When Ji-hye* married her husband, she thought she found her happily ever after. Ji-hye came to the U.S. from South Korea to attend a university. She had dreamed of leaving her homeland to escape the sexual abuse she suffered for years at the hands of a family member. While in school, she began dating an…
DetailsThat’s what Luca*, who has a green card and a fiancée living over overseas, asked us recently: What would be the quicker way for his fiancée Maja* to get a green card: If he married and sponsored her now as a green card holder or if he waited until he became a citizen and then…
DetailsRicardo and his parents fled from El Salvador when Ricardo* was only a few months old. Fearing for their lives in their home country, Ricardo’s parents entered the U.S. unlawfully, living as undocumented immigrants in the Bay Area. Fast forward to 2017: Ricardo has been married for three years. He and his wife, an American-born citizen,…
DetailsYou might assume U.S. employers facing a tight labor market would increasingly look to foreign talent to fill positions. However, the number of H-1B specialty occupation visa applications that employers filed on behalf of workers in the annual lottery has declined nearly 20% since 2016. The Trump administration is having a chilling effect on U.S.…
DetailsSara Zinsman has been a valued member of the Alcorn Immigration Law team for nearly two years. As our calm and highly organized executive assistant, Sara is the perfect first point of contact that clients have to the Alcorn Immigration Law office. “I’m sensitive to the needs of our clients, and look forward to assisting…
DetailsIn a previous blog post, I discussed how individuals from China, India, and other countries that do not have a trade treaty with the U.S. can still qualify for an E-2 Visa for Treaty Investors. The process? Individuals from these countries just need to become a citizen of the Caribbean nation of Grenada, which offers…
DetailsLast year New Zealand joined the list of countries with a trade treaty with the U.S. New Zealand does not yet appear on the Department of State’s list of treaty countries. However, a DOS fact sheet on the Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors (KIWI) Act states that New Zealanders are eligible for the E-1 Visa…
DetailsAbout 38% of the nearly two million people living in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area were born outside the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau in its American Community Survey. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan statistical area includes Santa Clara and San Benito counties. The percentage of foreign-born residents in this area is…
DetailsIf patience is a virtue, then Fernando* and his employer have it in spades. Originally from Bolivia, Fernando started working in 2017 on an F-1 OPT (Optional Practical Training) status as a graphic designer for a Bay Area startup. Fernando quickly became a valued member of the company’s team. With Fernando’s work authorization set to…
DetailsWe get that question frequently from both individuals and employers, so here’s a quick rundown of what you should know. U.S. immigration law caps the number of green cards issued per year for employment-based categories at 140,000 and for family-based categories at 226,000. Each green card category is subject to a quota not only on…
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