambers and Partners selects attorneys and practices for inclusion based on thousands of interviews with practicing lawyers and clients around the… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Awards & Recognitions, Immigration

Greenberg Traurig’s Business Immigration & Compliance practice was recently listed by JD Journal as one of New York City’s top immigration law firms.  JD Journal is a recognized legal resource, providing legal news and law firm news for attorneys, lawyers, law students, paralegals, law firms, and other legal professionals. Greenberg Traurig’s Business Immigration & Compliance… Continue Reading

By Dillon Colucci on Posted in EB-5 Program, I-526, I-924, Immigrant Investor, Immigration, Regional Center, USCIS

The Immigrant Investor Program office (IPO) has decided to hold in abeyance I-526 Petitions until the adjudication of an associated Exemplar I-924 Petition, even when an associated I-526 Petition is past posted processing times. This has had a particularly detrimental effect on I-526 Petitions filed prior to Sept. 30, 2015, when there was a surge… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in Executive Order, Immigration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Visa

The heavily anticipated new Executive Order (EO), “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” banning nationals from six countries from entering the United States, was signed by President Donald Trump on March 6, 2017 with an effective date 10 days following on March 16, 2017. This new EO revokes and replaces the… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Awards & Recognitions, Immigration, Immigration Reform

Laura Reiff provided a briefing on Capitol Hill to new members and staff of the 115th Congress on Thursday, February 23, 2017. Laura discussed the impact on the business of immigration and the need for policy reforms. Please visit the National Immigration Forum for additional information.

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Department of Homeland Security, Immigrant Visa, Immigration, Visa

On Jan. 25, 2017, President Donald J. Trump signed two Executive Orders impacting U.S. immigration which are summarized below. Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements This Order addresses the recent surge of immigration by foreign nationals without proper documentation at the United States’ southern border with Mexico. The Order directs the government’s “executive… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in Department of Homeland Security, Immigration

On Jan. 17, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published its final rule to implement discretionary parole authority to increase, promote, and encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation in the United States. This final rule will add new regulatory provisions that will allow DHS to grant parole in certain circumstances and by discretion to… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Department of Homeland Security, EB-5, EB-5 Program, Eb-5 Regional Center, I-526, I-829, I-924, Immigration, USCIS

On May 4, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register inviting public comment on a proposed increase in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fee Schedule, which we previously wrote about. This proposed rule was subsequently adopted as final on Oct. 24, 2016, and… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Events, Immigration

Greenberg Traurig was proud to support and sponsor the National Immigration Forum 2016 Keepers of the American Dream event in Washington, D.C.  The National Immigration Forum honored Emilio T. González, Ph.D., Distinguished Veteran and Public Servant, and Wendy Young, President, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), for their achievements and significant contributions to immigrants in… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Events, Immigration, Webinar

Will a new administration and Congress mean big changes for your business? Join us for a webinar where Greenberg Traurig’s Business Immigration and Compliance group will discuss: A recap of campaign promises and the likelihood of their becoming a reality Immigration programs affected during the lame-duck session Immigration legislative priorities for 2017 and beyond To… Continue Reading

By Laura Foote Reiff on Posted in Immigrant Visa, Immigration, USCIS, Visa

26 августа 2016 года Иммиграционная Служба США опубликовала сообщение о проекте Закона об Иностранных Предпринимателях, и запросила комментарии общей публики и заинтересованых лиц.. В соответствии с сообщением Иммиграционной Службы США (USCIS), предлагаемый проект закона позволит Департаменту Внутренней Безопасности (DHS) по усмотрению выдавать официальные разрешения на въезд иностранным предпринимателям для осуществления развития вновь-созданных бизнесов в США,… Continue Reading

By Laura Foote Reiff on Posted in Immigration, Immigration Law, Immigration Reform, Legislation

Immigration Policy is broken.  We all agree.  How should we fix it and why haven’t we been able to fix it over the last two decades?   There is a multifaceted answer to this question, but Congress has been unable to agree on how to deal with the policy changes.  We have had numerous attempts and… Continue Reading

By Laura Foote Reiff on Posted in China, Immigrant Visa, Immigration, USCIS, Visa

2016年8月26日，美国移民局发布消息称将推出一项针对国际企业家的政策，并提供了一个拟定的方案供公众审阅。 根据移民局公告，该新规则将授予国土安全部独立裁量权，针对每个个案情况向那些在美国新设企业并亲自管理企业为公共利益做出重大贡献的外国企业家发放入境许可。移民局提议 修改其之前根据移民国籍法INA212章节（d）（5）款所制定的行政规章，意图为行政裁量权的行驶以及初创企业家入境许可个案申请的审核提供一个“透明的架构”。 想依据此新规则获得入境许可的移民企业家被要求： *至少持有新设企业15%的股份且积极地参与企业管理 *在之前三年的时间内在美国创立该企业 该企业家还必须证明他或她的企业在就业创造以及业绩增长方面的潜力： *企业获得了至少$345,000来自合格的美国投资者的投资，该投资者要有投资成功的先例； *获得来自联邦、州、或本地政府的奖励或者拨款 对于只满足上述部分条件的企业家，新规则也留有一定的灵活度，允许企业家补充证明其初创企业能够快速发展和就业创造的潜力 在新规则下，合格的企业家可以获得有效期为两年的入境许可，并可以在初创企业获得成功的基础上申请延期 该新规则一旦实施，将会给那些正在饱受移民排期困扰并且不具备E-1、E-2签证资格国家的移民申请人带来希望，比如中国大陆和越南。对新规则的进一步分析也将可能为正在等待签证排期的EB-5投资人带来新的机会。 在Federal Register 公布新规则之后，公众有45天的时间给出自己的反馈意见 在我们全面审核分析新规则内容的过程中，我们也将会进一步地阐明这到底可以为当前的移民申请人带来怎样不同的机遇。

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in EB-5 Program, Immigrant Visa, Immigration, Targeted Employment Area

There are currently many different investment immigration programs offered by countries around the world, all of which offer their own unique benefits. Two popular programs are the EB-5 Visa Program in the United States and the Quebec Investment Immigration Program (QIIP) offered in Canada. The following comparison provides an in-depth look at the parameters of… Continue Reading

By Dillon Colucci on Posted in Department of Homeland Security, EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Program, Immigration, USCIS

Due to the complex intersection of real estate, corporate, securities and immigration law (among others), an investment in a company under the EB-5 Program can be a complicated affair. One of the reasons an EB-5 investment is complicated has to do with U.S. governmental regulatory bodies with potential oversight over an EB-5 investment. The following… Continue Reading