Although awards season for film and television is over with the Academy Awards show last weekend, there is still much buzz surrounding the fantastic and diverse films that were released in the past year. With all of the excitement, I am inspired to reminisce about my own favorite films—and influenced by my profession–specifically my favorite immigration film: The Terminal.
Read more8 Common Questions Foreign Nationals Have When Changing Visa Sponsors/Employers
As immigration attorneys, one scenario we frequently encounter is where foreign nationals part ways with the US company that sponsored their nonimmigrant visa. Regardless of who initiated the change, terminating employment/representation with the US company sponsoring the foreign national's visa requires immediate attention, ideally well before the change is to take place. It can be stressful for everyone involved. To allow all parties involved to prepare for and understand the implications, we have compiled some of the most frequently asked questions from foreign nationals.
Read more5 Hacks to Expediting a Visa Appointment (And Making It Go Smoothly)
A petition has been approved by US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of a foreign national and she receives the long-awaited and coveted I-797 Approval Notice. She is brimming with excitement as she logs into the US Embassy/Consulate’s online visa appointment system to schedule the appointment to get the visa stamped in her passport. But the next available appointment is weeks away. And she needs to travel to the US as soon as possible. What to do?
Read moreSummer's End
Long Beach, nicknamed The City By the Sea (because it is right by the sea) and also generously called The Riviera of the East, is on the southern coast of Long Island only about an hour away from New York City. I was there this past weekend to enjoy the beautiful weather before it's winter again (sigh). Even though the copious amounts of seaweed made swimming a little unpleasant, sitting on the beach and walking on the refurbished boardwalk was a very enjoyable way to spend one of the last days of summer.
5 Reasons Everyone Should Visit Connecticut
As a native Connecticuter (along with Lizzie B), I am a huge fan of this New England state. I grew up in the quiet northeastern corner of Connecticut and while I live in New York City now, I always make time to visit.
Read more5 Helpful Functions of USCIS.gov Every Foreign National Should Know
The USCIS.gov website, redesigned in 2013 with additional user-friendly features introduced throughout 2014, is inviting and still looks brand new. More importantly, as the official site of US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), USCIS.gov contains a great deal of helpful information and user-friendly tools (and they also have a cool blog!). Here are five functions of USCIS.gov that may serve as useful resources for many foreign nationals and those with cases with USCIS.
1. Check Your Case Status & Submit a Case Inquiry or Service Request Online
Instead of calling the USCIS 1-800 number to check on a case status, the case status online feature allows foreign nationals to track their application or petition by using their receipt number (a unique thirteen-character identifier assigned to each case and included on every I-797 Notice of Action) as it moves through the immigration process. Foreign nationals may also create an account to sign up for email or text message notifications when an update on their case is available, which is especially useful for those who do not want to keep checking USCIS.gov every day.
The case query/service request feature allows foreign nationals to submit case inquiries online—again, instead of calling USCIS—if they believe their pending case is taking longer than the normal processing time; or if a notice, card, or other document was not received by mail and may be lost or missing. It also allows foreign nationals to submit service requests if they need appointment accommodations or if they spot a typographical error in their case information, which is essential to get fixed as soon as possible.
Read moreHow to Read a US Visa Stamp
Congratulations—if you are reading this, chances are you are the proud holder (or soon-to-be-holder) of a shiny new US visa stamp! Or maybe you’re just curious—that’s fine too.
For those foreign nationals who have a visa stamp, it is crucial to understand what it is, what it does, and what everything on it means. This may seem straightforward, but given all the acronyms and abbreviations (not to mention occasional administrative errors), this can easily become confusing.
Read moreMaintaining Green Card Status (Even When Temporarily Living Outside the US)
As an immigration attorney, it gives me great joy to tell our clients that their Green Cards (giving them permanent residency status in the US) have been approved. My husband is himself a Green Card holder so I know firsthand how important the freedom and security that permanent residency in the US provides for immigrants; at the same time, it’s also important for Green Card holders to know their rights and responsibilities as permanent residents—including how to maintain their permanent residency to ensure that they keep their Green Cards and, if they so desire, apply for citizenship down the road!
The following dialogue is a fictional example of a conversation I often have with our clients about maintaining permanent residency. (No Daryanani & Bland client information is used or revealed and any similarity to real people is entirely coincidental!).
Read moreHealthcare, Taxes, and a Mortgage, Oh My!
So your nonimmigrant visa was approved (congratulations!) and you have arrived in the US. Now what? In our experience, many foreign nationals have numerous practical questions as they settle into their new lives in the US—from what they need to sign a lease on an apartment to opening a bank account to getting a driver’s license and more. While we do not intend for this post to give any legal advice (or financial or tax advice, for that matter), we hope to provide general insights to some common questions.
What should I do first?
After entering the US, foreign nationals should print the online version of their I-94 information as soon as possible and make sure that their name, the classification they were admitted in, and all other information is correct. Foreign nationals should also save the printed I-94 in a safe place. The I-94 is important because it specifies the exact amount of time a foreign national is allowed to stay in the US and may differ from the visa stamp. The I-94 is also necessary to gain certain benefits, such as getting a US Social Security number. Foreign nationals should print, check, and save their I-94 information after each time they enter the US.
Options for Fine Artists Applying for a US Visa
I love that in New York City art is everywhere—there’s graffiti on the side of buildings; sculpture installations throughout the streets and parks; and a huge variety of galleries and museums with artwork ranging from modern multimedia exhibitions to Renaissance paintings.
Since we are based in a city that is a center of the art world, and we often work with some of the best of these artists, we wanted to highlight some immigration considerations in the context of the fine art world, namely for gallery and museum artists.
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