- AdoptionOur firm specializes in the area of U.S. Immigration law with special emphasis on international adoptions. We can assist you with your adoption needs in almost every country around the world with the adoption and other legal matters involved.
- GuardianshipWhen the foreign adoption (or guardianship process in those countries that allow guardianship) is completed, the adoptive parent(s) can apply for an immigrant visa (IR-3 for a child adopted abroad or IR-4 for a child to be adopted in the United States) at the appropriate U.S. consular office abroad. In addition to the notification of the approved I-600 petition from the INS, the consular officer also requires specific documentation to conduct a visa interview and to approve visa issuance. Validity of Foreign Adoptions in the United States
- AnnulmentU.S. citizens who will be getting married to a foreign national in the United States may petition for a fiancé (e) classification (K-1) for their fiancé (e). In order to do so, you and your fiancé (e) must be free to marry. This means that both parties must be unmarried, or any previous marriages must have ended in divorce, annulment or death. If any of the parties have been divorced, that party must provide certified copies of their divorce decree(s) at the time of the interview. For the purposes of filing only copies of biographic documentation are necessary. The US Citizen and foreign national must certify that they are legally able to and intend on marrying one another within the 90 day period granted vis-à-vis the K-1 visa by signing an intent to marry statement. You must also have met with your fiancé (e) in person within the last two years before filing for the fiancé (e) visa. This requirement can be waived only if meeting your fiancé (e) in person would violate long-established customs, or if meeting your fiancé (e) would create extreme hardship for you. You and your fiancé (e) must marry within 90 days of your fiancé (e) entering the United States.
- MisdemeanorsA new removal policy will be implemented placing top priority on national security threats, convicted felons, gang members, and illegal entrants apprehended at the border; the second-tier priority on those convicted of significant or multiple misdemeanors and those who are not apprehended at the border, but who entered or reentered this country unlawfully after January 1, 2014; and the third priority on those who are non-criminals but who have failed to abide by a final order of removal issued on or after January 1, 2014.
- MurderGood Moral Character: The applicant must generally show that he or she has been a person of good moral character for the statutory period (typically five years or three years if married to a U.S. citizen or one year for Armed Forces expedite) prior to filing for naturalization. The applicant is permanently barred from naturalization if he or she has ever been convicted of murder, or of an aggravated felony as defined in section 101(a) (43) of the Act on or after November 29, 1990. During the statutory period those who indulge in habitual, heavy drinking; practice polygamy; willfully fail to support their dependents; have been confined to penal institutions; among other such acts, cannot be regarded as a person of good moral character and thus may be also barred from naturalization.
- Money LaunderingLegal and regulatory compliance data as required for purposes such as know your client, anti-money laundering, and market abuse regulations requirements, or as part of our client onboarding process, which may include passport or other identification data, date of birth, home address, and other due diligence data.
- Corporate LawRecruitment – Personal information about job applicants is collected and processed for purposes of screening, identifying, and evaluating candidates for positions; record-keeping related to hiring processes; analyzing the hiring process and outcomes; and conducting background checks, where and to the extent permitted by applicable law, which may also be subject to relevant local recruitment privacy policy. If you are hired by the Firm, this data will be transferred to our employee record files for the purpose of your employment. This is necessary in order to take steps at the request of the job applicant in the context of recruitment prior to entering into a contract. In addition, job applicant data and legal and regulatory compliance data may be used as necessary to comply with legal, regulatory, and corporate governance requirements. Information Sharing
- Business TransactionsTrade may include commercial transactions in goods and trade in services and technology like banking, insurance, transportation, tourism, communications, data processing, advertising, accounting, design and engineering, management consulting, technology transfer and other measurable services which may be traded. What is Substantial Trade?
- Workers Compensation
- Citizenship and Naturalization
- Family ImmigrationOur law firm also assists foreign nationals who are pursuing green cards through sponsorship by a family member. United States citizens can petition ( I-130 ) for visas on behalf of loved ones, including parents, children, and siblings, who are citizens of another country. Our office can help individuals with K-1 fiancé(e) visas, which allow a U.S. citizen’s foreign national fiancé(e) to come to this country to get married. Once the fiancé(e) arrives, the couple must marry within 90 days for the foreign national to be eligible to apply for his or her green card ( I-485 ). Other types of family-based immigration service we provide include visa petitioning for U.S. Citizen and Permanent Resident’s spouses, U.S. Citizen’s parents, U.S. Citizen and Permanent Resident’s children. Whether you are seeking to become a lawful permanent resident or eventually a U.S. citizen, an experienced legal advocate can help you navigate this complex area of law.
- Green Cards
- Business Immigration- Business Immigration Changes. Under the initiatives, DHS will identify the conditions under which talented foreign entrepreneurs, inventors, researchers, founders of startups may be paroled into the U.S. if their entry is determined to be in significant public economic benefit. L-1B guidance will be released, the H-4 EAD regulation will be finalized, and the length of time permitted on OPT for STEM graduates will be expanded. PERM system will also be modernized. - Visa backlog modernization
- Student VisasOn July 6, 2020, ICE issued a news release with new guidelines that would have been applied to all... Read More ›
- Family VisasPermanent residency, also known as a Green Card, allows you to enter the United States and remain here permanently. There are generally two ways a foreign national can attain permanent residency: (a) either through a qualifying family relationship, in which case the qualifying family member (typically a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident) files an immigrant petition on behalf of the foreign national, or (b) through employment sponsorship. In the second case, the foreign national can attain permanent residency based on their employment with a United States company. In this type of situation, the sponsoring U.S. company/employer would file an immigrant petition on behalf of the foreign national. In addition, a foreign national who can demonstrate their extraordinary ability in the arts and sciences and show their contribution to the nation, can apply for permanent residency. There are also other special categories of immigrants that can apply for permanent residency such as battered spouses, asylees, refugees, individuals eligible for 245i, etc. Once you have resided in the United States for a certain period of time (three to five years, depending on your immigrant classification), you may be eligible to apply for naturalization/citizenship. Family Visas
- Work VisasThe spouse and/or children of an exchange visitor in the U.S. may not work in J-2 status. If employment is desired, the appropriate work visa will be required. Before they can work, they must make an application to DHS, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and be approved for permission to work. They must file Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization with the USCIS office that serves the area where they live for a work permit (employment authorization document) The spouse and/or children of an exchange visitor visa holder who are in the U.S. on an exchange visitor visa may study in the U.S. without also being required to apply for a student (F-1) visa or change to F-1 status U.S. Port of Entry
- Investor VisasThe U.S. Embassy in Israel is pleased to announce the implementation of the U.S. E-2 Investor Visa for Israeli nationals, beginning May 1. The E-2 visa is a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa that can be used to develop, direct, or provide specialized skills to an enterprise in which the owner has invested a substantial amount of capital. With the implementation of this visa, Israeli investors now have the opportunity to invest in the U.S. economy and send qualified employees to the United States. Likewise, U.S. citizens will be eligible to apply for visas to invest in Israel.