Magdalena Cuprys, founder and CEO of Serving Immigrants, a leading immigration law firm, is proud to announce her and her team’s presence as an exhibitor at the “Expo Brazil Orlando” business-to-business trade show. The event will take place on Saturday, March 25th, 2023, at the Osceola Heritage Park Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Cuprys has 20 years of experience in the immigration law area, including helping businesses, investors, and other petitioners obtain the necessary documents and visas. Through Serving Immigrants, she has helped countless clients achieve successful outcomes in their legal matters. During the event, Magdalena and Serving Inmigrant will focus on the US businesses whishing to establish a connection with Brazilian nationals to improve their workforce and hiring process, as well as individuals who want information on how to be successful on their immigration. Expo Brazil is the largest trade show for Brazilian companies in the US. It brings together leading Brazilian businesses from across industries to display their goods and services. The exhibition…Read More
Two weeks after he announced that he would keep in place Trump’s limit of 15,000 refugees, President Biden announced that he would raise the limit of refugees allowed in the United States. This came after the president faced backlash for his original announcement. President Biden said he would now allow as many as 62,500 refugees into the United States over the next six months. This eliminates the sharp limits placed by Trump on the number of individuals escaping war, violence, or natural disasters from coming into the country. Backtracking Biden faced harsh criticism after his original announcement that he would keep Trump’s limits in place. Democrats and refugee advocates accused Biden of reneging on a campaign promise to welcome refugees in need. Biden quickly backtracked, announcing hours later his intent to increase the limit. His later announcement demonstrated that the president had finally bowed to pressure. Biden stated that the previous cap on refugees did not comport with America’s values as a nation to welcome…Read More
On June 22, 2020, President Trump signed an executive order suspending new H-1B, L-1, J, and other temporary work visas for the rest of the year. These work visas apply to skilled workers, managers, and executives. The goal is to protect half a million jobs to make up for the loss caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Affected Visas L-1 visas are primarily focused on managers and executives for large corporations who are looking to work in a division of their company overseas. H-1B visas apply to highly skilled workers and are an important part of the workforce in the tech industry. Other workers, such as au pairs who provide childcare, will also be affected by the ban. The order is not expected to affect visa holders who are already in the United States. Businesses are expected to oppose the measure which may have a detrimental effect on their workforce and ability to move employees around. Visas such as the L-1 and H-1B are used to…Read More
International businesses rely on L-1 visas to transfer certain employees from a foreign office to one in the United States. However, now the US State Department is tightening restrictions on L-1 visa transfers and making it more difficult to utilize these visas. L-1 Visas L-1 visas are used by companies with a parent/subsidiary, affiliate, or branch office in the United States to transfer employees to that office. L-1A visas are used to transfer qualified executives or managers. L-1B visas are used to transfer employees with specialized knowledge. The typical L-1 application process is done in two steps. First, an application is filed with the USCIS, and once that is approved, an application can be filed with the U.S. Embassy or consulate abroad. Transferring an employee can take some time. The application process typically takes between two to nine months. With the suspension of premium processing, there’s not much that can be done to get around the wait times. In addition, there has been an increase…Read More
A controversial proposal that would boost the number of wealthy immigrant investors allowed in the United States under the EB-5 investor program is now under consideration by the Trump administration. The proposal would significantly boost up the capped total from 10,000 to 75,000 and reduce the required investment by half from $900,000 to $450,000. More than half of the investors who come to the United States on an EB-5 visa are from China. Many other investors come from South Korea and Taiwan. The EB-5 visa began in 1990 as an effort to help rural areas and economically distressed urban areas. However, over the years, some investors have found a way to increase investment in higher-income areas. For instance, EB-5 visas are sometimes used by property developers in New York City. It is believed by the administration that increased investment in projects in the United States that could create jobs would be especially helpful at a time when unemployment rates have soared. Critics Critics who are…Read More
Navigating immigration processes can be stressful at any time. During a global pandemic, the situation can become even more complicated. For instance, what do you do if you’re in the United States and at risk for overstaying your visa? Overstaying Your Visa Overstaying your visa can come with a cost. In the worst-case scenario, you may be prevented from entering the United States or from applying for another visa. If you overstay your visa from between 6 months to a year, you may be banned for at least three years. If you overstay longer than a year, you can be barred for ten years. Given the travel restrictions, it’s difficult to just book yourself a flight to your home country. So what do you do? The USCIS has issued a set of guidelines. If your case is complicated, you will want the assistance of an experienced immigration attorney. Apply For An Extension If you intend to remain in the United States, then you can apply for…Read More
Shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to millions of workers across the country being laid off from their jobs. This has been a hardship for many people, but for those in the United States on work visas, the situation has become particularly tenuous. Workers On H-1B Visas H-1B visas are specialty visas granted to foreign workers who have at least a four-year college degree. This visa program is commonly associated with the tech sector but is also available for workers in healthcare, academia, and other fields. The United States puts a cap of 65,000 visas every year. When the number of applications exceeds the cap, which it typically does, then the applications processed are chosen by a lottery system. Most H-1B visa holders have made multiple attempts before being granted a visa. In order to stay in status for an H-1B visa, you must be working for the employer you stated you would be working for in your application. You also need to…Read More
In January of 2020, a divided Supreme Court allowed US officials to implement the so-called “public charge” rule. The rule, which was unveiled in August of 2019, is expected to result in serious restrictions on immigration. It expands the definition of an individual who is or could be an economic burden on the United States. Public Charge Rule The public charge rule gives immigration officials more power to deny visa and green card applications from immigrants who, in the opinion of the United States government, rely or could potentially rely on certain government-offered benefits. Similar rules were previously in place, but the new rule focuses more on cash benefits. Immigration caseworkers can now consider an immigrant’s enrollment in a wide range of federally funded programs in areas such as healthcare and nutrition. Critics argue that the public charge rule will drastically limit the immigration possibilities for numerous foreign nationals from developing countries. However, not all categories of prospective immigrants will be affected. O Visas The…Read More
The American Medical Association (AMA) is urging the Trump administration to open up the visa process to allow more foreign physicians to enter the country. This request comes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic when there is a greater need for doctors across the country. The AMA wants foreign doctors to quickly become part of the workforce. In a March letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, the AMA urged an opening in the visa process at embassies and consulates worldwide for physicians seeking to enter U.S. residency programs in July. The AMA also urged public confirmation that J-1 physicians could be redeployed to new rotations. The Importance Of An Open Process There was already a physician shortage in the United States, even before the pandemic. The long and lengthy H-1B visa process has made it difficult for health systems to get qualified medical professionals in a timely manner. The process began to take even longer under the Trump…Read More
In January of 2020, Trump added new countries to his U.S. visa travel ban. This move will virtually block immigration from Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria. It will also block immigration from Myanmar, where Muslims are fleeing genocide. Additional countries include three more African countries: Eritrea, Sudan, and Tanzania. In addition, the former soviet state Kyrgyzstan has been added to the ban. Visa Travel Ban All of the banned countries have substantial Muslim populations. Immigrant visas will be banned for those in Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea, and Kyrgyzstan. Immigrants from Sudan and Tanzania will not be allowed to participate in the diversity lottery, which issues green cards to 50,000 people each year. The latest travel ban took effect on February 22, 2020. Immigrants obtaining visas before then will still be able to come to the United States. Nonimmigrant visas, including those for temporary employees and employees with specialized skills, will not be affected by the ban. In addition, some immigrants will be able to apply for…Read More