Immigration Lawyer Peter Messersmith

Peter Messersmith is an attorney located in Orlando, Florida. He has been practicing immigration law since 2002 and has represented thousands of immigrants and US businesses with their immigration needs.

Immigration Success Stories – INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i) & INA INA 212(a)(9)(b)

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Immigration Success Stories – INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i) & INA INA 212(a)(9)(b)

Our client was employed with US company A from 2017 through 2019 on H1B visa status.  US company B filed a new I-129 for new employment with their firm to begin in 2018.  USCIS approved the I-129 petition but denied the application for a change of status.  In their decision, the USCIS noted that our client could not establish that he was employed with US company A since the company had, unbeknownst to our client, withdrew the previously approved I-129 petition.  Our client then applied for his H1B visa stamp at the US Embassy which was refused pursuant to INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i) and INA 212(a)(9)(B).

INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i) relates to a false representation in order to obtain an immigration benefit.

INA 212(a)(9)(B) relates to unlawful presence in the US for more than 180 days.

Even though our client was never notified by US company A nor their attorney that they withdrew his I-129 petition, the US Embassy still accused him of misrepresentation of his prior H-1B visa status in the US and told him that because his petition had been withdrawn he has been out of status the entire time!  While the 212(a)(9)(b) charge carried a temporary bar, the 212(a)(6)(C)(i) charge is permanent.  We were able to present a strong defense on his behalf to both the US Department of State and the US Embassy which ultimately resulted in the removal of both charges from his record so he was able to obtain a new H-1B visa and reenter the country to work for US company B

Do you have a similar inadmissibility issue?  If so, contact our office and we’ll see if we can correct this for you.

214(b) Visa Rejection

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If a consular officer finds you are not eligible to receive a visa under U.S. law, your visa application will be denied, and you will be provided with a reason for the denial.  There are many reasons a visa applicant could be found ineligible for a visa.  A list of these ineligibilities can be found here.  Some ineligibilities are temporary and pass after a certain number of years and others are permanent.  If you are inadmissible to the US because of an ineligibility, we can help you with a waiver or help you overcome the ineligibility determination.  If you are refused a visa under section 214(b), it means that:

  • The consular officer did not believe that you qualify for the nonimmigrant visa category you applied for; and/or
  • The consular officer did not believe that you overcame the presumption of immigrant intent by sufficiently demonstrating that you have strong ties to your home country that will compel you to leave the United States at the end of your temporary stay. (H-1B and L visa applicants, along with their spouse and any minor children, are excluded from this requirement.)

Although a 214(b) isn’t a permanent ineligibility, there is no appeal process and it can significant impact your future visa applications.  Fortunately, there is a solution and we have helped many visa applicants overcome a prior 214(b) refusal through a new visa application.  This can be done by providing new application documents and being thoroughly prepared for your next visa interview.  Multiple 214(b) denials are very hard to fix so preparation is key.  If you want to give yourself the best chance of success, we are here to help and we have successfully helped thousands of people win their complicated immigration cases.

Immigration Success Stories – INA 212(a)(6)(e) & INA 212(a)(6)(c)(i)

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Our client, a Chinese citizen, entered the US along with her two minor children as tourists.  During their trip in the US, she enrolled them in school for approximately two months before they all returned to China.  They left before their period of authorized stay expired.  Later on when their visas expired, she returned to the US Embassy to renew her tourist visa and apply for student visas for her children.  However, she was refused  pursuant to section INA 212(a)(6)(E) and INA 212(a)(6)(c)(i) while her children were given a 214(b) refusal.

INA 212(a)(6)(E) relates to smuggling or helping someone obtain a visa or enter the US illegally or for a purpose inconsistent with the visa type obtained or applied for.

INA 212(a)(6)(c)(i) relates to making a fraudulent statement or producing fake documents in order to obtain a visa or procure entry to the United States.

The US Embassy accused our client of misrepresenting the purpose of her trip to the US when she applied for her visa and for violating immigration rules when she enrolled her kids in school when they were in B2 visa status.  These inadmissibility charges rendered it nearly impossible for her or her children to ever obtain visas again to enter the United States but we were able to present a strong defense on her behalf to both the US Department of State and the US Embassy which ultimately resulted in the removal of both charges from her record so she and her children became eligible for any type of US visa.  We then helped her secure a new tourist visa and two student visas for her children.

Do you have a similar inadmissibility issue?  If so, contact our office and we’ll see if we can correct this for you.

EB1 Extraordinary Ability Petitions for Engineers

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EB1 Extraordinary Ability Petitions for Engineers

The EB1 extraordinary ability green card allows anyone in the arts, sciences, business, education or athletics to sponsor their own green card.  No job offer or labor certification is required.  The requirements for this category are quite high but not insurmountable.  Our office has handled thousands of immigration cases and have secured many EB1 approvals for our clients.  Many people believe that the EB1 category is limited to scientists or researchers or those who have won Nobel prizes.  This is simply not the case.  We have helped many people in business fields with job titles like Subsea Intervention Engineer, Project Engineer, Computer Engineer, Industrial Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Mechanical Engineer self sponsor through the EB1 category.

In order to qualify for EB1 classification, you must be able to prove you meet three out of the following ten items:

  • Receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence;
  • Membership in associations in the field that demand outstanding achievement of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts;
  • Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications;
  • Evidence that the alien is a judge of the work of others in the field;
  • Evidence of the alien’s original contributions of major significance to the field;
  • Authorship of scholarly articles;
  • Display of the alien’s work at artistic exhibitions or showcases;
  • Evidence the alien has performed in a leading or critical role for organizations that have a distinguished reputation;
  • Evidence that the alien commands a high salary in relation to others in the field; or
  • Evidence of commercial success in the performing arts.

None of our clients have sufficient documentation to argue all of these elements and it is not necessary to meet all of them, only three.  We typically have enough documentation to argue 4-5 and as long as we can prove three, that is enough.  Typically engineers like Project Engineer, Computer Engineer, Industrial Engineer and other people in the engineering fields have similar types of experience and accomplishments.  Awards are rare and usually company specific and none have any artistic exhibitions or performing art success.  However, we were able to help our clients to document performance evaluations, business proposals or project management to win judge criteria.   Many projects result in economic benefits, job creation, market share increase or other specific benefits.   Engineers normally do not always have job titles that appear as if they are in leadership positions but, in fact, the actual roles and duties they perform can be shown to be leading or critical for entire divisions of major companies.  We were able to show that their role was leading or critical in their organization.  These are the most common types and if you have made accomplishments in these three areas, then you may have a good EB1 case.

Divorce after Conditional Green Card

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Divorce after Conditional Green Card

When a foreigner marries a US citizen, the US citizen spouse can file to sponsor the foreign national for permanent residency (green card).  If the marriage is less than two years old at the time the applications are approved, the foreign spouse will receive a conditional green card which is valid for two years.  Three months prior to the expiration of that card, the couple must jointly file another application for a permanent card.  But what if the marriage didn’t survive?  If the marriage is over, there’s a good chance you will lose your green card but there are ways to file without your ex-spouse and we have helped many people successfully do so.  Here are two examples.

Case 1:

US citizen and foreign spouse loved each other and got married.  We obtained a conditional green card for the foreign spouse in about 4 months.  The US citizen was transferred to a different city to work but the foreign spouse had a good job in the city where they met so they decided to work in different cities but see each other as often as they could.  Even though they had a baby together, the distance apart took a toll on their marriage and they decided to divorce after a year and two months.  They separated on good terms and the US citizen asked us to help the foreign spouse obtain a permanent green card.  We worked with both of them and obtained a permanent green card for the foreign spouse in about 6 months.

Case 2:

Foreign spouse came to us for help and indicated that her US citizen spouse was unfaithful.  Since they both had a very difficult relationship, we worked with the foreign spouse alone and built a strong case to obtain a permanent green card for her.

Many people believe that it’s impossible to obtain a permanent green card after the divorce.  That isn’t the case.  We have successfully helped many foreign spouses obtain permanent green cards after divorce.  Feel free to call us at 305-515-0613 or email us at info@messersmithlaw.com

EB1 Extraordinary Ability Petitions for Engineers

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EB1 Extraordinary Ability Petitions for Engineers

The EB1 extraordinary ability green card allows anyone in the arts, sciences, business, education or athletics to sponsor their own green card.  No job offer or labor certification is required.  The requirements for this category are quite high but not insurmountable.  Our office has handled thousands of immigration cases and have secured many EB1 approvals for our clients.
Many people believe that the EB1 category is limited to scientists or researchers or those who have won Nobel prizes.  This is simply not the case.  We have helped many people in business fields with job titles like Subsea Intervention Engineer, Project Engineer, Computer Engineer, Industrial Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Mechanical Engineer self sponsor through the EB1 category.

In order to qualify for EB1 classification, you must be able to prove you meet three out of the following ten items:

Receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence;
Membership in associations in the field that demand outstanding achievement of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts;
Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications;
Evidence that the alien is a judge of the work of others in the field;
Evidence of the alien’s original contributions of major significance to the field;
Authorship of scholarly articles;
Display of the alien’s work at artistic exhibitions or showcases;
Evidence the alien has performed in a leading or critical role for organizations that have a distinguished reputation;
Evidence that the alien commands a high salary in relation to others in the field; or
Evidence of commercial success in the performing arts.

None of our clients have sufficient documentation to argue all of these elements and it is not necessary to meet all of them, only three.  We typically have enough documentation to argue 4-5 and as long as we can prove three, that is enough.  Typically managers like IT Managers, Project Managers and other people in the business field have similar types of experience and accomplishments.  Awards are rare and usually company specific and none have any artistic exhibitions or performing art success.  However, most of our clients do judge the work of the peers in the form of performance evaluations, business proposals, or by managing specific projects.  Most of our clients are able to show that projects that they have managed or lead are significant and have made an impact in the field.  Many projects result in economic benefits, job creation, market share increase or other specific benefits.   Managers by definition are leadership positions.  Most of our clients are able to show that their role was leading or critical in their organization.  These are the most common types and if you have made accomplishments in these three areas, then you may have a good EB1 case.

Feel free to call us at 305-515-0613 or email us at info@messersmithlaw.com for an evaluation.

E2 Visa to Green Card

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E2 Visa to Green Card

If you do not have family green card options or want to make a supersized EB5 investment, there are two primary ways to obtain a green card as an E2 visa holder.

1. Self sponsored green card option

In an effort to encourage foreign nationals to immigrate to the United States, establish or purchase a business and employ US persons, USCIS has established a new set of regulations specifically for foreign entrepreneurs.  This new regulations allow entrepreneurs to obtain permanent residency through the  EB2 NIW category.  This blog post will cover using the NIW to obtain a green card by establishing a US business and hiring US workers.

The National Interest Waiver allows a foreign national to apply for permanent residency through the EB2 category without having a US employer or a job offer.  This means that there is no requirement to undergo PERM labor certification and petitions can be approved in as little as 3 months provided that the entrepreneur’s immigration is in the national interest.

The entrepreneur can show his immigration is in the national interest if he can establish the following three points.

1. The NIW entrepreneur must seek employment in an area that has substantial intrinsic merit.  An example would be a structural engineer working on highway bridges.
2. The NIW entrepreneur must demonstrate that the proposed benefit to be provided will be national in scope.   For example, the entrepreneur might be able to demonstrate that the jobs his or her business enterprise will create in a discrete locality will also create (or “spin off”) related jobs in other parts of the nation. Or, as another example, the entrepreneur might be able to establish that the jobs created locally will have a positive national impact.
3. The NIW entrepreneur must demonstrate that the entrepreneur will serve the national interest to a substantially greater degree than would an available U.S. worker having the same minimum qualifications.  The entrepreneur who demonstrates that his or her business enterprise will create jobs for U.S. workers or otherwise enhance the welfare of the United States may qualify for an NIW. For example, the entrepreneur may not be taking a job opportunity from a U.S. worker but instead may be creating new job opportunities for U.S. workers. The creation of jobs domestically for U.S. workers may serve the national interest to a substantially greater degree than the work of others in the same field.

The USCIS is finally recognizing that immigrants are vitally important to the success of the US economy and are providing additional avenues to permanent residence for them.  If you are considering starting, purchasing or expanding a US business, the NIW may be the right choice for you.

2. Employer sponsored green card option (EB2/EB3)

The EB2 employment based green card is for individuals who are members of the professions with advanced degrees (any degree above a baccalaureate degree or a baccalaureate degree and at least 5 years progressive experience in the professions) or who have exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business who will substantially benefit the United States.  The combination of a baccalaureate degree with 5 years experience in the professions is deemed equivalent to a Master’s degree. If a doctoral degree is required for the particular profession, the alien must possess the doctoral degree.

EB3 employment based green card is for professionals who hold a US baccalaureate degree or foreign equivalent degree that is normally required for the profession. Education and experience may not be substituted for the degree.

The EB3 employment based green card is also for skilled workers and other workers who are not seasonal or temporary and require at least two years of experience or training as well as other workers are those who are capable of performing unskilled labor, not of a temporary or seasonal nature, for which qualified workers are not available in the US.

In order to obtain permanent residency through the EB2 or EB3 category, the applicant must have an employer willing to sponsor him or her through PERM Labor Certification. The applicant does not have to be employed when labor certification/PERM is filed. A job offer is sufficient. Labor certification/PERM is the process whereby, the US government determines whether qualified US workers can fill the open position. Once the labor certification is approved, the employer may sponsor the applicant for permanent residency.

The EB2/EB3 process is as follows:

  • The employer performs the PERM labor certification process;
  • The employer sponsors the employee for a green card; and then
  • The employee adjust his or her status to permanent resident.

We have successfully helped thousands of clients obtain green cards.  Feel free to call us at 305-515-0613 or email us at info@messersmithlaw.com.  We look forward to helping you and your family obtain green cards like we have for thousands of other clients.

Immigrant Visa Denial

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Immigrant Visa Denial

There are many reasons that could lead to an immigrant visa denial.  Over the years, we have successfully helped many people overcome immigrant visa denials and reunite families.  The proper way to overcome an immigrant visa denial is to, first, determine why the immigrant visa was denied originally.  The most common situation is where the visa applicant or petitioner does not file the application or petition correctly and makes errors which the Embassy determines constitute fraud or material misrepresentation.  This would result in an INA 212(a)(6)(c)(i) determination and is a permanent bar from entry to the US.  A waiver may or may not be filed depending on the applicant’s eligibility.  If you believe that the Embassy incorrectly made an INA 212(a)(6)(c)(i) determination, we can challenge the denial decision and request that it be removed from the applicant’s record.  Here are a couple examples of the immigrant visa denials that we were able to fix, including 212(a)(6)(c)(ii), 212(a)(6)(e), and 212(a)(4) denials.

  1. Client was a passenger in a van when she tried to enter the US.  CBP approached the driver and the driver presented a birth certificate and claimed our client was his daughter and that she was born in the US.  However, our client did not speak English and wasn’t aware of what the driver told CBP.  CBP found the client to be inadmissible under INA 212(a)(6)(c)(ii) False claim to US citizenship.  Later on, our client’s husband sponsored her for an immigrant visa and the Embassy denied the application due to INA 212(a)(6)(c)(ii).  Client sought our help after the immigrant visa denial and we were able to have the INA 212(a)(6)(c)(ii) removed from her record.
  2. Client allowed her sister to take her kids to the US on B2 tourist visa many years ago.  Unknown to our client, her sister enrolled her kids in school while they were in the United States.  Enrolling in school in B2 status is a violation of status.  Later on, our client applied for an H1B visa to enter the US to work but she was denied under INA 212(a)(6)(c)(i) Misrepresentation and INA 212(a)(6)(e) Smuggling.  It wasn’t easy to fix but we were able to overcome both issues so she was able to enter the US.
  3. Client’s sponsor was gainfully employed and sponsored client for an immigrant visa.  The sponsor didn’t present the case properly so client’s immigrant visa was denied due to INA 212(a)(4) Public Charge.  We worked with the government and made sure that the case was properly presented and was able to overcome the INA 212(a)(4) issue.

In the last 17 years, we have successfully handled thousands of cases and some of those cases are extremely complicated but we were able to win them unbelievably successful results for our clients.  If you feel that you have a difficult case and if you don’t see any hope, let us help you.  With our extensive expertise, we will make impossible possible.  Please feel free to contact us at 305 515 0613 or email us at info@messersmithlaw.com

EB1 for Physicians

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EB1 for Physicians

We have successfully helped many physicians obtain self sponsored EB1A green cards.  When we take a case, we look at the overall accomplishments of the client. Some clients believe that you have to have thousands of publications or citations to obtain an EB1A approval.  The truths is none of our approved EB1A clients have thousands of publications or citations.  We have many clients who are managers, software engineers, IT managers, athletes and physicians who did not have any publications or citations.  As a physician, if you have publications or citations, we can use them.  However if you do not have any, we will help you build a case to evidence other criteria that can be used instead.  The minimum is 3/10 but let us identify ways to argue more than the minimum to give you the best chance for approval.  Our goal is to make the case strongest possible and present it the way that USCIS wants to see it.

Here are the EB1 criteria:

  • Receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence;
  • Membership in associations in the field that demand outstanding achievement of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts;
  • Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications;
  • Evidence that the alien is a judge of the work of others in the field;
  • Evidence of the alien’s original contributions of major significance to the field;
  • Authorship of scholarly articles;
  • Display of the alien’s work at artistic exhibitions or showcases;
  • Evidence the alien has performed in a leading or critical role for organizations that have a distinguished reputation;
  • Evidence that the alien commands a high salary in relation to others in the field; or
  • Evidence of commercial success in the performing arts.

You can send your CV to info@messersmithlaw.com for an evaluation or give us a call at 305 515 0613.  We’re here to help you achieve your goal.

I-94 Correction

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I-94 Correction

Over the years we’ve had many clients come to us with I-94 issues.  With our extensive expertise we were able to fix those issues for our clients quickly.  Failure to take action to make I-94 corrections will lead to major negative outcomes to your current legal status and for future visa and green card applications.  Here are a few examples of the issues that we were able to correct and negative outcomes we were able to avoid for our clients.

In one case, we had a client come to us after realizing that both his passport number and date of birth were both listed incorrectly on his I-94.  He discovered the error when reviewing his documents prior to retaining us to process his green card application.  After we took his case, we had to analyze his documents and determine where the error originated and who was responsible for the error.  Fortunately, the error was not caused by our client and was caused by US immigration so we could correct his I-94 very quickly.  However, even if the error was made by our client, we would still be able to get his I-94 corrected but it would have been much more difficult.  If we did not correct his I-94, it would have left him open to an accusation of fraud or misrepresentation – INA 212(a)(6)(c)(i).  For more information regarding INA 212(a)(6)(c)(i) See https://messersmithlaw.com/ina-212a6ci/ and https://blog.messersmithlaw.com/?p=259

In another case, a client with an H1B visa came to us because his I-94 card had a shorter validity than he previously approved H1B petition.  He had filed an H1B petition while in the US and it was approved for a 3 year term.  He then traveled outside of the US and upon entry, he was given a I94 which was valid for just 18 months.  He did not discover the discrepancy until it was time to apply for an H1B extension and at that point, his I94 had expired more than one year prior.  As a result he had been in the United States without status working for over one year which meant he accrued more than one year of unlawful presence and was then subject to the unlawful presence bar.

Unlawful presence is the period of time when you are in the United States without being admitted or paroled or when you are not in a “period of stay authorized by the Secretary.” You may be barred from reentering the United States for:

  • 3 years, if you depart the United States after having accrued more than 180 days but less than 1 year of unlawful presence during a single stay and before the commencement of removal proceedings;
  • 10 years, if you depart the United States after having accrued one year or more of unlawful presence during a single stay, regardless of whether you leave before, during, or after removal proceedings; or
  • Permanently, if you reenter or try to reenter the United States without being admitted or paroled after having accrued more than one year of unlawful presence in the aggregate during one or more stays in the United States.

Before we could handle the H1B extension, we first had to correct his I-94.  We worked directly with US immigration to correct his I-94 immediately so he would not be subject to the 10 year unlawful presence bar and then we were able to process his H1B visa.  In both situations we were able to get their I-94 corrections made in 1-3 business days.  If you have an error on your I-94, contact us immediately to see if we can resolve it.  Failure to act can lead to major issues which can lead to your removal from the US and being barred from returning permanently.  You can contact us at 305 515 0613 or email us at info@messersmithlaw.com