Immigrant Visa

USCIS Scheduled to Increase Family-Based Immigrant and Naturalization Application Filing Fees

January 16, 2020

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has proposed to increase its filing fees for family-based immigrant visas and naturalization applications in 2020. Below are examples of the proposed fee increases. Spouse and Family-Based Immigrant Visas: Filing fees are scheduled to increase a nominal 3.74 percent from US$535 to US$550.

EB-5 Visa Processing Time: How Long Do I Have to Wait for Approval?

January 6, 2020

How long is the EB-5 visa processing time? Most of my clients ask me this question and there is a lot of confusion about the processing times visa waiting times. As a refresher, there is a 3-step process to obtaining lawful permanent residence in the U.S. via the EB-5 immigrant

Immigrate to the United States if You Have Exceptional Ability in Science, Art or Business – The EB-2 visa

December 27, 2019

Are you a person with exceptional ability in science, art or business? Then you may qualify to immigrate to the United States and pursue a career in your area of expertise via the Employment Based Second Preference visa category, or EB-2 visa. To qualify as a person of exceptional ability

David Enterline speaks at Global Migration and Wealth Management, East Asia, Conference in Hong Kong

December 6, 2019

David Enterline spoke at the Global Migration and Wealth Management, East Asia Conference in Hong Kong November 4th and 5th, 2019. David was the discussion leader on the panel Evaluating the US investment landscape and its appeal to Chinese investors which focused on issues relevant to Chinese investors seeking to

David Enterline’s Thought Leadership Comments on the Investment Immigration Industry

December 5, 2019

As part of the GMWM East Asia event, organizers requested insight from its distinguished speakers on various Thought Leadership topics. The comments below were provided by David Enterline of Enterline and Partners. 1. In one sentence, how would you describe the state of the investment immigration industry today? The

EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Extension

November 28, 2019

As has become the norm, the U.S. Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution (“CR”) funding the U.S. federal government through December 20, 2019, while at the same time extending 29 other programs including the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. The President signed the CR shortly thereafter. Also known as the EB-5

New EB-5 Regulations Effective as of November 21, 2019

November 27, 2019

On Thursday November 21, 2019, the “EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization Rule” went into effect 120 days after the final rule was published. The final rule makes regulatory changes to the EB-5 Regional Center Program as we have written previously (Regulation change to EB-5 will increase the minimum investment to

Ryan Barshop to Speak on U.S. Citizenship Naturalization Opportunities on AILA Audio Seminar

November 20, 2019

Ryan Barshop will be presenting on an American Immigration Lawyers Association audio seminar this Thursday, November 21. Mr. Barshop will be joined by two other expert panelists speaking about opportunities for U.S. naturalization while living abroad. As an immigration attorney based in South-east Asia, Mr. Barshop has nearly 10 years’

David Enterline receives an I-829 Approval award at the IIUSA EB-5 Conference in Seattle, Washington

November 15, 2019

David Enterline of Enterline and Partners was recognized as having obtained I-829 approvals for his EB-5 immigrant investor clients in 2018 and 2019. David was recognized along with a select group of EB-5 Regional Centers and experienced EB-5 attorneys successfully representing his clients through his position with WTW –

U.S. Federal Court Judge Temporarily Blocks Presidential Proclamation on Requiring Immigrants to Obtain Health Insurance

November 4, 2019

A U.S. Federal District Court judge has granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) against U.S. President Donald Trump’s proclamation requiring intending immigrants to obtain health insurance within thirty (30) days upon their arrival in the United States or be able to show that they have enough money to pay for

United States Senate Introduces Legislation to Increase Immigrant Visas for Foreign Doctors and Nurses

May 6, 2020

New legislation has been introduced in the United States Senate to grant unused immigrant visas to foreign healthcare professionals to help fight the coronavirus. The Senate bill would authorize up to 25,000 immigrant visas for foreign nurses and up to 15,000 for foreign doctors. The legislation would also allow the

Trump’s Immigration Ban May Result in More Employment-Based Immigrant Visas Being Issued

May 5, 2020

United States President Donald Trump’s Executive Order (“EO”) banning certain immigrants from immigrating may end up increasing the number of visas available for employment-based immigrant visa categories. Employment-based immigrant visas are capped at 140,000 worldwide per fiscal year while family-based immigrant visas are limited to roughly 250,000 per year. The

Temporary Restraining Order Filed Against Trump’s Immigration Ban In Order to Protect Children

April 29, 2020

The first group of litigants have filed a Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) against U.S. President Donald Trump’s Immigration Ban. The TRO petition, which was filed in the U.S. Federal District Court in Oregon, seeks an immediate, limited order to protect family-based preference immigrants under the age of 21 from being

Announcement: USCIS Extends In-Person Services Suspension through June 3rd

April 28, 2020

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that in-person services at its offices will reopen as early as June 4th in compliance with local and state orders. In-person services at USCIS include field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers. During this extended closure period, USCIS will

EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Petition Statistics Released by the USCIS for Fiscal Year 2020 Q1

April 27, 2020

The United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (“USCIS”) has published its quarterly performance data for Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor and Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneurs to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status. The number of I-526 petition filings are not much of a surprise and the painfully

Trump’s Immigration Ban Has Just Been Released. And It’s Not As Bad As We Expected.

April 23, 2020

Today U.S. President Donald Trump signed his threatened Executive Order (‘EO”) as the “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the Covid-19 Outbreak.” The proclamation becomes effective on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:59 PM (ET), and suspends the

Trump Tweets He Will Stop All Immigration: No Need to Fear (Yet)

April 21, 2020

United States President Donald Trump tweeted late in the evening on April 20th that he intends to sign an Executive Order (“EO”) temporarily suspending immigration to the U.S. as it battles the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting mass unemployment. While concerning for many, Enterline and Partners would like to calm

Will The New EB-5 Processing Policy Help Children Who Might Otherwise Age Out?

April 14, 2020

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) recently announced it would change the way it will processes I-526 Petitions (“petitions”) for EB-5 investors. Called a Visa Availability Approach, (“VAA”) this process will apply to all petitions filed after March 31, 2020. During a March 13, 2020 public stakeholders meeting, USCIS

Announcement: DOS Continues to Encourage Medical Professionals with Approved Petitions to Seek an Emergency Visa Appointment

April 13, 2020

The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) has reiterated its earlier announcement that despite the worldwide suspension of routine visa appointments, U.S. embassies and consulates will continue to provide emergency and critical visa services. Healthcare professionals with an approved non-immigrant or immigrant petition such as an I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Workers

The Effect of Breaks in Continuity of Residence on Eligibility for Naturalization

April 7, 2020

Are you a lawful permanent resident (“LPR”) of the United States and want to become a U.S. citizen? If you have been a resident for at least 5 years, or 3 years if you obtained your LPR status through marriage to a U.S. citizen, then you may be eligible for

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Congratulations to David Enterline – 30 years since becoming an American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) member