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

USCIS Begins Online Filing for Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative

October 31, 2019

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has started it’s online filing for Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative. An I-130 is the first step to bring a spouse, child, parent(s), or siblings to the United States by a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident. “Form I-130 is on the most

Can I apply for a visitor visa or student visa and enter the United States while my I-526 Petition or immigrant visa application is pending?

October 28, 2019

A nonimmigrant visa is for persons wanting to enter the U.S. for a temporary visit for a specific purpose and who will leave the U.S. when the purpose of their visit is finished. In most nonimmigrant visa categories, this is called establishing “nonimmigrant intent”. The most common nonimmigrant visas are

November Visa Bulletin Priority Date is November 15, 2016 for the Vietnamese EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Category

October 23, 2019

The “Final Action Date” priority date for Vietnamese EB-5 investors moved forward one month in the Department of State November 2019 visa bulletin. The priority date indicates that any investors who filed their I-526 Petitions on or before November 15, 2016 now have visas available. If you are such an

Enterline and Partners Successfully Expedites CR-1 Visa With Direct Consular Processing at U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City

October 22, 2019

Enterline and Partners recently represented a newlywed couple living in Vietnam in an expedited I-130 Petition for Alien Relative with the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. The couple, a U.S. citizen and a citizen from a South American country were married in Hong Kong and living in Vietnam.

USCIS Bangkok Field Office To Permanently Close

October 15, 2019

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that it will permanently close its Bangkok Field Office on December 31, 2019. The office will accept applications and petitions until October 18, 2019 after which the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok will assume responsibility for certain limited services previously provided by the

Regional Center Program extended to November 21, 2019

September 30, 2019

The EB-5 Immigrant Visa Program (also known as Regional Center Program) was extended through November 21, 2019 as part of a greater Continuing Resolution passed by Congress and signed by the President. The Continuing Resolution is primarily to extend funding of the federal government beyond September 30, 2019. Passed in

Visas “Unavailable” (Temporarily) for the Vietnamese EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Category in the October 2019 Bulletin

September 25, 2019

The final action dates for the I5 and R5 categories have been listed as “Unavailable” in the Department of State visa bulletin for October 2019. This is because the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program is currently set to expire on September 30, 2019. The C5 and T5 categories remain with published

David Enterline and Ryan Barshop Present to Potential EB-5 Immigrant Investors in Manila Philippines

September 12, 2019

David Enterline and Ryan Barshop recently presented at an EB-5 seminar with AIMS Relocation and Immigration Specialist at the company’s Manila, Philippines office. AIMS, a Singapore-headquartered company is dedicated to supporting individuals and companies for all of their migration and relocation needs. Founded in Singapore in November 2006, AIMS currently

U.S. Department of State Announces EB-3 Visa Category Unavailable for the Remainder of Fiscal Year 2019

August 28, 2019

Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of Visa Control and Reporting Division at the U.S. Department of State recently announced that the entire EB-3 visa category has become unavailable for the remainder of the 2019 Fiscal Year. When a visa category reaches its annual limits for the fiscal year, no additional visas may

Must a Grenadian citizen that is applying for an E-2 Treaty Trader visa have a residence in Grenada?

May 22, 2019

There is no law or regulation that requires an E-2 Treaty Trader visa applicant to have “residence” in the country of citizenship. We have represented many E-2 investors who do not live or maintain a residence or a resident address in the qualifying treaty country. At the time of this

Latest EB-5 Wait Times and Visa Bulletin Projections

May 17, 2019

Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Control and Reporting Division provided important updates at the Invest in the USA (IIUSA) 2019 EB-5 Advocacy Conference. The annual event was held in Washington, D.C. on May 6, 2019. As noted by Oppenheim, EB-5 visas remain in very

Announcement: U.S. State Department Enacts New Rules on Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Requests

May 10, 2019

As of May 6, 2019, the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) new rules went into effect concerning consular officers recommending a waiver if a nonimmigrant visa applicant is ineligible under Section 212(d)(3)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Under the new rule, consular officers will be required to refer

Extending Your American Visa. Is it Possible?

May 8, 2019

Quick Answer Summary Question Answer Can you extend a U.S. visa? Partially — you cannot extend the visa stamp in your passport, but you can extend your authorized stay What are you actually extending? Your authorized period of stay as recorded on your I-94 record What form is needed? Form

EB-5 Modernization Regulation Pending Review At The Office Of Management And Budget

May 6, 2019

On April 8, 2019, USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna sent a letter to Senator Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Leahy (D-VT) regarding the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization Rule (RIN 1615-AC07). Among other things, Director Cissna indicated in the letter that “DHS is dedicated to ensuring expeditious implementation of the rule,

What Do You Need to Get a Visa for the USA?

April 22, 2019

In order to be issued a U.S. visa, you must apply directly through either the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi or the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. All applicants are required to fill out a DS 160 online application and pay the visa processing fee. The fee depends on

What is 2-Year Meeting Requirement?

April 12, 2019

One key requirement to qualify for the K-1 non-immigrant visa for when a United States Citizen, the petitioner, wants to sponsor a foreign partner to immigrate to the U.S., is that the citizen and foreign spouse must physically meet within 2 years prior to filing the I-129 Petition with the

EAP Co-Founder David Enterline Presents at Immigration and Investment Summit

April 12, 2019

Enterline and Partners co-founder and immigration lawyer David Enterline recently spoke at the Investment Immigration Summit in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. David was a speaker on the panel session entitled “Alternative residency and investment pathways to the U.S. – beyond EB-5”. The focus of the discussion was alternatives pathways

Trump has no interest in addressing border issues or immigration reform

April 11, 2019

While this recent op-ed (opinion-editorial) article in the Los Angeles Times, focuses on President Trump and his ongoing war with the U.S. and Mexico border and its illegal immigration issues, the article points out that the Trump administration has, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), radically slowed the

Treatment of USCIS Form I-131 During International Travel

January 30, 2019

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently published on its website that applicants filing for a Form I-131 Travel Document will not have their applications considered abandoned if they travel abroad with an approved advance parole document while a second one is pending provided that the first approved advance

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