How to Find and Work with a Good Immigration Lawyer

May 19, 2012 By Tom Jr.

If you or a loved one would like to come to the United States, it’s likely in your best interest to work with a good immigration lawyer. The process is intense, intimidating, stressful, and complicated. One mistake may prevent you or a loved one from entering and/or living and/or working in the United States.

Now everytime I write an artical like this one I have people ask me why tell potential clients how they can find an immigration attorney other than you? The reasons are simple and clear. First, our office provides a high level of client service, we can only help a limited number of people. Second we are not the best fit for everyone. Before we accept a new client they are reviewed for the legal services they request and their compatability with our office. When we accept a new client we are doing so with the understanding that we will be available for not only this immigration matter, but any future matter as well. We want to make sure we are a good match for the client.

How to Find a Qualified Immigration Attorney Nutshelled

It’s important to work with an attorney who focuses his or her legal practice on immigration law. To find a good immigration attorney:

Ask friends, family, neighbors, and community members for a personal referral.
Ask the local bar association or professional advisors (such as general practice attorneys, estate planning attorneys, CPAs, or financial advisors) for referrals.
Google (or use your favorite search engine) and search “How to Find a Good Immigration Attorney”.
Chat with each potential attorney and hire whomever you feel most comfortable with.

How to Work with Your Immigration Attorney

Here are some hints that will help your attorney get the job done right and in a timely manner.

Provide all documentation requested as soon as possible.
Disclose all relevant information and, if in doubt, error on the side of disclosure.
Be completely honest with your attorney, remembering that your attorney will keep everything you tell him or her confidential.
Follow your attorney’s direction. If your attorney asks you to do something, be sure to do it and do it in a timely manner.
Let your attorney know if your contact information or any information included on your immigration forms and applications changes.
Read up on your immigration matters so you understand your attorney’s direction and know what questions to ask.
Jot down your questions and concerns, so when you discuss the matter with the attorney you will get all of your questions answered.

Get Good Immigration Legal Advice

If you (or a loved one) are looking for a qualified immigration attorney, you are welcome to contact our office and schedule an in person meeting, or if you live outside the Cincinnati area a telephone meeting.

Immigration is a very specialized area of law; be sure your attorney focuses his or her practice on immigration and helping people like you. We focus our practice on immigration law and helping people visit, live in, go to school, and work in the United States. We especially love bringing families together and helping foreign nationals start a new life, even become U.S. citizens. You can reach us at 513-793-6555 or Thomasjr@geygan.com. Your next step is to contact us.

Filed Under: Adoption, Asylum, Citizenship, Deportation & Removal, Employment, Employment Visas, Family based Immigration, Family Member, Family Visas, Green Card, Green Card, Green Card, Immigration, Immigration Court, Investor Visas, Naturalization, Treaty Investors

What is culturally unique for immigration?

May 16, 2012 By Tom Jr.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) issued a binding precedent decision addressing the term “culturally unique” and its significance in the adjudication of petitions for performing artists and entertainers.

In the case at issue, the Skirball Cultural Center filed a P-3 nonimmigrant petition on behalf of a musical group from Argentina that was denied a performing artists’ visa for failing to establish that the group’s performance was “culturally unique” as required for this visa classification. Due to the unusually complex and novel issue and the likelihood that the same issue could arise in future decisions, the decision was recommended for review.

USCIS’s AAO approved the petition after its review of the entire record, which included expert written testimony and corroborating evidence on behalf of the musical group. The regulatory definition of “culturally unique” requires USCIS to make a case-by-case factual determination. The decision clarifies that a “culturally unique” style of art or entertainment is not limited to traditional art forms, but may include artistic expression that is deemed to be a hybrid or fusion of more than one culture or region.

Precedent decisions support USCIS’s commitment to consistency in the administration of immigration benefits. This is the third precedent decision issued since late 2010. Selected and designated as precedent by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the Attorney General’s concurrence, precedent decisions are administrative decisions that are legally binding on DHS components responsible for enforcing immigration laws in all proceedings involving the same issue.

Filed Under: Employment, Employment Visas, Immigration

Need H-1B (Foreign National) Workers?

March 4, 2012 By Tom Jr.

If you’re a U.S. company like many others who cannot comfortably fill high-tech, scientific, educational, telecom, and engineering positions with American workers, you may be thinking of turning to foreign national workers to fill these hard-to-fill positions.

Your Company is Not Alone

Microsoft, IBM, and other companies hire foreign national workers because they can’t find American workers to fill the positions in a timely manner. This is true even in the difficult 2012 economy.

Other companies hiring foreign national workers include Infosys Technologies, Deloitte Consulting, Fujitsu Laboratories OF America, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Patni Americas, CVS Pharmacy, Qualcomm, Larsen Toubro Infotech, Intel, Wipro, Goldman Sachs, Oracle, Barclays Capital, Google, Yahoo, Hewlett Packard, Ernst and Young, National Institutes Of Health, HHS, Amazon.com, Apple, Morgan Stanley. Of course, there are thousands more companies as well.

Consult with a Qualified Immigration Attorney for H-1B Visas

An immigration lawyer can help your company get the qualified workers it needs. H-1B visas are issued to foreign national workers who are needed to work in the U.S.

Up to 85,000 H-1B visas are granted each fiscal year

H-1B Visa Benefits

The H-1B visas allow your workers to enter, live in, work, and reenter the United States.

Your worker can bring her spouse and children, under the age of 21, with her.

These dependents are issued an H-4 visa, which does not have all the benefits of the H-1B visa.
Bottom line is that dependents cannot work in the U.S. without their own H-1B visa or some other authorization.

H-1B Visa Renewal

The initial H-1B visa is issued for 3 years.

It’s commonly extended for another 3 years, upon request (6 years total.)
Only in rare circumstances is an H-1B visa extended beyond 6 years.
Defense department employees may be able to get a 10-year H-1B visa.

If you need the foreign national employee beyond the usual 6 year limit:

Your employee could apply for a green card.
Your employee could leave the U.S. for one year and then reapply for another H-1B visa, which would have a fresh start date.

Where to Get Help Bringing a Foreign National Worker to the U.S.

If you want to bring a foreign national worker to the U.S. to work in your company, consult with a qualified immigration attorney, who will help you get your employee one of the coveted H-1B visas. We focus our practice on immigration law and you can reach us at 513-793-6555 or Thomasjr@geygan.com. Your next step is to contact us now.

Filed Under: Employment, Employment Visas, Immigration

FREE E-Verify Self Check is Now Available

February 12, 2012 By Tom Jr.

No more worries and no more sleepless nights, worrying whether it’s okay to apply for a job, or not. Instead, free E-Verify Self Check is now available nationwide. You can run your own check before applying for a job and know whether your immigration status is what it needs to be to be hired for a job.

E-Verify is the verification system many U.S. employers are now using. You use the same system, so the results will be the same.

If you run the E-Verify Self Check and a problem is noted, you can get the issue addressed before applying for a job. If you run into an issue that you cannot fix on your own, our qualified immigration attorneys will be happy to help you. We focus our practice on immigration matters and you can reach us at 513-793-6555 or Thomasjr@geygan.com.

The USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) announced February 9, 2012 that E-Verify Self Check is now available.

“[J]ob hunters in every state across the country, as well as Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, will be able to use Self Check to confirm their employment eligibility status.”

“Self Check was developed through a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to provide individuals a tool to check their own employment eligibility status, as well as guidance on how to correct their DHS and SSA records. It is the first online E-Verify service offered directly to workers. Available in English and Spanish, Self Check enables individuals to enter the same information into Self Check that employers enter into E-Verify.”

More than 67,000 people have used E-Verify Self Check since March 2011. For more information, please visit the Self Check website at http://www.uscis.gov/selfcheck.

Where to Get Help with E-Verify and All Immigration Issues

Consult with a qualified immigration attorney if you have any questions about E-Verify or immigration. Immigration law is a very specialized area of law; be sure your attorney focuses his or her practice on immigration and helping people like you.

Our immigration attorneys are licensed to practice immigration law; we focus our practice on immigration matters and you can reach us at 513-793-6555 or Thomasjr@geygan.com. We will gently walk you through the immigration process, answer your questions, and aggressively fight for your legal rights. Your next step is to contact our office.

Results of My Self Check

Self Check System Error

A system error is preventing Self Check from correctly processing your request at this time. This does not mean you are unauthorized to work in the United States. Please be assured that your personal information was protected by the Self Check service.

You may try to run your Self Check query at a later time.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for using Self Check!

Filed Under: Employment, Employment Visas, Green Card, Immigration

Green Card E-mail Scam

January 29, 2012 By Tom Jr.

Do NOT respond to emails regarding your immigration status, unless they are from your immigration attorney. Our Ohio immigration lawyers are posting this important article in an attempt to keep you and your loved ones from being the victims of fraud.

Scam artists are sending emails falsely claiming that the recipient won the Green Card lottery or Diversity Visa lottery and instructing him or her to mail or wire money. It is a scam. This is NOT how you get a green card.

Do NOT mail or wire money to anyone other than your immigration attorney or at your attorney’s direction. Never ever.

Examples of Scam Artist Email Addresses

Although scam artists can use hundreds of different email addresses, here are some that are known to have been used as reported on the USCIS website:

@kccdv.org, @greencard-org.com, @usafis-org.com, @usa-dv-gov.org, @diplomats.com, @usa.com, @usa-lottery-gov.org, @visa-gov-us.org, @post.com, @dv-state.com

These email addresses are all fake; they do not belong to any governmental agency. All governmental agencies use email addresses, ending in “gov” such as the USCIS’s website address, www.uscis.gov/

Don’t be Fooled by Official Looking Emails

These scam artists know how to create a really good fake email. Be careful, the heading says “Department of State,” it’s a fake. They use fake titles, colors, and logos.

It this email, potential victims are asked to wire (Western Union) $879 per person to someone in London. If you receive a similar email, do NOT follow the directions or you’ll lose your money and be no closer to receiving a Green Card.

Do Not Fax Any Information

The USCIS reported in October 2011 that the scam artists had expanded their scheme to request that victims fax a copy of their Western Union receipt to +44 207 691 7968.

Never fax any information to any other than your immigration attorney or to someone at the explicit direction of your attorney. Your attorney is on your side; no one else is. There are no short cuts to getting a Green Card or Diversity Visa.

To Keep Safe, Remember

To keep safe, keep these tips in mind:

Any website or email from the government, always ends in “gov”
The USCIS, State Department, or any other government entity will NEVER email you requesting “processing fees”
Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission
Always work with a qualified immigration attorney and if you receive any emails or letters, ask your attorney if they are legitimate.

Where to Get Help with Immigration Issues

We focus our practice on immigration law and help people just like you every day. We will listen to your concerns and answer your questions; you are not alone.

We will do our very best to protect you from Green Card and Diversity Visa Email scams, while helping your to reach your individual immigration goals. Your next step is to contact our office (Ohio immigration Lawyers): 513-791-1673 or Thomasjr@geygan.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Filed Under: Green Card, Immigration