Record Number of EB5 (I-526) Approvals for June 2018 at Colombo & Hurd
This past month was a banner month at Colombo & Hurd for approval of EB-5 I-526 Immigrant Petitions by Alien Entrepreneurs. A total of 19(!!) EB-5 petitions were approved for clients of Colombo & Hurd during June. The total of just under twenty EB-5 approvals was a record for the firm but one that firm President Carlos Colombo anticipates will be surpassed in the near future. The Approvals included clients from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and...
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E2 Visa Approved for National of Brazil and Italy for Video Production Company
Congratulations to our client who recently received an approval for his E2 Visa at the US Consulate in São Paulo, Brazil. Our client invested in a full service video production company with the aim of offering its services to businesses, advertising companies, and marketing firms. He also plans to work with screenwriters and directors looking for a production company to being their ideas to life. As Florida is one of the largest hubs for creativity in the United States, his company will be...
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P1 Visa Approved for an International Soccer Player Support Specialist
Congratulations to our client, a Brazilian national, on their recent P-1S approval after overcoming a difficult Request for Assistance (RFE). The RFE noted that the Beneficiary does not have the critical knowledge, qualifications, and experience for the position. We provided evidence indicating that the Beneficiary has worked alongside and supported Professional players in this capacity. We also obtained letters from professional soccer players as well as top-level professional sports teams...
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E2 Visa for Canadian and Brazilian Dual National Approved at US Consulate General Toronto
Congratulations to our client, a dual national of Brazil and Canada, whose E2 Visa was approved at the US Consulate in Toronto earlier this week. Our client was an essential employee for a private carrier, trucking services organization that provides high quality truckload freight services in partnership with a transportation and logistic brokerage organization which works with an extensive variety of distributors and customers. The transportation company is based in Orlando and serves the...
read moreAttorney Rusten Hurd Interviewed on Federal Court’s Rejection of Trump Administration’s Attempt to End DACA
Attorney Rusten Hurd was interviewed by Channel 13 News in Orlando, Florida concerning a recent Federal Court decision. On April 24, 2018 a Washington D.C. Federal Court Judge found that the memorandum utilized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unlawful. The Judge provided the Trump administration an additional 90 days to provide some form of legal explanation for the termination of DACA or found...
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Options for Immigrant Investors and Entrepreneurs in 2018 (One Year into the Trump Era).
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Garrett Camp, the co-founder of Uber are amongst the many immigrant entrepreneurs that have been attracted to the United States to develop their companies and ideas. Immigrant startup founders have not only transformed travel in the US but also the healthcare industry, the employment sector, and information technology. More than half of US startup companies valued at one billion dollars or more were started by immigrants. Those companies are collectively...
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EB1C (Green card for Foreign Executive or Manager) Approved for Orlando Gym Executive and Manager
Congratulations to our Ukranian Client who recently received an approval of his EB1C Application for Foreign Executives or Managers. Our client manages a very successful gym and fitness center located in Orlando, Florida. His successful management of the domestic business coupled with prior successful management of the parent company abroad led to an affirmative determination from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Our client has indicated that he will continue to manage and...
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E2 Visa Status Approved for National of India and Canada for Gas Station and Convenience Store
Congratulations to our client, a dual national of India and Canada, who recently had his E-2 Visa status approved through a domestic application with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Our client purchased an existing gas station and convenience store on a contingent basis and was able to gain approval for his E2 status through his Canadian nationality. The application was approved within two weeks of filing without a Request for Evidence of any other query from...
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EB1 Visa Approval for Software Developer Artist from Argentina
We are very proud to announce the approval of an EB-1 Visa for our Argentinian client, a Software Developer Artist. The US Immigration Service agreed with our assessment that our client was deserving of approval as an Alien of Extraordinary Ability in light of the fact he had been awardedwith one of the most recognized awards in his field from Argentina and had worked as a Software Developer for some of the worlds top companies and advertising agencies. He has developed websites, digital...
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L-1 Visas Receive Increased Scrutiny Under Trump Administration
The “Buy American, Hire American” executive order issued by President Trump has caused difficulties for immigrants seeking visas across a wide variety of categories. One of the latest casualties of the Trump Administration’s focus on protecting American workers — often at the expense of the good of American industry and enterprise — is the L-1 visa program. The L-1 visa allows certain employers to transfer executives, managers, and workers with specialized knowledge between afflicted...
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How to Hire the Best Orlando Immigration Lawyer for your Case
If you are considering immigrating to the United States or are already in the US and have concerns about your immigration status, you are likely attempting to determine which immigration lawyer will be the best option for you. Immigration laws are complex, and in the current political climate immigration policies and priorities have the potential to change rapidly. That is why it is vitally important to have a highly skilled immigration lawyer to represent you. Yet for many, choosing an...
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The Three Most Important EB-1 (Extraordinary Ability) Visa Trends in the Trump Era
The EB-1 Visa is a self-petitioning green card application for foreign nationals with extraordinary ability. An EB-1 requires an individual to show that they have sustained national or international acclaim in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics. It is a category reserved only for those who have risen to the top -- the crème de la crème of their field. A person demonstrates extraordinary ability by showing a one-time major international achievement, such as the Nobel Prize or...
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EB 5 Visa Approval for Brazilian Client and his family.
Please join us in congratulating our clients Luis and Debora from Brazil who received the approval of their EB-5 this week. Luis made an investment through the Magic Village, a luxury vacation townhome community offering the services, amenities, and facilities of a vacation resort with the privacy and comfort of home located in Kissimmee, Florida. We would like to congratulate Luis and Debra on their success from both an immigration and business...
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O-1 Visa Approved for Korean Golf Instructor
Colombo & Hurd is proud to announce the recent approval of an O-1 Visa for our client, a Golf Instructor and citizen of the Republic of Korea. The O-1 is a non-immigrant visa reserved for foreign nationals who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. Our client had achieved exceptional success both as a golfer and golf instructor. His coaching methods include not only golf techniques, but also techniques that enable his students to be in...
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Haitian TPS Beneficiaries Continue to await Guidance from USCIS (Honduran and Nicaraguan TPS Holders also Impacted)
In November of 2017, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke, announced her decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haiti (with a delayed effective date of July 22, 2019) and Nicaragua (with a delayed effective date of January 5, 2019). Secretary Duke has announced that additional information is necessary to make a determination on the designation for Honduras, thereby automatically extending it for 6 months until July 5, 2018. TPS is granted by the...
read moreSkilled Workers, Professionals and Other Workers May Qualify for an EB-3 Visa
Individuals seeking to live and work in the United States face an intimidating array of choices regarding the visas that authorize an individual to do so. There are two main classes of visas. The first set is intended for immigrants seeking to permanently put down roots in the United States. There are five main classes of this type of visa for permanent workers. The other set of visas is intended for individuals seeking to live and work in the U.S. on a temporary basis. Visas of this type are...
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EB-1 Extraordinary Ability Visa Approved for Folk Singer
Colombo & Hurd is happy to announce the approval of an EB-1 Visa based on Extraordinary Ability for our client, a Mongolian folk singer and pop star who is nationally and internationally renowned. USCIS agreed with our assertion that our client is an extraordinary songwriter and vocalist of traditional long draw song, a center element of traditional Mongolian music that is a rare skill. She has been recognized for her contribution to revitalizing and preserving the traditional music...
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E-2 Visa Approved for Auto Sales Company through U.S. Consulate in Bogotá, Colombia.
Colombo & Hurd is happy to share that we were able to recently obtain an E-2 Visa for our client, a Colombian citizen, through the US Consulate in Bogotá, Colombia. The E-2 Visa is valid for a full five years based on the U.S. E-2 Visa treaty with Colombia. Our client is operating an Auto Sales store in...
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Renewal of EB-5 Regional Center Program Sits on the Precipice
The EB-5 visa program is a popular yet controversial investment visa program that may once again be in jeopardy. Under the EB-5 visa program, foreign nationals and their dependents are permitted to reside in the United States to manage large scale investments. Applicants can make an investment of $500,000 in a designated regional center, or an investment of $1,000,000 anywhere in the United States. While this program was originally intended to bolster the economies of impoverished and...
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Trump Administration Efforts to Impose Quotas on Immigration Judges Casts Doubt on Fairness of Immigration Court Proceedings
In deportation proceedings, when one of our clients appears before the Immigration Judge, we expect that judge will be fair and impartial. We should not expect that the judge will simply be moving that person along in an attempt to meet an arbitrary quota imposed by his boss for the number of cases that must be heard in a given day, week, or month. Yet in his latest pronouncement, that is exactly what President Trump wants immigration judges to do — bringing renewed attention to what many...
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