What is a B-1 Visa?

A B-1 nonimmigrant visa is for persons who want to temporarily visit the United States to engage in commercial transactions that do not involve gainful employment. The temporary authorized period of stay upon admission in B-1 status will not exceed six months. While in the United States, a B-1 visitor must not receive any salary or remuneration from a United …

Board Certified Immigration and Nationality Law Lawyers

The Florida Bar has confirmed Board Certification to Michael Shane, Evan J. Shane, and in the specialty of Immigration and Nationality Law. Why is this important to someone choosing an Immigration Lawyer? This Florida Bar standard identifies Michael Shane and Evan J. Shane as Immigration and Nationality Lawyers who have special knowledge, skills, and proficiency, as well as character, ethics, and reputation …

H-1B Season on the Horizon-The Time to Prepare is Now!

With the beginning of the New Year, it is also the time to start preparing H-1B visa petitions for the 2016 fiscal year lottery, which is now less than three months away!  Starting on April 1, 2015, individuals will be able to try and submit their petitions into the H-1B lottery, where a cap of 65,000 visas will be allotted for those …

President Obama’s Executive Actions on Immigration – Summary from USCIS

On November 20, 2014, the President announced a series of executive actions to crack down on illegal immigration at the border, prioritize deporting felons not families, and require certain undocumented immigrants to pass a criminal background check and pay taxes in order to temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation. These initiatives include: Expanding the population eligible for ...

President Obama’s Immigration Accountability Executive Actions – FACT SHEET

FACT SHEET: IMMIGRATION ACCOUNTABILITY EXECUTIVE ACTION The President’s Immigration Accountability Executive Actions will help secure the border, hold nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants accountable, and ensure that everyone plays by the same rules. Acting within his legal authority, the President is taking an important step to fix our broken immigration system. These executive actions crack down on illegal immigration at …

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT (DOMA)

With the Supreme Court of the United States holding that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional, President Obama directed federal departments to ensure the decision and its implication for federal benefits for same-sex legally married couples are implemented swiftly and smoothly.  As a result, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is not accepting …

I-601A STATESIDE PROVISIONAL WAIVER – IN EFFECT AS OF MARCH 4, 2013

Starting March 4, 2013, certain immigrant visa beneficiaries who are the spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens (i.e. immediate relatives under the Immigration and Nationality Act), and who have been unlawfully present in the United States, can apply for provisional unlawful presence waivers.  This is known as Stateside Provisional Waiver.  It is filed using Form I-601A.  The Stateside Provisional Waiver …

FAMILY UNITY: Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver

On January 2, 2013, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced that certain immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who are present in the United States may apply and be approved for provisional unlawful presence waivers before leaving the United States to attend their immigrant visa interviews for their green card.  USCIS will begin to accept provisional unlawful presence …

DACA – FILING PROCESS

Since filing our first Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) case on August 16, 2012, we have noticed that the process is taking a path similar to the filing of nearly all other USCIS filings.  Upon filing the I-821D and I-765, the receipt notices are arriving in the mail between 7-10 business days from the date of filing.  Fingerprint (Biometric) …