President Biden has indicated that the US border will reopen in November, until then the National Interest Exception remains the only viable option for many people to enter the country. The US border has been closed to people from Schengen countries in Europe as well as the UK, Ireland, India, Brazil and a number of other countries. President Biden announced this week that the eighteen month ban will be lifted at some point in November without giving much detail. The ...
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Senior Immigration Attorney at our firm, Verdie Atienza, details all the issues surrounding nationality requirements for the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa. In the video, which you can watch below, Verdie explains that you must be a citizen of an E-2 Treaty country. The full list of E-2 countries can be found here. Don't worry if you are NOT from an E-2 Treaty Country. You can obtain citizenship of an E-2 country and then apply. The two countries with the fastest ...
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The head of our E-2 Visa Practice Verdie J. Atienza speaks in our latest video about some of the advantages of the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa. Firstly, we look at the fast processing times of this visa. The E-2 Treaty Investor Visa is unique in that the work is primarily done by embassies and consulates rather than the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) US embassies and consulates have been closed or providing reduced services over the past eighteen month ...
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The impact of the changes are being felt at different stages of the process, with greater leniency surrounding the I-829 process. USCIS is extending the time that a receipt notice can be used to show evidence of lawful permanent resident status from 18 months to 24 months to take account of increased processing times for Form I-829.What does this mean in practice?When you file your Form I-829, USCIS will send you a Receipt Notice in the mail. That Receipt Notice, ...
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A large chunk of last year's quota is going to waste, but there is likely to be a rollover from this year's unused quota By Tishita Agarwal A recent report suggested that close to 100,000 employment based visas, or green cards, are liable to go to waste if they are not issued by the end of the month. A green card, or US Permanent Residency, is issued to show the bearer can reside permanently in the United States. The quota ...
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Our team has has a number of successes in obtaining L-1 Visas for clients in India last month. Read below to discover the broad range of industries eligible for the L-1 Visa. By Tishita Agarwal. The L-1 Intracompany Transfer Visa is a non-immigrant visa that is a good fit for business owners who wish to expand and develop their business in the US, and send executives and specialized employees along to oversee the process. While the L-1 may seem a ...
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The minimum investment level for the EB-5 visa remains at $500,000 for now, but the appeal is a clear signal the Biden administration is intent on increasing the price. The US government filed a last-minute appeal against a federal court ruling that reversed Trump-era changes to the EB-5 Visa investment thresholds. A federal judge in California ruled in June that a decision to increase the minimum investment level from $500,000 to $900,000 in November 2019 was unlawful because the head ...
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We are anticipating the potential return of the EB-5 Visa Regional Center program at the end of September. It has been suspended since the end of June when the program lapsed. Congress was unable to agree to a reform and reauthorization bill. So the expectation is that it may be rolled back into the consolidated spending bill due by September 30. The EB-5 visa program had been deliberately separated from this must-pass spending legislation last year in the hope that ...
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Italy’s government is offering a 110% tax credit on certain renovation projects, which essentially means getting to improve your home for free. The so-called "Super Bonus" is available until the end of the year with a chance of it being extended. Renovations projects eligible for the Italian tax Super Bonus include: Home insulationCentralized heating systems in a condominium Single home heating systems Seismic improvements The credit can also be extended to the following projects if linked to the above projects: ...
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Applicants filing an adjusting of status for their US permanent residency will no longer need to apply separately for a Social Security number or a replacement card. This seemingly small victory marks a big win over unnecessary bureaucracy in the immigration system. Under the current system, an applicant would need to go separately to a Social Security office to apply for their Social Security number (SSN) or a new card. Under the new system, announced by the United States Citizenship ...
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Did you know the United Kingdom holds the oldest E-2 Treaty with the United States of any country in the world. It dates back more than 200 years and highlights how the E-2 Visa transcends the ever-changing political winds in Washington. Yet, unlike other countries, Britain's E-2 Treaty contains a quirk - applicants must be an "inhabitant" of the British Isles. This is taken to mean that you should be permanent residents of the UK and domicile there in order ...
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By Tishita Agarwal If you are looking for a visa that will allow not only you, as an investor in an US business, but also your family and employees to enter the US, the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa might be the right fit for you. The E-2 visa is a long term non-immigrant visa that allows foreign nationals investing in an US business to direct and develop the business while living and working in the US.  Financial investment One of ...
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Portugal offers a Golden Visa (residency through investment) program and recently dropped the amount of time you need to hold residency before applying for citizenship from six years to five. Property is an acceptable form of investment for the Golden Visa program The minimum investment requirement in a Portuguese property depends upon where the property is located and how old it is. This ranges from €280,000 for a property over thirty years old in a low-density area up to €500,000 ...
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Did you know that the Direct EB-5 Program remains open to new investors at the $500,000 minimum investment amount? But hurry. The time to file at this lower rate is likely to be limited. The EB-5 Regional Center program has lapsed because Congress was unable to agree a unanimous vote to reauthorize before the July 4th recess. We expect Congress will reauthorize the program, although the exact timing of this is uncertain.Unlike the Regional Center program, Direct EB-5 is permanently ...
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Life in America is returning to something resembling normality following a successful roll out of Covid-19 vaccines. However, disruption continues at the border with travelers from Europe (Schengen area), the UK, Ireland, China, India, Iran, Brazil and South Africa still banned unless you can obtain a National Interest Exception (NIE). While restrictions may soon lift on the UK and Europe, the entry restrictions on the other countries show not sign of abating in the short term. Consequently, the State Department ...
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