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

How Many Citations Needed for EB1?

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How Many Citations Needed for EB1?

Criteria for Demonstrating Extraordinary Ability

You must meet 3 out of the 10 listed criteria below to prove extraordinary ability in your field:

  • Evidence of receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence
  • Evidence of your membership in associations in the field which demand outstanding achievement of their members
  • Evidence of published material about you in professional or major trade publications or other major media
  • Evidence that you have been asked to judge the work of others, either individually or on a panel
  • Evidence of your original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance to the field
  • Evidence of your authorship of scholarly articles in professional or major trade publications or other major media
  • Evidence that your work has been displayed at artistic exhibitions or showcases
  • Evidence of your performance of a leading or critical role in distinguished organizations
  • Evidence that you command a high salary or other significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field
  • Evidence of your commercial successes in the performing arts

Many applicants are concerned about their low citation counts.  In reality, citations are only helpful in regards to one of the ten listed criteria – original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance to the field.  In many fields where publications are not the norm such as in IT or management professions, citations are completely irrelevant and in other scientific or academic fields like Economics, Business, Computer Science, or Mathematics, they are very hard to come by.  It is very normal for Economics papers to have no citations or be in the low single digits.  This is ok and is not fatal to an EB1 case.  It simply means that we need to identify other criteria on the list to get your case approved.  We have handled hundreds of self petitioned green card such as EB1 and know what USCIS wants to see in order to approve a case.  Over the past 15+ years we have successfully helped clients obtain EB1 green cards in software, engineering, speaking, business, consulting, acting and other fields where the applicants had none to very few citations.  There are many ways to make a strong case without a strong citation record.  For your reference, here are some samples of our approved petitions.  If you’d like our help, please feel free to call us at 305 515 0613 or email us at info@messersmithlaw.com.  

Intent to Revoke Was Sent

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A Notice of Intent to Revoke, issued by USCIS, can occur in any type of immigration application or petition, both family based and employment based, that has previously been approved.

The Notice of Intent to Revoke or NOIR is a detailed statement, made by USCIS, of the grounds for the revocation and whether USCIS intends to revoke the petition in whole or in part (and if in part, which part(s)), and shall advise the petitioner of his or her right to review and/or rebut the allegations upon which the intended revocation is based within 30 days of the date of the notice. (“Revoked in part” means that the approval is revoked with regard to one or more, but not all, of the beneficiaries of a multiple beneficiary petition, or with regard to one or more, but not all, of the proposed employment sites or events listed in a multi-site/event petition.) The petitioner may submit evidence in rebuttal within 30 days of receipt of the notice. The director shall consider all relevant evidence presented in deciding whether to revoke the petition in whole or in part. If the petition is revoked in part, the remainder of the petition shall remain approved and a revised approval notice shall be sent to the petitioner with the revocation notice.

If the petitioner does not overcome the basis for the revocation, or fails to respond timely, prepare a decision of revocation. A petitioner may file an appeal on a decision to revoke a petition just as if the petition had been denied originally, except that the authorized period for filing the appeal is only 15 days regardless of the type of petition. A petitioner may also file a motion to reopen or reconsider the decision revoking the decision.

The issuance of an NOIR is bad news.  USCIS has already decided there is a good reason to revoke and the response made to the NOIR will be decisive in determining if you will lose or retain your approved petition.  If you receive an NOIR, you must act fast.  If you would like our assistance, you will need to send us a copy of the notice immediately upon receiving it so we have to to investigate and prepare a proper response.  Failure to act quickly will result in revocation.  For your reference, here are some samples of our approved petitions.  If you’d like our help, please feel free to call us at 305 515 0613 or email us at info@messersmithlaw.com

NIW Requirements

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NIW Requirements

The bare minimum qualification for the NIW standard is that the foreign national is a member of the professions holding an advanced degree, defined as a bachelor’s degree with five years of progressive experience or a Master’s degree or higher OR has exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business.  Exceptional ability is defined as “a degree of expertise significantly above that ordinarily encountered.”  The foreign national can prove this by showing they meet at least three of the following criteria:

  • Official academic record showing that you have a degree, diploma, certificate, or similar award from a college, university, school, or other institution of learning relating to your area of exceptional ability
  • Letters documenting at least 10 years of full-time experience in your occupation
  • A license to practice your profession or certification for your profession or occupation
  • Evidence that you have commanded a salary or other remuneration for services that demonstrates your exceptional ability
  • Membership in a professional association(s)
  • Recognition for your achievements and significant contributions to your industry or field by your peers, government entities, professional or business organizations
  • Other comparable evidence of eligibility is also acceptable.

Foreign nationals seeking a national interest waiver must also demonstrate that waiving the labor certification process be waived because it is in the interest of the United States. Though the jobs that qualify for a national interest waiver are not defined by statute, national interest waivers are usually granted to those who have exceptional ability and whose employment in the United States would greatly benefit the nation. Those seeking a national interest waiver may self-petition (they do not need an employer to sponsor them).

In 1998 in the case of New York State Dept of Transportation (NYSDOT) established specific criteria for NIW petitions but this standard was recently modified to make petitions by job creators easier.  In Re Dhanasar (2016) now directs USCIS to grant a national interest waiver if the foreign national demonstrates by a preponderance of the evidence: (1) that the foreign national’s proposed endeavor has both substantial merit and national importance; (2) that the foreign national is well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor; and (3) that, on balance, it would be beneficial to the United States to waive the requirements of a job offer and thus of a labor certification.

The applicant’s spouse and minor children may obtained derivative green cards based on the principle applicant’s approval and all beneficiaries who apply while in the United States may obtain temporary work authorization (EAD) and permission to travel (Advance Parole).

We have successfully helped hundreds of clients obtain NIW green cards. We’re looking forward to helping you and your family obtain green cards as well.  Feel free to call us at 305-515-0613 or email us at info@messersmithlaw.com. For your reference, here are some samples of our approved petitions.