We’re pleased to announce that Preston Wong has joined the Alcorn Immigration Law team as an associate in the family immigration group. “I joined Alcorn for the opportunity to focus on family immigration law and be a part of a team that feels like a family,” says Preston. “I have great compassion for those seeking…
President Donald Trump has made restricting legal immigration and imposing harsher penalties on immigrants hallmarks of his administration. Do any of the 24 presidential candidates—23 Democrats and one Republican—looking to challenge Trump next year have an immigration plan? A handful of Democratic hopefuls have release detailed immigration reform platforms. Other candidates have announced more general…
We’re happy to introduce Caitlin Bohaboy, who joined the Alcorn Immigration Law team last year. At Alcorn, Caitlin works as an administrative assistant, helping to make sure that all of our clients’ cases and government correspondences are handled smoothly. She ensures that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) hasn’t let anything slip through the cracks…
Yes, both green card and visa holders can qualify for a mortgage in the U.S. Now that the spring home-buying season has begun, you should know what you need to qualify for a mortgage loan for your dream home. Requirements for non-U.S. citizens to qualify for a loan vary among lenders. However, all lenders require…
The denial rate for initial H-1B petitions jumped to an unprecedented 32% during the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, according to a report by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), which analyzed data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Since fiscal year 2009, the denial rate for initial H-1B petitions never exceeded…
The U.S. Commerce Department could place limits on which companies can sponsor H-1B and O-1A visas. Commerce is evaluating designating artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and other categories as “emerging technologies” that will be subject to export controls. That could pose challenges for tech startups founded by international entrepreneurs or those employing—or looking to employ—foreign talent. If…
The Alcorn Immigration Law team welcomes Karla Brashear as of counsel. An expert in immigration and family law, Karla will focus primarily on family-based immigration cases. She is working remotely from Portland, Ore. The daughter of refugees who fled the Salvadoran civil war in the 1980s, Karla respects and appreciates all the sacrifices her parents…
A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced a bill earlier this year that would create a startup visa for international entrepreneurs. It also creates a visa with a path to a green card for international students earning a master’s or higher STEM degree at U.S. universities. U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Roy Blunt…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sent its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization proposal to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The EB-5 modernization proposal has been under discussion since the Obama administration. The EB-5 green card program generally offers two investment options: One requires investors to actively manage the company in…
Immigration yields innovation—and Ozcan Cikmaz’s story illustrates that perfectly. Ozcan’s startup has developed a phone app that identifies an individual’s migraine trigger and predicts when a migraine will hit. The technology will help the one billion migraine sufferers worldwide to more effectively monitor and manage this debilitating neurological disease. Life-Altering Events Ozcan’s story begins…