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

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

Highly Skilled Workers May Wait Less Time for Green Cards

December 2, 2011 By Tom Jr.

On November 29, 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives easily passed an immigration bill that allows more highly skilled immigrants from China and India to become green card holders (i.e. legal permanent residents.) We say “easily” passed the House because the bill had bipartisan support and was passed with a vote of 389 to 15. The bill is likely to pass the Senate as well.

American technology corporations, such as Microsoft, have long petitioned for a change in legal immigration laws because their workers, here on temporary visas, are being forced to leave because of the green card backlog. Corporations have stated that the U.S. is losing its edge in the world economy and the technology race due to a lack of highly skilled workers.

The bill does not address illegal immigration issues. Instead, the goal is to reduce employment-based green card waits for highly skilled workers such as those with science and technology skills such as those with master and doctorate degrees in engineering and science. Currently, highly skilled workers may be approved for a green card but have to wait years and years to actually receive it. The wait can be decades.

The bill eliminates caps on the number of annual employment green cards available to a specific country. The bill does not change the number of green cards available; that number remains at 140,000. It just eliminates the current 7% (i.e. 9,800 visas) limit per country. Instead, all employment-based green cards would be distributed first-come-first-served. However, it’s estimated that wait will still be approximately 12 years, according to Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy.

In addition, the bill keeps the limit on family-based green cards at 226,000, but raises the number of green cards available to each country, by eliminating the current 7% per country cap and replacing it with a 15% cap. This changes the number of family-based green cards available for each country from 15,820 to 33,900 and will benefit Filipinos and Mexicans.

If you wish to bring or keep a highly skilled worker in the United States or you are a highly skilled worker and wish to obtain a green card, consult with a qualified immigration attorney. We focus our practice on immigration law and help people just like you every day.

Your next step is to contact our office: 513-791-1673 or Thomasjr@geygan.com. We will gently walk you through your immigration issues, guiding you; and, even aggressively represent you in court and before the Department of State, if need be.

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

Want to Come to the United States? Here’s How to do it.

September 20, 2011 By Tom Jr.

Many people would like to come to the United States and wonder how to do it. A qualified immigration attorney will counsel you through this process; help you to determine the foundation for your visit and the best strategy for meeting your goal, coming to the U.S.

First, you need to think about why you want to enter the U.S. Do you want to visit Niagara Falls or Yellowstone National Park? Do you want to study at Ohio State or Harvard? Do you want to live with your parents or spouse? Do you want to visit Aunt Penelope or Uncle Jose? Do you want to participate in the New York ballet or opera? Do you want to work for Microsoft or Apple?

Second, when you think about why you want to come to the U.S., you’ll know whether you need an immigration visa or a non-immigration visa. Immigrant visas are permanent; whereas, non-immigrant visas are temporary, meaning that you can enter for the the particular purpose stated, but you then must leave when your purpose has been accomplished or within a specific time period.

Third, match your reason for coming to the U.S. with either the immigration or non-immigration path; fill out and file the required forms with appropriate documentation; and, wait.

For example,

A K-3 visa is a non-immigrant visa for a spouse.
A K-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa for a fiancé(e).

An EB-5 visa allows those who invest significantly in the U.S. and create jobs to enter the U.S. This is an immigrant visa.

An H-1B visa is a temporary work visa; it is a non-immigrant visa.

The B-1 visa is for athletes, both amateur and professional to compete for prize money. It’s non-immigrant visa. Business visitors also use a B-1 visa.

File for a B-2 visa if you want to visit family in Columbus, receive medical care in Cleveland; or, visit Football Hall of Fame in Canton or the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

An R visa is appropriate for religious workers; a professor, teacher, or scholar uses a J visa; and, the media and journalists use an I visa.

Where to Get Help Obtaining a Visa

Our immigration attorneys at Geygan and Geygan, Ltd. have helped many people just like you to obtain and renew visas. We focus our practice on immigration law; we will gently walk you through the visa process. Your next step is to contact our office, and you can reach us at 513-793-6555 or Thomasjr@geygan.com.