This year I had the opportunity to participate in the Aspen Institute Socrates Seminar on immigration. I’m thankful for the experience. This was an amazing opportunity that challenged me to think in new ways about a field that I am deeply familiar with and passionate about. I was fortunate to meet immigration leaders from across…
DetailsMedical and recreational use of marijuana is legal in California and Canada, but its use remains illegal under U.S. federal law. Immigration law is enforced at the federal level. Given that, if you want to immigrate to the United States, you should be very cautious about any marijuana use or connection to marijuana anywhere in…
DetailsNew data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows denials for all immigration benefits have increased sharply during the past year. Nevertheless, the Alcorn Immigration Law team has maintained its more than 95 percent client success rate. Denial rates for all immigration petitions during the first nine months of fiscal year 2018 (October 2017…
DetailsReps. Anna Eshoo of Palo Alto and Zoe Lofgren of San Jose introduced legislation last week that retains work authorization for H-4 visa holders. Called the H-4 Employment Protection Act, the bill prohibits the Trump administration from revoking the 2015 rule that enabled H-4 visas holders waiting for green cards to obtain employment authorization documents…
DetailsWe’re excited to announce a new educational program that offers budding foreign entrepreneurs and seasoned foreign business executives to sharpen their English skills and pitch their startups in Silicon Valley. Another local, woman-owned business, the San Francisco-based English Language Institute (ELI), launched its Business English for Entrepreneurs Program in October 2018. The 12-week course combines…
DetailsAlthough we have seen a dramatic slowdown in the Administration’s processing of nonimmigrant petitions and green cards, our firm has still achieved a very high success rate for our clients. Because we do need to advise our clients about increasing processing times, we dug a little deeper to understand what’s been going on with USCIS.…
DetailsGabby Phillips joined the Alcorn Immigration Law team last year as a legal secretary. Gabby assists the attorneys with preparing applications and petitions and managing workflow on cases to minimize delays for clients. She is currently focusing on business and employment-based immigration cases. “I love meeting our clients and learning about their lives and their…
DetailsDespite threats to end the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship to individuals born on U.S. soil, an executive order cannot eliminate birthright citizenship. Presidential orders or actions cannot change or revoke amendments to the Constitution. They can only be revoked or changed by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress or by a…
DetailsLast week, Charles Oppenheim, chief of the Department of State’s Immigrant Visa Control & Reporting, provided an estimate of the final action dates over the next several months and the estimated wait times for an EB-5 green card. He said the final action dates will remain “current”—or ready for processing—for all countries except India China,…
DetailsNearly two decades ago, Gabriel* moved to Silicon Valley from his native Paris to open and head up a new office for his French company. Gabriel applied for an E-2 Visa for Treaty Investors. Although an E-2 is a nonimmigrant—or temporary—visa, it can be extended indefinitely as long as the conditions under which it was…
Details
