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Tag Archives: Kristen Ng

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in Department of Homeland Security, EB-5, EB-5 Business Plan, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, EB-5 Industry stakeholder groups, EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Job Creation, EB-5 Legislation, EB-5 Modernization Rule, EB-5 Program, EB-5 Project, TEA, USCIS

As previously blogged (see EB-5 Regulations Published for Public Inspection), the EB-5 regulations have been published as of July 24, 2019, as final, to take effect Nov. 21, 2019.  Below is a summary of the changes that will impact the EB-5 program: Priority Date Retention: Generally, priority date retention can be retained from an approved I-526 petition… Continue Reading

By Dillon Colucci on Posted in Department of Homeland Security, EB-5, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, EB-5 Industry stakeholder groups, EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Job Creation, EB-5 Legislation, EB-5 Modernization Rule, EB-5 Processing Times, EB-5 Program, EB-5 Project, I-526, I-829, I-924, Uncategorized

After years of delay the Obama-era EB-5 immigration regulations were published on July 24, 2019. You can find a copy of the regulations at this link. You can also find a summary of them here. The regulations only apply to those who file their I-526 Petitions on or after Nov. 21, 2019. Without further ado,… Continue Reading

By Laura Foote Reiff, , and on Posted in Department of Homeland Security, EB-5, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Legislation, EB-5 Modernization Rule, EB-5 Program, USCIS

After more than two and a half years, Obama-era EB-5 immigration regulations are set to be published on July 24, 2019, with an effective date 120 days after publication or Nov. 21, 2019. See EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization. These regulations have been opposed by many industry participants, as evidenced in a letter to Congressional Leadership… Continue Reading

By Laura Foote Reiff, , , and on Posted in EB-5, EB-5 Job Creation, EB-5 Legislation, Legislation

On April 9, 2019, Rep. González-Colón (R-PR-At Large) introduced H.R.2173 – a bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reserve EB-5 visas each fiscal year for investors in new commercial enterprises in areas where a major disaster has been declared by the president. The bill is not publicly available as of this writing,… Continue Reading

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

Ian R. Macdonald and Kristen W. Ng were recently featured in an article on The LexBlog Network titled, “Third Time’s a Charm? Greenberg Traurig’s Team Breaks down Trump’s Latest Travel Ban.” In this Q&A, Macdonald and Ng explore the third version of the Trump Administration’s travel ban and what it means for employers and employees… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng, , and on Posted in Continuing Resolution (CR), EB-5, Legislation

By a vote of 235-193, the House passed H.J. Res 123, the Continuing Appropriations Act. Upon passage, H.J.Res 123 was sent immediately to the Senate, where it passed by a vote of 81-14. The Bill now goes to the president wherein he is expected to sign it into law. Today’s action extends government operations and… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in President Trump's Administration, Travel

On Dec. 4, 2017, the Supreme Court issued an order allowing President Trump’s Proclamation on Travel Ban to go fully into effect. With certain exceptions, this ban places entry restriction on nationals of eight countries – Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. As previously reported, in September a U.S. District Judge… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Immigrant Visa, President Trump's Administration, USCIS, Visa

On Oct. 8, 2017, the White House released the promised Immigration Principles & Policies (Principles & Policies) which outline the Trump Administration’s position on immigration. This document is broken into three parts: 1) Border Security, 2) Interior Enforcement, and 3) Merit-Based Immigration. A summary of each part is broken down below.

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 Kristen W. Ng on Posted in Green Cards, Immigrant Green Card, Immigration Law, President Trump's Administration, Uncategorized, USCIS

Today, President Trump joined Senator David Perdue (R-GA) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) announcing the introduction of a bill titled “Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act,” known also as the “RAISE Act.”  The president praised the work of the senators and in a statement added, “We want a merit-based system. One that protects… Continue Reading

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

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released FAQs for those affected by the recently reinstated travel ban. Earlier last week, the Department of State released their own set of FAQs regarding implementation of the travel ban during visa processing. DHS will be responsible for admitting persons entering the United States and the FAQs on its… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in Executive Order, President Trump's Administration, Travel

As previously reported, the Supreme Court of the United States lifted the injunctions that were granted by the Fourth and Ninth Circuits after President Trump issued his second Executive Order mandating a temporary travel ban. This means that the second Executive Order (EO) is now in effect as of June 29. The injunctions for the… 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 Kristen W. Ng on Posted in Department of Homeland Security, EB-5

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Fall Unified Agenda, updating the Improvement of the Employment Creation Immigrant Regulations.  DHS has now moved the stage of rulemaking from “long-term actions” to “proposed rule stage.”  This new release also changes the date of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) from “to be determined” to January… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in EB-5, Government Accountability Office (GAO), I-526

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently reviewed a sampling of unadjudicated I-526 petitions from the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015 to obtain information on: 1) the ratio between investors who invested in Targeted Employment Areas (TEA) or non-TEA designated projects; 2) the geographic locations in which the projects were located; and 3) the capital stack… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng and on Posted in EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Program, Eb-5 Regional Center

On December 17, 2015, two days after Senate and House leadership recommended a “clean” extension of the EB-5 program until September 30, 2016, Senator Flake (R-AZ), with Senator Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Schumer (D-NY), introduced S.2415, the “EB-5 Integrity Act of 2015.”  This is the first new piece of EB-5 reform legislation introduced since the… Continue Reading

By Greenberg Traurig on Posted in Events

Greenberg Traurig recently attended this year’s Samsung Hope For Children Gala at the Manhattan Center in New York City.  With hundreds of guests in attendance, including musicians, athletes, and celebrities, this program has raised millions for schools, health initiatives, and community-based foundations.  One hundred percent of the proceeds raised by the Samsung go directly to… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Program

The EB-5 Investment Coalition, co-chaired by Managing Shareholder Laura Foote Reiff, joined forces with key members of the EB-5 industry to advocate the reauthorization of the program before the September 30, 2015 expiration date. On August 5, 2015, an EB-5 Stakeholder Letter was hand-delivered to key Members of Congress of the Senate and House leadership… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in EB-5 Program

The National Association of Counties (NACo) hosted its 80th Annual Meeting where it discussed various proposed policy resolutions and platform changes. One such resolution was one supporting the EB-5 resolution to make the EB-5 program permanent. The steering committee unanimously voted in support of the EB-5 resolution, and the Board of Directors formally adopted the… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in EB-5 Program, Immigrant Visa, USCIS

The White House has just released a new report titled “Modernizing & Streamlining our Legal Immigration System for the 21st Century,” which builds on the President’s executive actions of Nov. 21, 2014. This report provides for plans to improve the immigration system to modernize and streamline the processes for certain visa categories and to address… Continue Reading

By Kristen W. Ng on Posted in EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Program

The American Job Creation and Investment Promotion Reform Act, S. 1501, was introduced in the Senate by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R- IA) and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT).  S.1501 seeks to reauthorize the program for five years and proposes a number of integrity reforms for the EB-5 program.  EB-5… Continue Reading