Super Lawyers Recognizes Immigration Law Firm Partners

Super Lawyers Recognizes Immigration Attorneys Darren Silver and Anibal Sanchez. Darren Silver and Associates, LLP is extremely honored that both Partners Mr. Silver and Mr. Sanchez have been recognized in the Immigration Law section of the Annual Southern California Super Lawyer listing. See: https://digital.superlawyers.com/superlawyers/lxsl23/MobilePagedReplica.action?pm=2&folio=90#pg90 The Firm has over 25 years of Immigration Experience and has lead the way in assisting Corporate Clients, Employees,  EB-5 Investors, Extraordinary  Ability applicants and Families…

STEM Majors Apply for EB-2 Green Cards

STEM Majors Apply for EB-2 Green Cards U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced updated guidance on adjudicating requests for “National Interest Waivers” regarding job offer and labor certification requirements for certain advanced degree professionals and individuals of exceptional ability. This includes discussing the unique considerations for persons with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields and entrepreneurs. Consistent with this Administration’s goal of removing barriers to legal immigration under President Biden’s Executive Order 14012, Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening…

Expansion of Interview Waiver Eligibility

Updated: March 11, 2021   Secretary Blinken, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has temporarily expanded the ability of consular officers to waive the in-person interview requirement for individuals applying for a nonimmigrant visa in the same classification.  Previously, only those applicants whose nonimmigrant visa expired within 24 months were eligible for an interview waiver.  The Secretary has temporarily extended the expiration period to 48 months.  This policy is in effect until December 31, 2021.  This…

Immigration Options for the H1b employee under the Covid-19 Pandemic

In an April 28, 2020 report, Bloomberg reported that over 200,000 H-1B employees in the United State may lose their lawful status by June of this year as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Darren Silver of Darren Silver & Associates, LLP a boutique Business Immigration Law Firm in Los Angeles believes that the Bloomberg numbers may be conservative and that the actual number of H1b employees impacted by…

Extensions of Status & Changes of Status during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

our blog last week, we touched upon procedures for Extensions of Status & Changes of Status during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  On April 14, 2020, USCIS provided further guidance on the matter. While consulates abroad have suspended visa processing, USCIS continues to accept cases throughout this pandemic, and any change or extension of status can be mailed to the appropriate USCIS office. Accordingly, a timely filed change or extension of status…

COVID-19 Immigration Updates

Our team remains available for our clients throughout this time of crisis. We understand that our clients face uncertainty as to the health and financial wellbeing of their loved ones; our goal is to do what we do best and alleviate any stresses that may arise from the immigration system. It is clear by now that the COVID-19 pandemic is creating unprecedented issues in the immigration law sphere. We have…

Those Born in Hong Kong, Immigration to the United States Remains a Viable Options

 Individuals who were born in Hong Kong and have a Hong Kong passport maintain advantages over Chinese passport holders when it comes to immigration to the United States. The main advantage is that Hong-Kong is considered a separate “country” or region than Mainland China for U.S. immigration purposes. Additionally, Hong Kong allows dual citizenship, which ensures that those seeking U.S. citizenship will also be able to retain their Hong Kong…

Immigration Options for Social media influencers

A Social media influencer is typically a person or group that gains popularity and credibility on one or more of the social media outlets. The Influencer through his or her following is able to project Brand loyalty and sales. Brands have marketed products through various Social Media outlets such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. U.S Immigration law has a carved out Visa that is dedicated to those Foreign Nationals that…

Recent Changes and Trends for the E-2 Visa Program

While changes to the EB-5 program and H-1B program have caught the attention of the media during the past few months, the E-2 visa has quietly undergone changes in the last few weeks. Furthermore, changes to the immigration landscape have led to new trends in the E-2 arena. Changes Affecting Middle Eastern Investors: As a result of the October 3, 2018 termination of the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and…

USCIS makes Changes to address EB-5 Fairness Issues in Visa Allocation

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a process change for Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor, from a first-in, first-out basis to a visa availability approach. This new operational approach aligns with other visa-availability agency adjudications processes, is more consistent with congressional intent for the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, and increases fairness in the administration of the program. “Changing our approach from a first-in, first-out adjudication process to…