In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick sits down with Real Talk San Diego to discuss our diverse immigration practice. Our office specializes in all aspects of immigration and nationality law. We assist entrepreneurs and investors who wish to come to the United States to set up and start their businesses in this country, foreign spouses and fiances of US Citizens who wish to immigrate to the United States, as well as students, engineers, athletes, musicians, hospitality workers, nurses, and other foreign workers who wish to live and work in the United States for a temporary period of time. We also specialize in assisting foreign workers obtain permanent residency through their employers. But that’s not all. To discover all that we have to offer please visit our website. If you are interested in exploring your options please contact our office to schedule a first time consultation. Our attorneys and staff members are fluent in Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Hebrew, French and Russian.
In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick speaks with personal injury attorney Mitch Jackson and gives viewers insights on how to secure a job in the United States as a foreign worker, how to penetrate the market, and stand out from the crowd.
Overview:
Begin researching the different employment visa types to determine which visa is right for you depending on your level of education, skill, and the field that you want to work in. For example if you are a software engineer the H-1B visa will be a good option for you, if you want to start your own business an E-2 visa may be right for you. Once you have done some preliminary research, reach out to an immigration attorney to discuss the pros and cons of different visas that may be available to you
Understand the requirements for the visa you would like to obtain so that you can explain the process to a potential employer
Attend as many networking events as possible in your particular industry, if possible in the United States
Use social media to reach out to potential employers
Show employers how you can build value for their business
Carefully tailor your resume/build a website to show employers your credentials
For more tips please keep watching.
To purchase Jacob’s book My American Job please click here.
In this video, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick sits down with international business students studying at INSEAD, a graduate business school in France. Jacob asks them a burning question: Despite all of the obstacles foreign workers face in immigrating to the United States, and the President’s hard-line stance on immigration, are foreign workers still interested in living and working in the United States? Click here to join the conversation.
To learn more about the different visa services we offer please visit our website.
For a first time consultation please contact our office.
In this video, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick discusses the most popular visa options for hospitality workers. For more information just keep on watching.
Overview:
The top visas used by Hotels and Restaurants to bring foreign workers to the United States are the J-1, H-3, H-2B, L-1, E-2, TN, and H-1B visas. Whether transferring employees between international properties or employing management trainees, immigration is an integral part of the hospitality industry. The appropriate visa type will largely depend upon the foreign worker’s qualifications and the type of position the worker will be occupying.
The J-1 visa
The J-1 visa is a cultural exchange program between the United States and foreign countries bringing foreign workers to the United States. There are 2 types of J-1 visas. The first category is a trainee J-1 visa. To qualify the trainee must have at least 5 years of experience working in the position or a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, with at least 1 year of experience. Workers who come to the United States on a J-1 trainee visa, may work in the United States for a hotel or restaurant for a period of 18 months. The J-1 trainee visa allows the foreign worker to develop their skills, gain experience, and return to their home countries taking those skills with them. The second category is for interns, who are in school in their home country or have recently graduated, and have less than 1 year of experience. Interns may come to the United States for a 1 year period to train in a hotel or restaurant. The work and travel category of the J-1 allows foreign workers to come to the United States for up to 4 months during the summer time. The J-1 visa is generally an easy visa to obtain. It takes approximately 6 weeks for this visa to get approved by the Department of State.
In this Facebook live stream, attorney Jacob Sapochnick discusses immigration under President Donald Trump, and pressing issues that have recently been the subject of much debate in the news, including the President’s desire to end the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, a program that has come under fire after it came to light that the New York City terrorist Saifullo Saipov gained admission to the United States through this program. In addition, Jacob answers your immigration questions.
Overview:
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program
The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is a program enacted by Congress, which allocates up to 50,000 immigrant visas per fiscal year to a special class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants.” Each fiscal year diversity applicants register for the visa program electronically at no cost. Applicant entries are selected at random through a computerized “lottery” system to allocate the 50,000 available immigrant visas for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. Only diversity immigrants who are natives of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States qualify for the Diversity Immigrant Visa program.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program was established in the 1990s under President George Bush, Sr. for the purpose of making the flow of legal immigration to the United States more diverse. The program sought to give foreign nationals from select countries, the opportunity to gain admission to the United States, provided they were born in countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States, to put them on a more equal footing with foreign nationals with historically high rates of immigration. In this way Congress hoped that the American demographic would become more diverse.
The Treaty Investor Visa (nonimmigrant E-2 classification) is intended for nationals of a foreign country with which a qualifying Treaty of friendship, commerce, navigation, or a similar agreement exists with the United States.
Nationals (individuals or companies) of countries with such Treaties with the United States can obtain visas to work in the USA in order to develop and direct their investment with the USA. E-2 visa is for individuals coming to the U.S. to invest a substantial amount of capital or to direct and develop the business operations of an entity in which the individual has already invested funds.
Do Franchises qualify for E2 Investor Visa?
Yes, most franchises will be a good fit for this type of visa, however not all franchises will qualify. For example, in order for the application to be successful, the investor must assume an active role in the management of the franchise business. If your franchise meets this requirement, then it is possible for your franchise to qualify for the E-2 visa.
Secondly, the franchise must create jobs for U.S. workers. The investor must hire U.S. staff and employees to fill various roles within the franchise. The investor must also hire management staff with the appropriate experience to fill certain key positions in the business.The investor must also ensure that he is involved in some sort of decision making role within the franchise business’s organizational structure.
Third, the amount of money that is required to secure the franchise must be reasonable in order to obtain the E-2 visa. Franchises that require $50,000 or less will likely not satisfy the investment requirements of the E-2 visa. Franchises that require $100,000 or more are more likely to be successful in satisfying such requirements.
Does the investor Need to Buy the Business Before applying for an E-2 Investor Visa?
Establishing a business in the United States is regarded as a key requirement for buyers that are applying for an E-2 visa.
The best course of action is to place the monies that will be used to purchase the business in an escrow account in the United States. In the visa application it is possible to state that the purchase of the business is contingent on the approval of the E-2 Visa and will be finalized once the approval is obtained. It is also important to get all the documents from the Franchise processed, so that a full package can be presented to the US Immigration when filing for the visa application.
In this video, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick, explains the process of applying for an E-2 visa and the steps involved in that process. The E-2 visa is a non-immigrant visa type (temporary) that allows foreign entrepreneurs from treaty nations to enter the United States and carry out investment and trade activities.
Overview:
The E-2 ‘investor visa’ is available to an applicant who invests a substantial amount of his own money into a U.S. business, which he can control and direct. This visa type is a great option for individuals who wish to invest their money to purchase an existing business or to start up a new one.
In order to qualify for the E-2 visa, you must be a foreign national of a country that has a treaty-trader agreement with the United States.
The following countries have treaties with the United States that allow qualifying nationals to apply for Treaty Trader status:
In this segment, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick, discusses what an L-1A visa is, the requirements, and eligibility.
Overview:
The L-1A visa classification allows a foreign company to transfer an executive or manager to the U.S. subsidiary or parent company. If an affiliated U.S. subsidiary or parent company does not yet exist, the L-1A classification allows the foreign company to send the executive or manager to the United States for the purpose of establishing the affiliated subsidiary or parent company. The L-1A requires the beneficiary to have worked abroad for the foreign employer for at least one year within the proceeding three years. The great thing about the L-1A visa is that there is no annual limit on the number of L-1A visas issued, and the L-1A visa is a “dual intent” visa meaning that the applicant may apply for a green card and become a permanent resident without jeopardizing his or her L-1 status.
To read more about the L-1A visa please click here.
In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick answers your questions regarding H-1B visa portability.
Q: Can an H-1B employee work at different site locations and can an employee change jobs easily?
A: Yes, but a separate Labor Condition Application must be filed for each work site. H-1B employees are able to transfer jobs, so long as the petition filed by the new employer is not subject to a numerical cap. A person who already has an H-1B visa can port to another employer, but the new employer must file a new petition. Once you have received a receipt notice for the new petition you may begin working for the new employer.
Overview of the H-1B program:
The H-1B program was enacted by Congress with the intention of helping American employers seek out distinguished foreign workers who possess the necessary business skills and abilities absent within the American workforce. The provisions of the H-1B program allow qualified foreign workers to attain temporary employment having met specific requirements, while protecting American workers from being negatively affected by the temporary employment of these workers.
In order to qualify for an H-1B visa, the Petitioner (U.S. Employer) must submit evidence that substantiates that the foreign worker either a) possesses a bachelor’s degree or higher or equivalent work experience for the particular position sought b) that the degree requirement is common for the particular position within the industry, or that the job is so complex or unique that it can only be performed by someone possessing a bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in a relevant field for the position c) that the employer normally requires a degree or its equivalent for the position or d) that the nature of the duties necessary to perform the position are so specialized and complex that performance of the duties is associated with attainment of a bachelor’s degree or higher, or equivalent work experience.
H-1B Cap
The H-1B visa program is subject to a congressionally mandated cap limiting the issuance of H-1B visas to 65,000 per year. Individuals holding advanced degrees are exempted from the 65,000 cap. Initial H-1B applicants must demonstrate that they have obtained an American master’s degree or higher to be exempted from the cap, however only the first 20,000 petitions received by USCIS will benefit from the exemption.
For more information about the H-1B visa please visit our website.
In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick checks in and answers your immigration questions from Bora Bora, French Polynesia.
Overview
Tourist Travel Advisory: Expect CBP to be more strict when traveling through a U.S. port of entry. Always carry documents to prove what the nature of your trip is in the United States, in addition to your valid tourist visa and passport documents. Always be mindful that CBP has the discretionary power to decide whether or not to admit you to the United States. This also applies for individuals traveling to the United States on a work visa. Always err on the side of caution and be calm and respectful when speaking to CBP.
Changes to U.S. Immigration: Despite proposed changes to the immigration system, foreigners continue to be interested in traveling and immigrating to the United States. Immigrating to the United States is definitely going to become more difficult, although at this moment no legislation has been passed to overhaul the current immigration system.
Denial of removal of conditions application without an interview: Recently USCIS has been denying certain removal of conditions applications by mail without scheduling the conditional permanent resident for an interview. Typically USCIS will schedule the conditional permanent resident for an interview if there are any doubts about the validity of their marriage. If you are planning to file a removal of conditions application, always ensure that you provided enough proof of your good faith marriage. This is especially important for people filing for an I-751 waiver of the joint filing requirement. For more information about the I-751 application please click here. For information regarding I-751 waivers click here.
For more information about the services we provide please visit our website.
Immigration Lawyer Blog
