tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61904968644681862982024-02-19T04:58:45.131-08:00Ask the Visa LawyerAll your questions you didn't know to ask, emerging issues in immigration law, and visa law news by attorney Vidal Cordova. Post your questions, go ahead, Ask the Visa Lawyer!Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-89309266696816948102018-01-16T08:33:00.001-08:002018-01-16T08:33:03.510-08:00USCIS Accepting DACA Applications AgainLate last week, based on a federal court order, USCIS resumed accepting requests by applicants to renew their DACA protections. As of now, the DACA policy is operating in the way it was before being rescinded on Sept. 5, 2017.<br />
<br />
<b>Who does this court order affect?</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Persons who were <b>previously granted</b> DACA protection may file for renewal by filing Form
I-821D, Form I-765, and Form I-765 Worksheet.</li>
<li>Persons who have
never been granted deferred action under DACA before may not submit applications. </li>
<li>No advance parole requests are being accepted. </li>
<li>Persons who previously received DACA, whose protection expired on or after
Sept. 5, 2016, may still file a
DACA application as a renewal request. Applicants must list the date their prior DACA ended in the appropriate box on Form I-821D.</li>
<li>Persons who previously received DACA and whose protection expired before Sept. 5, 2016, or whose DACA was previously
terminated at any time, cannot request DACA as a renewal. If you fall in this category, however, you can file a <b>new initial</b> DACA request.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>What is DACA?</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Deferred action is a discretionary protection that defers removal of an individual under prosecutorial discretion. DACA is not a legal status, and it may be terminated at any time at DHS’s
discretion.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For questions regarding DACA and other immigration law issues, please contact attorney Vidal Cordova at <b>vidal@cordova-immigration.com</b>. <b><a href="http://www.cordova-immigration.com/">www.cordova-immigration.com</a></b></div>
Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-36026817637168984902016-08-03T08:40:00.000-07:002016-08-03T08:40:10.271-07:00<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>New Unlawful Presence Waiver Rule Coming in August 2016</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For persons who have entered the U.S. either unlawfully without inspection, or lawfully with a visa but who later overstayed their period of admission, the unlawful presence bars have presented a major challenge in immigrant visa petitions and permanent resident applications filed later down the road. Generally, a person how has overstayed or been in the U.S. for more than six months and up to a year, and who leaves the U.S., triggers a 3-year bar admissibility that bars the person from seeking an immigrant visa within the 3-year period. The person must remain outside the U.S. for the required time before being eligible to apply for a visa. A person who has overstayed or been out of status in the U.S. for more than a year and who then leaves the U.S., is subject to the 10-year bar of inadmissibility. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Under limited circumstances, a waiver to the 3- and 10-year bars is available for immediate relatives of U.S. citizen spouses or parents. The immediate relative category, however, includes only spouses of U.S. citizens, unmarried children under 21 of U.S. citizens, and parents of U.S. citizens. A new rule by USCIS will expand the family and applicant categories of persons who may qualify for the unlawful presence waiver. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The new rule is set to take effect August 29, 2016. Under this rule, any person who is statutorily eligible for the unlawful presence waiver may apply for a provisional unlawful presence waiver, regardless of their immigrant visa classification. In essence, if the applicant can demonstrate extreme hardship to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent residence spouse, or parent, he/she may apply for the provisional waiver if they are an immediate relative, if applying under the employment-based immigrant visa categories, a family-based preference visa, a special-immigrant visa category (Religious worker, etc.) or the diversity visa lottery. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This new rule offers an expanded opportunity to family members and applicants who were previously excluded from the benefits of seeking the unlawful presence waiver. There are also provisions that allow for certain persons who may be subject to reinstatement of removal, subject to certain notice conditions. It is important to note, however, that not every person will qualify for the new unlawful presence waiver rule benefits, including persons subject to a prior order of removal and subject to the "permanent" 10-year bar. A person who believes he/she may benefit from this rule should discuss their facts thoroughly with an experienced immigration attorney. </span>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-54117139481877586052016-01-20T13:04:00.001-08:002016-01-20T13:09:34.189-08:00New Rule Makes Employment Continuity Easier for E-3, H-1B1 Workers<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Department of Homeland Security has issued a final rule that amends previous regulations on E-3 Australian and H-1B1 Chilean and Singaporean specialty occupation professionals. The rule allows principal E–3 and
H–1B1 nonimmigrants to continue their
employment with the same employer for
up to 240 days after their authorized
period of stay expires, while a petition to extend their stay is pending with USCIS. Previously, the E-3 and H-1B1 nonimmigrant required employers to file requests for extensions of stay well in advance to account for lengthy processing times and to prevent lapses in the worker's immigration status and employment authorization. Delays in case processing at USCIS often resulted in the worker's status expiring, causing a break in continuity and in loss of productivity to the employer. With this new rule, Australian E-3 and Chilean and Singaporean H-1B1 nonimmigrants will be on a more equal footing as other nonimmigrant workers. The new rule can be found at the Federal Register's website at: <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/01/15/2016-00478/enhancing-opportunities-for-h-1b1-cw-1-and-e-3-nonimmigrants-and-eb-1-immigrants" target="_blank">E-3/H-1B1 Rule</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For questions on how this rule may affect your immigration situation, please visit us at <a href="http://www.cordova-immigration.com/">www.cordova-immigration.com</a>. </span>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-2164759328833712192014-07-24T09:46:00.001-07:002018-01-24T09:06:45.894-08:00Business Plans for E-2 Visas vs. Real-World Business Plans<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the toughest conversations I have with business clients who are exploring employment-based visa options as either investors, entrepreneurs or petitioning companies, is having to explain how the U.S.'s immigration laws lag behind the real-life market demands on today's businesses. One example touches on business plans that are submitted with E-2 treaty investor visa applications. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There you go again with the letter codes. What the heck's an E-2 treaty investor visa?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This isn't a primer on E-2 visas, but some context may be useful to understand how business plans for these cases are important. The E-2 treaty investor visa is designed for entrepreneurs seeking to direct and develop a commercial enterprise in the United States. (My lawyer colleagues, chill, I'm keeping things general for my non-legal audience) It allows the entrepreneur to invest in a business venture here, and the spirit of the program is to support entrepreneurship plus the creation of job opportunities for U.S. workers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The E-2 investor must submit evidence that the business is commercially viable or is projected to create a healthy return on investment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In comes the business plan. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The business plan submitted with an E-2 visa application should be prepared with a different focus and "feel" as those typically prepared by entrepreneurs in the "real business" world. Let's dive right into a couple points. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Evolving Business Plans May Hurt the Investor</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In "real-world" business, the entrepreneur may revise the business plan throughout the life of the business to reflect the meeting of performance and sales goals, changing priorities and financial benchmarks, or simply to adjust to changes in the marketplace. A visa-focused business plan, on the other hand, may fare better by sticking to more general terms, without too many changes or specifics. For example, in the E-2 context, the entrepreneur investor may need to seek an extension of the status in two years. If the business plan includes a laundry-list of financial goals, projections and benchmarks during the initial petition phase, and these are not met within the two-year period, the renewal petition may be denied. </span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who's Your Audience?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The E-2 business plan should be custom-drafted to its audience: the U.S. consular officer or the USCIS officer. This audience is looking at the business under a different lens than an ordinary business investor. Rather than investors scrutinizing lengthy and detailed financial projections and goals, the consular or USCIS officer does not have the time to go through a lengthy document. Instead, the officer will examine the business plan and track the legal and regulatory requirements for the E-2, such as nationality of the treaty investor, whether the investment is substantial, the marginality test, and the role of the investor in directing and developing the business entity. So it's critical that the plan highlight and place these points front and center to show that the commercial enterprise is viable. A business plan that focuses on presenting financial-heavy information may impress typical investors, but may lose the immigration officer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A smart approach to preparing an E-2 investor business plan is to work together with a team of the investor, an experience immigration lawyer, an accountant or other expert in business plan preparation, and even corporate counsel, to ensure that the entire team understands the focus and purpose of the business plan before the client travels to the consulate abroad and submits the visa application. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Vidal L. Cordova, Jr.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Attorney at Law</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Admitted in Georgia only, authorized to practice immigration law in all U.S.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tel: 619-871-8037</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">E: vidal@cordova-immigration.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/askthevisalawyer" target="_blank">Ask the Visa Lawyer</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s1600/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s1600/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<br />Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-50237837045170462102012-06-15T11:12:00.002-07:002012-06-15T11:12:27.708-07:00New Hope for DREAM Act Students Today!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that the government will hault deportation proceedings and the removal against certain qualifying high school students or older who have lived in the U.S. as children without status, are currently in high school or have graduated from high school, who do not have disqualifying criminal records, and who are under the age of 30. Recognizing the longstanding struggle of high school students and graduates who have known no other country as their home other than the U.S., and who through no fault of their own had entered the U.S. without legal status, this new policy is an important advancement in the plight of students. Some of these foreign students have lived their entire lives feeling as American as any other U.S. born citizen, and have been raised thriving within and contributing to the country. Today's policy offers much deserved hope for countless of students and their families. A person will be eligible for the exercise of discretion if they meet the following requirements:</span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Came to the United States under the age of sixteen;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have continuously resided in the United States for a least five years preceding the date of this memorandum and are present in the United States on the June 15, 2012;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety; and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are not above the age of thirty. </span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A decision by the immigration service or ICE to exercise discretion will be effective for a two-year period, with the possibility of renewal. The decision on whether to grant prosecutorial discretion will be exercised on an individual basis. Therefore, it is important that an applicant, whether or not in removal proceedings, consult with immigration counsel to ascertain their eligiblity for the relief, and apprise them of the conditions of this exercise. For questions on this new policy, please contact attorney Vidal Cordova at </span><a href="mailto:vidal@jsslegal.com"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vidal@jsslegal.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> or by telephone at 619-230-0012.</span>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-44082666985748419082012-05-16T10:14:00.000-07:002012-05-16T10:14:22.489-07:00Appeals Ruling on P-3 Artist Visa Explains the Meaning of "Culturally Unique"<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some interesting case law came out a couple days ago from the Administrative Appeals Office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Appeals Office issued a binding ruling finding that "culturally unique" artists and performers seeking entry into the U.S. on a P-3 artist visa may satisfy the statutory criteria if the performance is a hybrid or a mixture of artistic elements hailing from more than one particular culture. In Matter of Skirball Cultural Center, a U.S. petitioner sought to organize a tour for a musical group from Argentina that blends Jewish music of Eastern Europe with Latin and South American influences. The immigration service denied the P-3 petition, concluding that the group's musical style was too hybrid to be considered culturally unique. The appellate tribunal reversed the district directors decision, holding that the law provides that the term "culturally unique" may apply to an unspecified group of persons and beneficiaries whose artistic expression crosses regional, ethnic or other boundaries. Rather than applying a rigid definitional framework, the regulations affords much more flexibility for the emergence of distinct musical and artistic cultures. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an immigration attorney, but also as a musician myself, I find this holding to be very significant. The court contemplated the fusion of different musical and artistic elements performed by a group, and it recognized the fluidity of artistic expression and musicality. As a guitar player, I find myself constantly drawing from different musical genres and applying them to my playing--from fusing contemporary Cuban music with blues or funk, to adding hip hop influences to traditional AfroCaribbean music. Likewise in this case, the appellate tribunal hit the mark by, rather than limiting the artistic identity of the group by labeling them within a one-dimensional musical category, the court recognized its musical diversity, and the richness that results from performances that tap into other subgenres of music to create novel and unique compositions and performances. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The case citation is: Matter of Skirball Cultural Center, 25 I & N Dec. 799 (AOO 2012). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For questions regarding artist visas and other immigration law matters, contact Vidal at </span><a href="mailto:vidal@jsslegal.com"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vidal@jsslegal.com</span></a><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> or at (619) 230-0012.</span>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-40967885685019568612011-03-28T23:41:00.000-07:002011-03-28T23:41:33.059-07:00I Married my U.S. Citizen Sweetheart, So Where's My Greencard?? Pt. 3<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week we picked up on our marriage-based greencard blog with a discussion about what the immigrant petition means in a greencard application based on a marriage to a U.S. citizen. This week we pick up where we left off, and we’ll explore some of the legal requirements that a foreign spouse must meet to be eligible for a greencard. Because the possible scenarios of inadmissibility are almost infinite, we’ll highlight just a few potential pitfalls to give you brief examples of how complex the greencard process can easily get if the client is not well-advised. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s get to it. The foreign spouse must be admissible to the U.S. The Immigration and Nationality Act lists a number of grounds of inadmissibility that disqualify a person from becoming a permanent resident, even if they are married to a U.S. citizen, and even if they have an approved immigrant petition. We discussed one of the grounds of inadmissibility in our previous blog, the unlawful entry of the foreign national into the U.S. Other grounds include a conviction for certain crimes, whether committed in the United States, or abroad. The range of crimes can be pretty vast, and may include drug offenses, violent crimes, fraud crimes, and certain felonies, to name a few. A person may also be inadmissible for being involved in prostitution, and even for being a member of the communist party. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another ground of inadmissibility includes if the foreign national becomes a public charge while in the U.S.; that is, if he or she is unable to support themselves financially (we’ll address this in more detail in a later post). And, even contracting certain communicable diseases of public health significance, not having required vaccines, suffering from certain mental disorders, or being a drug abuser, can make the foreign spouse ineligible to adjust her status to permanent residence. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These two paragraphs are just the tip of the iceberg in the vast world of inadmissibility under the immigration laws. Hopefully what these examples have shown us is that the process of applying for a marriage-based greencard is so much more than filling out forms and submitting them to USCIS. Married couples should always consult with an experienced attorney who is able to review their entire marital, travel, criminal and even health history, before submitting an application with USCIS. The better informed, the better the chances of approval are rather than a denial, and even worse, being placed in removal proceedings. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next blog we'll look at the ever-so obtuse affidavit of support, what it is, what it means, and why it's important. Subscribe to our blog below and stay tuned for our next post! As always, if you have a specific immigration law question, feel free to email us at </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">vidal@askthevisalawyer.com</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, and visit our website at askthevisalawyer.com.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 18px;"><b><br />
</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vidal L. Cordova, Esq.</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s1600/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #959926; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: underline;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s200/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1875) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.com/" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">www.askthevisalawyer.com</span></span></a> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;">Follow my Blog at <span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.blogspot.com/" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Ask the Visa Lawyer">Ask the Visa Lawyer</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Tel: (619) 871-8037</span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;">Fax: (619) 923-2385<br />
Email: vidal@cordova-immigration.com</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Follow me on Twitter<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/Surferlawyer" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://email13.secureserver.net/images/social_media/icon_sm_twitter.gif" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.191406) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Surferlawyer</u></a> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Follow us on Facebook<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/askthevisalawyer" style="color: #9b8c45; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://email13.secureserver.net/images/social_media/icon_sm_facebook.gif" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.191406) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Askthevisalawyer</u></a> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0f243e; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif;">Admitted in Georgia only</span><br />
<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="View public profile"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 10pt;">http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration</span></b></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Warning: Unless you have a signed engagement agreement with our firm, you </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">should not </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">consider the information contained in this blog, our website or any social media as legal advice. The information in this blog is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship.You should consult with your own attorney before relying on this post because we cannot provide reliable legal advice without conducting a thorough legal consultation.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-16228900554079204432011-03-18T11:10:00.000-07:002011-03-18T11:10:28.767-07:00I Married my U.S. Citizen Sweetheart, So Where's My Greencard?? Pt. 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Earlier this week we began this series on the marriage-based U.S. greencard process. If you missed Part 1 of this series, it's in our archives, published on March 15th. In Part 1, we discussed the admission requirements for a foreign national spouse to be eligible for adjustment of status, i.e., having entered with a valid visa, maintaining valid status, etc. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In Part 2 of this series, we will discuss some general pointers on the marriage-based petition, what it does, and what it does not do for the foreign national spouse. There are misconceptions about what the immigrant petition does for the foreign spouse, and hopefully this brief post will provide a general overview of the immigrant petition's function in the greencard process. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The first filing step in the greencard process is the filing of the immigrant petition. But just what is this marriage-based petition? The U.S. citizen spouse is the "petitioner" in the greencard process, while the foreign spouse is the "applicant" for adjustment of status. The U.S. citizen must file the immigrant petition, commonly known by the name of its form, "I-130," receive an approval, and there must be a visa available for the foreign spouse before the spouse can apply for the actual greencard. So if it's called an immigrant petition, it gives me the visa I need to get my greencard, right? </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">WRONG.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> The I-130, even when approved, grants NO visa, NO immigration status, NO permission to remain in the U.S., NO employment authorization, and NO extension of status to the foreign spouse. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What the I-130 does is confirm with USCIS that the qualifying family relationship exists between the foreign national and the U.S. citizen petitioner. There are limited categories of family relationships that allow for one family member to petition for another. For example, an U.S. citizen uncle cannot petition for a nephew, a brother-in-law cannot petition for a sister-in-law. A U.S. citizen husband, however, can file a petition on behalf of his wife. The U.S. citizen husband who files the I-130 must submit evidence with the petition demonstrating that a valid marriage exists, and satisfy the immigration service that the couple in fact lives together as husband and wife. If the I-130 is approvable, a visa is available, and the couple can prove the existence of a bona fide marriage relationship (as opposed to a fraudulent one entered into solely to obtain the greencard), then the foreign spouse may submit her application to adjust her status to lawful permanent residence. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It is only until the greencard application (separate and different from the I-130) is filed that the foreign spouse may be able to remain in the U.S. to await approval, even if they are no longer maintaining valid immigration status. And of course, it is only until the immigration service approved the greencard application and issues a greencard (not really green) to the foreign spouse, that she is deemed a lawful permanent resident. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Next blog we'll look at the ability to file the greencard application, what is required legally to qualify, and what are some of the common pitfalls that disqualify an applicant for permanent residence. Subscribe to our blog below and stay tuned for our next post! As always, if you have a specific immigration law question, feel free to email us at <b>vidal@askthevisalawyer.com</b>, and visit our archives of posts on our Facebook page at facebook.com/askthevisalawyer</span></span></span>.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><br />
</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Vidal Cordova</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s1600/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #959926; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: underline;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s200/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.195313) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.com/" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">www.askthevisalawyer.com</span></span></a> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;">Follow my Blog at <span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.blogspot.com/" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Ask the Visa Lawyer">Ask the Visa Lawyer</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Tel: (619) 871-8037</span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;">Fax: (619) 923-2385<br />
Email: vidal@cordova-immigration.com</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Follow me on Twitter<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/Surferlawyer" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://email13.secureserver.net/images/social_media/icon_sm_twitter.gif" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.195313) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Surferlawyer</u></a> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Follow us on Facebook<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/askthevisalawyer" style="color: #9b8c45; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://email13.secureserver.net/images/social_media/icon_sm_facebook.gif" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.195313) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Askthevisalawyer</u></a> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 10pt;">Admitted in Georgia only</span></div><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="View public profile"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 10pt;">http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration</span></b></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Warning: Unless you have a signed engagement agreement with our firm, you </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">should not</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> consider the information contained in this blog, our website or any social media as legal advice. The information in this blog is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship.You should consult with your own attorney before relying on this post because we cannot provide reliable legal advice without conducting a thorough legal consultation.</span></span></span></span></span></span>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-20099414677913478052011-03-16T00:00:00.000-07:002011-03-16T00:00:21.372-07:00I Married my U.S. Citizen Sweetheart, So Where's My Greencard??<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not so fast Buster, might want to read this before filing that greencard application. Every week I get calls from persons who have recently married their U.S. citizen sweetheart. As soon as they tell me this, I know what their next question is going to be: can I get a greencard now? And every time, my answer is: it depends. Whether my answer is Yes or No, hinges on a several critical factors that a couple should keep in mind before starting the marriage-based greencard process. I'll start by dispelling one of the most common misconceptions out there: marrying a U.S. citizen doesn't automatically make you eligible for a greencard. I've seen many a case where a couple gets married, files a marriage-based petition packet, skips happily over to the USCIS office for their joint interview, and only the U.S. citizen spouse walks out in tears, while the foreign national is being held detained inside by ICE officers because she or he wasn't eligible for the greencard in the first place. Ok, I'll admit, this example is one of the more severe scenarios out there, but it does happen more often than people know. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week's blog begins a month-long discussion on the marriage-based greencard process. Throughout the series, we'll cover basic eligibility requirements, family relationship categories, grounds of inadmissibility that may derail an application, continuing legal requirements after the greencard is approved, and special exceptions to the general immigration rules on adjustment of status. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right off the bat, in most cases, the foreign spouse must have entered the United States through a lawful admission. This happens by seeking admission into the U.S. with a valid visa, and the foreign spouse must have been inspected and admitted by an immigration officer at a port of entry (airport, land border entry). For example, a foreign spouse may be present in the U.S. after being admitted as a visitor, or with a non-immigrant work visa. Once this lawful admission is established, the foreign spouse has met one of the threshold requirements to apply for the marriage-based greencard. She may be eligible to go forward even if she later overstays her period of admission. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are some limited exceptions to the general rule that a person must maintain valid immigration status to seek permanent residence. One of these exceptions applies to a narrow category of family relationships, namely, immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. Immediate relatives include spouses, minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens. An immediate relative who has overstayed their status may still be eligible to adjust their status, if they meet all other legal adjustment requirements. Still, if you have overstayed or otherwise not maintained valid immigration status, you should consult with experienced immigration counsel to determine whether you may proceed with the marriage-based greencard process.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next blog we'll look at Step 1 of the marriage-based greencard process--the immigrant petition, and we'll go over what it means and does for a foreign national, as well as what it does NOT do. Subscribe to our blog and stay tuned for our next post! As always, if you have a specific immigration law question, feel free to email us at vidal@askthevisalawyer.com, and visit our archives of posts on our Facebook page at facebook.com/askthevisalawyer.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vidal Cordova</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s1600/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #959926; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: underline;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s200/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.com/" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">www.askthevisalawyer.com</span></span></a> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;">Follow my Blog at <span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.blogspot.com/" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Ask the Visa Lawyer">Ask the Visa Lawyer</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Tel: (619) 871-8037</span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;">Fax: (619) 923-2385<br />
Email: vidal@cordova-immigration.com</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Follow me on Twitter<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/Surferlawyer" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://email13.secureserver.net/images/social_media/icon_sm_twitter.gif" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Surferlawyer</u></a> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Follow us on Facebook<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/askthevisalawyer" style="color: #9b8c45; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://email13.secureserver.net/images/social_media/icon_sm_facebook.gif" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Askthevisalawyer</u></a> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 10pt;">Admitted in Georgia only</span></div><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="View public profile"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 10pt;">http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration</span></b></a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warning: Unless you have a signed engagement agreement with our firm, you should not consider the information contained in this blog, our website or any social media as legal advice. The information in this blog is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship.You should consult with your own attorney before relying on this post because we cannot provide reliable legal advice without conducting a thorough legal consultation.</span></span></span></span></span></span>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-5674838948986367172011-03-09T00:34:00.000-08:002011-03-09T01:56:41.157-08:00Special Employment Rules for Trading of O and P Visa Athletes<div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recently the American Immigration Lawyer's Association posted a practice pointer for member lawyers on filing procedures for O & P visa athletes who are traded from one organization to another. This posting highlights an important factor that agents, sports leagues, sponsors and petitioning employers should keep in mind when hiring a foreign athlete who is already sponsored by another petitioner. Let's face it, the nature of today's professional sports world, whether it be actions sports or baseball, involves extremely fast-paced trading of elite athletes from one team to another, oftentimes overnight. Athletes and their agents need practical ways to carry on their professional sports activities without interruption, and waiting a couple months or even a couple weeks is simply not an acceptable position for elite athletes. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In come the O and P visa immigration regulations. The O and P visa regs anticipated the real-life dynamics of athlete trading within the industry, and they have carved out a special rule that seeks to meet the demanding fast-twitch changes in employment for an athlete who needs to be ready to compete the next day after trading leagues, changing employers, or after signing with a brand new sponsor. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So here's the gist of it: <span style="line-height: 115%;">a professional P-1 athlete who is traded from one organization to another will continue to have employment authorization for up to 30 days after switching over to the new employer. The new league or organization is required to file a new P-1 I-129 non-immigrant petition within these 30 days. If the new organization, agent or employer doesn't get their petition in on time, the athlete loses employment authorization, and must cease all employment activities. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">If the new organization files the I-129 within 30 days, the professional athlete will stay in valid O or P-1 status, and may continue to work until the new petition is approved. This is a pretty nice benefit for O-1 and P-1 athletes, since other non-immigrant visa categories don't offer the ability for continued employment without either a filed or an approved petition in place before the employment transfer. An important note: the ability to transfer before filing a new petition only applies to P-1 and O-1 athletes who are already hold these non-immigrant statuses. In other words, an athlete who is applying for new employment under these categories must have an approved I-129 in place before taking on competition, endorsement or tournament circuit work duties in the U.S. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;">If you have questions on this or any other immigration law question, feel free to contact attorney Vidal Cordova by phone or email at (619) 871-8037, vidal@askthevisalawyer.com.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;">Vidal Cordova </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s1600/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKAvB619fS39J-VAgPhq_do66uhlbwpztoFJ9_fS_nUxh5YkrDG8F9ISVnNufjc7gp1d_EPxTz29IOLEDD34dVHmhRNmG2jM6soaE2NAPehJXaamr_hZYWpuVQT_Jcz8_ZYRMLv4jIL0/s200/Cordova.logo.600x249.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.com/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">www.askthevisalawyer.com</span></span></a> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;">Follow my Blog at <span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Ask the Visa Lawyer">Ask the Visa Lawyer</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Tel: (619) 871-8037</span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;">Fax: (619) 923-2385<br />
Email: vidal@cordova-immigration.com</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Follow me on Twitter<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/Surferlawyer" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://email13.secureserver.net/images/social_media/icon_sm_twitter.gif" style="border: 0px none; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Surferlawyer</u></a> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Follow us on Facebook<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/askthevisalawyer" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://email13.secureserver.net/images/social_media/icon_sm_facebook.gif" style="border: 0px none; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Askthevisalawyer</u></a> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f243e; font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Admitted in Georgia only</span></div><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration" target="_blank" title="View public profile"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 10pt;">http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration</span></b></a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Warning: Unless you have a signed engagement agreement with our firm, you should not consider the information contained in this blog, our website or any social media as legal advice. The information in this blog is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship.You should consult with your own attorney before relying on this post because we cannot provide reliable legal advice without conducting a thorough legal consultation.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></span></div>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-86672083736883124732011-03-01T10:07:00.000-08:002011-03-01T10:07:48.849-08:00New Request for Additional Evidence for P Visas Templates by USCIS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Last year, USCIS director Mayorkas introduced a Request for Evidence project, which would include stakeholders in the review of templates for RFEs used by the immigration processing service centers. A Request for Evidence (RFE) is a notice issued by the immigration service after an immigration petition has been filed. It seeks to obtain what USCIS deems is missing or additional information and documents from an entity filing a petition on behalf of a foreign national. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), including yours truly, have been presented with templates for RFEs for P visa artist, athletes and musicians. I've reviewed the template for P-3 culturally unique artists or entertainers, and I'll include some of the highlights of requests found in the template. These should be helpful for attorneys and clients anticipating what should be submitted along with the initial petition, to avoid the RFE down the road altogether. The templates are extensive, so I'm including just a sample few points. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Insufficient labor union consultation:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A consultation is a written advisory opinion regarding the nature of the work and the beneficiary’s</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">qualifications. It must come from a U.S. labor organization with expertise in the artist’s field.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Additionally, for the P-3 classification, the consultation must:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">-Evaluate the cultural uniqueness of the beneficiary’s skills;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- State whether the events or activities are cultural in nature; and,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- Specify whether the event or activities are appropriate for P-3 classification.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Documentation of Culturally Unique Performances: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">• Reviews in newspapers, journals, or other published materials which discuss the cultural</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">uniqueness of the performances; and,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">• Evidence that all of the performances or presentations will be culturally unique events</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">which may be shown by:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">o Flyers about all the upcoming events;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">o A detailed itinerary;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">o Contracts that detail the events;</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">o Evidence that the beneficiaries are an established group who perform culturally</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">unique events.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">These requirements are listed in the regulations, but keeping in mind what the USCIS agency is expecting is another good way of double-checking your arsenal of evidence and documents before filing a P-3 petition. Whenever one can avoid a labor-intensive RFE, it's always better to get everything in the first try and get the approval quickly. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPZHMDZgEQbnTQpd8ufkju9qFRwWCJJmSu_Vt9jHYAfX_jH1IgaqoOggpAguew2saHgC-FK7HbRNIwSTNaw2SeGx3EiIdaqIPgc5mD_FzT3-NRowwVEbdo2_EFHjuVKXrfX3d_Qu5GOs/s1600/Cordova.logo.400x166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #cc6536; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPZHMDZgEQbnTQpd8ufkju9qFRwWCJJmSu_Vt9jHYAfX_jH1IgaqoOggpAguew2saHgC-FK7HbRNIwSTNaw2SeGx3EiIdaqIPgc5mD_FzT3-NRowwVEbdo2_EFHjuVKXrfX3d_Qu5GOs/s200/Cordova.logo.400x166.jpg" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.191406) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; cursor: move; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div class="columns-inner" style="min-height: 0px;"><div class="column-center-outer" style="float: left; position: relative; width: 600px;"><div class="column-center-inner" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="main section" id="main" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 27px; margin-right: 27px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="widget Blog" id="Blog1" style="-webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: -16px; margin-right: -16px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="blog-posts hfeed"><div class="date-outer" style="-webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 20px; background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 30px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;"><h2 class="date-header" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; bottom: auto; color: #424242; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static; right: 15px; text-shadow: rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 0px -1px;"><span style="border-left-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; font-weight: bold;">Vidal L. Cordova, Jr., Attorney at Law</span></span></h2><div class="date-posts" style="border-top-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 8px;"><div class="post-outer" style="border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="post hentry" style="min-height: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="post-body entry-content" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 536px;"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Tel: (619) 871-8037</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Fax: (619) 923-2385</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Email: vidal@askthevisalawyer.com </span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-size: 10.8333px; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.com/" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="www.askthevisalawyer.com">www.askthevisalawyer.com</a></span><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Mailing address:</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">P.O. Box 2483</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">La Jolla, CA 92038</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Admitted in Georgia only; practice devoted exclusively to immigration law</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/SurferLawyer" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Follow SurferLawyer on Twitter" src="http://twitter-badges.s3.amazonaws.com/t_logo-a.png" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/Surferlawyer" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>Surferlawyer</u></a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;">Linkedin.com at http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration</span></span><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warning: Unless you have a signed engagement agreement with our firm, you should not consider the information contained in this blog, our website or any social media as legal advice. The information in this blog is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship.You should consult with your own attorney before relying on this post because we cannot provide reliable legal advice without conducting a thorough legal consultation.</span></span></div></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-31762259959271975072011-02-23T15:34:00.000-08:002011-02-23T15:34:02.276-08:00HR Managers & Employers: New H-1B Petition Form Required as of 2/20/2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The immigration service recently issued a revised Form I-129 for Petitions for Non-immigrant workers. This form is used by employers to file petitions for H-1B specialized workers, aliens of extraordinary ability, athletes of international recognition, and other categories of foreign workers.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Export Administration Regulations and the International Traffic in Arms regulations require U.S. employers to seek and obtain authorization from the U.S. government prior to releasing certain controlled technology or technical data to foreign persons. Under the new regs, the transmittal of certain technology or foreign data to foreign nationals by employers is considered an "export" to the foreign worker's country of nationality. A U.S. employer who is subject to this rule will need to obtain a license before it releases the technical data or technology to a foreign worker in H-1B, L-1, or O-1 status.<br />
<br />
Not all employers are subject to this rule because not all technologies, likewise are subject to the license requirements.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPZHMDZgEQbnTQpd8ufkju9qFRwWCJJmSu_Vt9jHYAfX_jH1IgaqoOggpAguew2saHgC-FK7HbRNIwSTNaw2SeGx3EiIdaqIPgc5mD_FzT3-NRowwVEbdo2_EFHjuVKXrfX3d_Qu5GOs/s1600/Cordova.logo.400x166.jpg" style="clear: left; color: #cc6536; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPZHMDZgEQbnTQpd8ufkju9qFRwWCJJmSu_Vt9jHYAfX_jH1IgaqoOggpAguew2saHgC-FK7HbRNIwSTNaw2SeGx3EiIdaqIPgc5mD_FzT3-NRowwVEbdo2_EFHjuVKXrfX3d_Qu5GOs/s200/Cordova.logo.400x166.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border-left-color: transparent; border-right-color: transparent; border-style: solid; border-top-color: transparent; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'book antiqua',palatino;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'book antiqua',palatino;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'book antiqua',palatino;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: 'book antiqua',palatino;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Vidal L. Cordova, Jr., Attorney at Law</span></span></span></span></b></span><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Tel: <span class="skype_pnh_print_container">(619) 871-8037</span><span class="skype_pnh_container" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_pnh_mark"> begin_of_the_skype_highlighting</span> <span class="skype_pnh_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr" title="Call this phone number in United States of America with Skype: +16198718037"><span class="skype_pnh_left_span"> </span><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_span" title="Skype actions"><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_flag_span" style="background-position: -4499px 1px ! important;"> </span> </span><span class="skype_pnh_textarea_span"><span class="skype_pnh_text_span"> (619) 871-8037</span></span><span class="skype_pnh_right_span"> </span></span> <span class="skype_pnh_mark">end_of_the_skype_highlighting</span></span></span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Fax: (619) 923-2385</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Email: vidal@askthevisalawyer.com </span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.com/" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="www.askthevisalawyer.com">www.askthevisalawyer.com</a></span><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Mailing address:</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">P.O. Box 2483</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">La Jolla, CA 92038</span><br style="color: #073763;" /></span><span style="color: #073763;">Admitted in Georgia only; practice devoted exclusively to immigration law</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana,geneva;"> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/SurferLawyer"><img alt="Follow SurferLawyer on Twitter" src="http://twitter-badges.s3.amazonaws.com/t_logo-a.png" /></a></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana,geneva;"><a href="http://twitter.com/Surferlawyer" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>Surferlawyer</u></a></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana,geneva;">Linkedin.com at http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration</span></span></span> <br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Warning: Unless you have a signed engagement agreement with our firm, you should not consider the information contained in this blog, our website or any social media as legal advice. The information in this blog is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship.You should consult with your own attorney before relying on this post because we cannot provide reliable legal advice without conducting a thorough legal consultation.</span></span></div></span></span></span></span></div></div>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-14428092129842230372011-02-14T00:07:00.000-08:002011-02-14T00:07:43.514-08:00Busy Foreign Athletes and the B-1 Visa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">The immigration laws carved out a special niche of visas specially made for professional and certain amateur athletes who come to the U.S. to compete and perform in athletic activities. These are the O and P visas. And although these visas afford foreign athletes a much-desired chance to work in their athletic field for a period of 5 years (under the P), there are some instances where these two visas may not be the best fit for an athlete. Here's a big reason: some athletes may not want to come to the States for an extended period of time, or they may only have one or two athletic tournaments to attend, and the only income they will receive is the prize money from the contest. In these types of cases, the B-1 business visitor visa may be a sound alternative to filing the O or P petition along with the required evidentiary documentation. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">The business visitor B-1 visa generally does not permit gainful employment in the United States. Among the permitted activities of a B-1 are attending business meetings and conferences, receiving training for use in the foreign national's country, and attending trade shows. There is a special section carved out by the U.S. State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual that permits professional athletes who are entering the U.S. to compete, and who will be receiving prize money from the contest only, to qualify for the B-1 visa. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">The advantages of a B-1 visa for eligible athletes may include reduced costs in filing the visa petition: an O or P visa petition requires the filing of the petition with the USCIS with a filing fee, and the payment of visa application fees with the U.S. consulate abroad. In turn, applying for the B-1 visa does not require the filing of a petition with USCIS for an athlete applying from abroad. AND, depending on what country the athlete comes from, he/she may not require the visa at all under visa waiver provisions of the law. Second, because the B-1 visa does not require a petition filed with USCIS, prior approval and then consular process, the athlete can skip the first petition step, and apply for the visa at the consulate, thus potentially saving time and making tight contest schedules and dates. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Now as mentioned above, the B-1 visa is not for every athlete. A professional surfer, for example, who has a packed WQS or World Tour schedule in the U.S., followed by tour spots abroad before returning for more contests in the U.S., may find himself constricted by the B-1's restrictions and its relative inflexibility. A B-1 athlete will be admitted for up to six months only, or 90 days if from a visa waiver country. Depending on contest itineraries, this may prove too limiting for the athlete's schedule. A second limitation of the B-1 is that it prohibits gainful employment in the U.S., and this means that the athlete may not perform services or take on work projects for sponsors and endorsements for income. Say goodbye to photo shoots for that magazine or apparel company, meet-and greet events, and the contract to film that surf segment at Lower Trestles for the next hot DVD. Any income to be received that is in addition to contest prize money will require a work-authorized visa such as the O or P visa. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">The B-1 visa is an often-overlooked visa category for professional action sports athletes who come to the U.S. occasionally to compete in their sport. For athletes who do not plan on spending an extended period of time in the U.S., or who will not be working and receiving income outside of contest prize money, the B-1 visa may be a great alternative to the petition-based process of other visas. The professional athlete should consult with an experienced immigration attorney to discuss the details of their competition schedule and itinerary in the U.S. to make an informed decision before making plans to travel and compete in the U.S. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 18px;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPZHMDZgEQbnTQpd8ufkju9qFRwWCJJmSu_Vt9jHYAfX_jH1IgaqoOggpAguew2saHgC-FK7HbRNIwSTNaw2SeGx3EiIdaqIPgc5mD_FzT3-NRowwVEbdo2_EFHjuVKXrfX3d_Qu5GOs/s1600/Cordova.logo.400x166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #cc6536; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPZHMDZgEQbnTQpd8ufkju9qFRwWCJJmSu_Vt9jHYAfX_jH1IgaqoOggpAguew2saHgC-FK7HbRNIwSTNaw2SeGx3EiIdaqIPgc5mD_FzT3-NRowwVEbdo2_EFHjuVKXrfX3d_Qu5GOs/s200/Cordova.logo.400x166.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.199219) 0px 0px 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-left-color: transparent; border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: transparent; border-right-style: solid; border-top-color: transparent; border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Vidal L. Cordova, Jr., Attorney at Law</span></span></span></span></b><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Tel: (619) 871-8037</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Fax: (619) 923-2385</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Email: vidal@askthevisalawyer.com </span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-size: 10.8333px; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.com/" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="www.askthevisalawyer.com">www.askthevisalawyer.com</a></span><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Mailing address:</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">P.O. Box 2483</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">La Jolla, CA 92038</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Admitted in Georgia only; practice devoted exclusively to immigration law</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/SurferLawyer"><img alt="Follow SurferLawyer on Twitter" src="http://twitter-badges.s3.amazonaws.com/t_logo-a.png" /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/Surferlawyer" style="color: #cc6536; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u>Surferlawyer</u></a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana, geneva; font-size: 10.8333px;">Linkedin.com at http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration</span></span><br />
<br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warning: Unless you have a signed engagement agreement with our firm, you should not consider the information contained in this blog, our website or any social media as legal advice. The information in this blog is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship.You should consult with your own attorney before relying on this post because we cannot provide reliable legal advice without conducting a thorough legal consultation.</span></span></div></span></span></span></div></div>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-29493096855098007112011-02-04T17:14:00.000-08:002011-02-04T17:20:02.019-08:00Do You Know Who's Handling your Immigration Case?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now more than ever, clients should be vigilant before entrusting their immigration case, as well as their wallet, to an organization or person holding themselves out as an immigration service firm. The Federal Trade Commission announced on January 31st that it had cracked down on several immigration scam companies posing as offiicial government websites and officials. The company posing as the U.S. government conned customers into paying double the fees, as well as incorrect fees to cover immigration processing. Through the use of misleading website domain names resembling official government websites, these scam artists misrepresented themselves to customers as "immigration officers," "caseworkers," and "agents." </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><a href="http://ht.ly/3QGLS"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;">FTC Press Release re Scam Crackdown</span></span></a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clients can, and should, seek to confirm the veracity of statements made by persons and firms representing themselves as immigration experts. In most cases, federal regulations and state bar rules provide that only licensed attorneys are authorized to provide legal advice to clients on immigration law matters. This includes even the preparation of forms--some state Supreme Courts have even held that asking questions to complete government forms constitutes the practice of law because the nature of the questions on forms raises legal implications for the applicant. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clients needing assistance with immigration law matters should keep the following points in mind before handing over their wallet to pay for an immigration service: </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Only a licensed attorney can provide legal advice and representation on immigration law matters. Immigration law is an extremely complex and ever-changing body of law and procedures, necessitating legal analysis and review that only a licensed attorney can perform. Persons can check whether a person is an attorney by contacting their state bar office and requesting confirmation with the person's name. Many state bar offices have websites and member directory for the public to check the good standing of its attorneys. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. The nature and practice of immigration law goes far beyond filling out forms--an experienced immigration attorney can examine a client's personal situation and analyze complex legal issues that may arise as a result of the person's entry into the U.S., or actions taken by the foreign national after entering the country. The forms do not provide legal analysis nor can they confirm that a person is eligible for a given benefit. In other words, just because you can fill out the form doesn't mean you qualify for the visa or benefit. Submitting an application for a visa to which the person isn't eligible can have disastrous consequences, including denial of the petition, removal from the United States, and even criminal and civil penalties for fraud. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Persons should check the degree of experience of an immigration attorney, and should not hesitate to pose numerous questions to the attorney regarding their case, to ensure that the attorney understands the legal issues and is competent to take on the case. A "notario," "consultant," or even an inexperienced attorney who is not able or willing to answer all of your questions adequately should raise flags as to proper qualifications. A good lawyer, however, will offer their time to answer all your questions, research and look the answers up, and if not experienced in that particular matter, even refer the client to a second opinion or an attorney who is more experience in the particular subject. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the meantime, clients should carefully examine the credentials of any website offering assistance with immigration matters. As a general rule, if a personal bio identifying the person, his/her U.S. law degree and state bar admission is not available on a website, or if you are not able to speak or meet directly with a licensed attorney to discuss your case, then you should exercise extreme caution before engaging that firm or person for representation. </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPZHMDZgEQbnTQpd8ufkju9qFRwWCJJmSu_Vt9jHYAfX_jH1IgaqoOggpAguew2saHgC-FK7HbRNIwSTNaw2SeGx3EiIdaqIPgc5mD_FzT3-NRowwVEbdo2_EFHjuVKXrfX3d_Qu5GOs/s1600/Cordova.logo.400x166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPZHMDZgEQbnTQpd8ufkju9qFRwWCJJmSu_Vt9jHYAfX_jH1IgaqoOggpAguew2saHgC-FK7HbRNIwSTNaw2SeGx3EiIdaqIPgc5mD_FzT3-NRowwVEbdo2_EFHjuVKXrfX3d_Qu5GOs/s200/Cordova.logo.400x166.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #20124d; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 13px;"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: 'book antiqua',palatino;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> Vidal L. Cordova, Jr., Attorney at Law</span></span></span></span></b><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Tel: (619) 871-8037</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Fax: (619) 923-2385</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Email: vidal@askthevisalawyer.com </span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.askthevisalawyer.com/" target="_blank" title="www.askthevisalawyer.com">www.askthevisalawyer.com</a></span><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Mailing address:</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">P.O. Box 2483</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">La Jolla, CA 92038</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Admitted in Georgia only; practice devoted exclusively to immigration law</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 13px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 13px;">Follow me on Twitter:<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/Surferlawyer" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="images/social_media/icon_sm_twitter.gif" style="border-width: 0px; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Surferlawyer</u></a> <br />
Follow me on Facebook:<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/cordovaimmigrationlaw" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="images/social_media/icon_sm_facebook.gif" style="border-width: 0px; height: 16px; margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" /><u>Cordova Immigration Law</u></a> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 13px;">Linkedin.com at http://www.linkedin.com/in/cordovaimmigration</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Warning: Unless you have a signed engagement agreement with our firm, you should not consider the information contained in this blog, our website or any social media as legal advice. The information in this blog is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship.You should consult with your own attorney before relying on this post because we cannot provide reliable legal advice without conducting a thorough legal consultation. </span></span><span style="color: #003399; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana,geneva; font-size: 13px;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span></div>Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190496864468186298.post-86544472059278012232009-10-22T13:23:00.000-07:002009-10-22T13:25:57.778-07:00USCIS reminds foreign persons to obtain advance parole for travelPersons planning on traveling outside the US for the holidays should file for and obtain advance parole early. Advance parole is required of applicants with pending adjustment of status applications, asylum applicants, & others. Holiday travel season is just around the corner and USCIS is taking approximately 3 months to process the travel document.<br /><br />http://www.aila.org/content/fileviewer.aspx?docid=30372&linkid=210853Ask the Visa Lawyer Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989020479700874407noreply@blogger.com0