Us Immigration Podcast

In this episode we talk to Michael Gibson on how he helps immigration attorneys and their clients sort out and pick the best EB-5 investment.  Michael Gibson has been the Managing Director of USAdvisors for almost 9 years. His firm provides due diligence, research and risk analysis on EB-5 visa projects for investors as well as assist developers raise funds through the EB-5 visa program. He has a degree in Economics and his previous work experience was with Citicorp where he worked in the Capital Markets and Investment Banking divisions as a, securities, foreign exchange, derivatives, money market, credit & debt analyst and portfolio risk manager. Michael answers this listener submitted question:  "(what) advice for us as lawyers in helping clients choose among the many EB-5 Regional Centers out there.” For a limited time, Michael is offering a free access to his premium resource at EB5Projects.com.  To request access, please submit a request using the form on the show notes page.   Show Notes: http://USI

Take this brief 5 question buiness immigration survey: http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/Survey   Show Notes: http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/20 In this episode we talk to business attorney Natasha Bell about Special Immigration Concerns for Private Placement Memorandums   Natasha is a graduate of Emory University and Duke University School of Law, Natasha is a partner of 360 Venture Law (Shmalo Turner), LLP, a specialized corporate law firm working with emerging growth companies, along with start-up and fast-growing entrepreneurial companies and their investors.  Before joining 360 Venture Law, Natasha was the founding member of The Bell Firm, LLC and an attorney with Morris, Manning, and Martin.  Prior to her legal career, Natasha was on the staff of a local government official.   In this episode you will hear: What is a Private Placement Memorandum and what are they used for What does it mean to offer a private security (either through debt or equity) Why do you need at least one exception to offer a  debt

show notes: http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/19   In this episode we talk to business import consultant Carmenza Gonzalez on business development consulting for companies inbound to the US market CZA Inc., a Global Business Development Consulting firm headquartered in Winter Park, Florida, specialized in assisting foreign companies interested in entering the USA market. Also helps Florida companies export their products and services globally. She is a Certified Export Trade Specialist, a graduate of Leadership Orlando Class 60. She received her Executive MBA Certificate a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from Rollins College. She travels abroad promoting her services, resulting on current projects in different industries such as software development, life sciences, aviation, and simulation. [sc_embed_player_template1 fileurl="http://traffic.libsyn.com/usimmigrationpodcast/Carmenza_Gonzalez.mp3"] In this episode you will hear: What is Business development consulting Market Research inbound Hand

Show notes: http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/18   In this episode we talk to Immigration Attorney Ryan Barshop on how he supports Immigration on the front lines at the Consular office at the US Embassy in Manila, Philippines Ryan Barshop, Esq., is a American national educated at Suffolk University (B.S. American History, Cum Laude) and Thomas M. Cooley Law School (Juris Doctor, Cum Laude). Originally from New York City, Ryan first arrived in the Philippines in 2003 as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer working with underprivileged youth through the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development in Tarlac City, Tarlac. After successfully completing Peace Corps, Ryan moved to Hong Kong where he spent two years working in education before entering law school. While in law school, Ryan was the receipt of several academic awards, served as an associate editor of law journal, and externed at the Superior Court of Guam where he drafted numerous Decisions and Orders for the court. A member of the New York

Host Mark Deal talks about the first two months of the podcast and new changes No show notes today, but I'll use the time to make a long needed update to our About Page.  

After 15 years in the restaurant business and 5 years doing outside sales for a light industrial temporary business, Rebecca realized she was destined to become an immigration attorney. With her MBA and business experience, she started working on business immigration cases and have since represented clients on family as well as business issues in front of the immigration service, prepared asylum cases and represented clients in deporation court.   In this episode you will hear: The I-9 form can look deceptively simple How a business employing legal workers still received a $40k fine My own personal I-9 story How I-9 enforcement has stepped up since 9/11/01 Types of verification documents accepted (A or B and C documents) Common mistakes made on the I-9 form Common 'red flags' that USICS looks for   Here are the government forms mentioned on this show. Employment eligibility form (I-9) Handbook for Employers Guidance for Completing Form I-9    Rebecca also shares with us: Best Business Advice: Always chec

http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/15   Guillermo Wasserman: International Business Practice Opportunities, Best Practices and Legal Challenges.   Guillermo is a seasoned international lawyer, fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, trained in both civil and common law legal systems, with significant experience in international business transactions, particularly with respect to Latin American markets.  He regularly assists his clients to bridge business, legal and cultural gaps in international business transactions involving a wide-range of industries and business sectors in the U.S., Latin America and beyond. He is admitted to practice law in Georgia, USA and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In this episode we talk to Immigration Attorney Teri Simmons about the E-2 Visa requirements, some pitfalls, and insightful best practices   Teri Simmons is a partner at Arnall Golden Gregory in Atlanta, Georgia, where she has practiced for over 23 years. She currently directs the International and Immigration Practice Group and also serves as Co-Chair of the German Business Practice. She has represented companies as large as the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, for which she managed visa processing for thousands, as well as middle-sized companies and individual foreign national Investors.   In this episode you will hear: Basic E-2 Requirements Some countries that are NOT eligible for the E-2 visa What a 'substantial' investment really means What constitutes a 'commitment' of funds Spouse work authorization for E-2 visa holders The difficulty of tracing E-2 top level ownership Why some E-2 visas only get approval for a year or two What independent sources of documents help build the strongest petitio

Show Notes: http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/13 Leave us an honest review: http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/iTunes   Adel has twenty years of sales, managing, marketing, and real estate teaching experience in the USA and the Middle East markets.  He is a Real Estate Investment Specialist with unsurpassed level of marketplace knowledge in our local Atlanta Market.  He is also been part of six EB-5 Investment Projects in Georgia.   In this episode you will hear: The increasing number of EB-5 Regional Centers The four documents needed to create n EB-5 Regional Centers  Private Placement Memorandum Subscription Agreement Limited Partnership Agreement Escrow Agreement The advantages of working with an established Regional Center for your EB-5 project Leverage preexisting approval by USICS (saves time) Leverage Marketing scope of the EB-5 Regional Centers How to approach an EB-5 Regional Centers for your EB-5 program proposal Experience of business owner Personal Equity of business owner (and other domestic s

http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/12   Joseph Rosen is the managing attorney for Joseph H. Rosen, Immigration Law Group.  Mr. Rosen began practicing Immigration Law in June 2011 after retiring from the US Government where he spent 20 years as a Special Agent for the FBI and US Customs.  His law enforcement career includes 10 years of working on or near the US / Mexico border.  He teaches and immigration law class and is a Clinical Director at the JMLS Immigration Clinic located at Catholic Charities   Atlanta.   In this episode you will hear: His view on the security of the US / Mexican boarder How discrimination has driven Immigration law development Chinese Exclusion acts How Congress developed power over immigration (and what the courts can and can’t do) Other interesting turning points in US Immigration  Where Immigration may be heading in the near future     Joe also shares with us: Business Advice: Treat your clients well and be responsive His personal habits that attributes to his success: Working har

http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/11 http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/INA-CFR-app Josh AdamsIn this episode we talk to Immigration Attorney Josh Adams about the Immigration iOS app he developed for INA, CFR, Practice Manuals and more.     Josh grew up in New England. At age 9, he began creating computer software.  During Josh's undergraduate studies at Dartmouth College, he studied computer science but majored in anthropology.  After college, Josh worked as a software engineer for five years and through a series of leveraged opportunities and continuous development, he later became an immigration attorney.  Based on his experience as both an immigration lawyer and software developer, Josh created an iPhone/iPad app for specifically immigration lawyers.   In this episode you will hear:   Details about his Immigration iOS app download here His path to software development Why he created the iOS app for the immigration community How the App can browse the INA, CFR and various Practice manuals It's ability to searc

http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/10 Mona ShahIn this episode we talk to Immigration Attorney Mona Shah on the difference between Regional Center and Direct investments with regard to the actual EB-5 immigration petition   Mona is the managing partner of Mona Shah and Associates located on Broadway in New York City.  She has over 19 years of legal experience, with more than 15 years concentrated in U.S. immigration and litigation. Mona has hands-on experience setting up, working with and establishing EB-5 Regional Centers nationwide, as well as an impressive track record of many years handling complex immigration matters, including private non-regional center investor cases.   In this episode you will hear:   A compassion of the EB-5 Direct investments vs. Regional Centers from an Immigration standpoint How Regional Centers make use of 'indirect' jobs The indirect job risk of the 'last investor' How different EB-5 models may work better for various industries (i.e. Hotels vs. Restaurant franchises) How the pap

In this episode we talk to Michael Im on what it is like to work on his own E-2 visa renewal without an immigration attorney. http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/9   Michael Im is Korean National and multiple business owner in the United States. He has worked successful with an immigration attorney in the past, but this time has decided to do it all himself.   In this episode you will hear:   His personal immigration story His initial impressions of his original attorney What drove him to work on his own visa renewal Business Advice: Be positive and act positively His personal habits that attributes to his success: Encourages others around him to also be positive Parting Thoughts: An immigration attorney is certainly the right choice if you are struggling with immigration issues    Here is a link to download a free checklist to strengthen your E-2 Visa petition with a business plan cover letter written specially to address USCIS’s E-2 concerns.

http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/8   John GezeliusIn this episode we talk to Immigration Attorney John Gezelius onProving the Source of EB-5 Funds   John Gezelius is an attorney in the Los Angeles suburb of Tustin, California. He is a 1978 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and attended law school at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, where he received both a Juris Doctor degree and then later a Master of Law in transnational business and law. He has a transactional practice and his focus is on investment related immigration.    In this episode you will hear:   A high level description of the EB-5 Visa Why it is important to fully document the source of investment funds How his background as a US Air Force Intelligence Officer gave him a unique opportunity to detect fraud How Money Laundering and Fraud detection is the inverse of proving the source of funds The three key sources for fund documentation: Payment Deposit Taxes  Why having a trusting and forthcoming relatio

http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/7   In this episode we talk to Economist Ismael Fernandez, PhD on EB-5 Targeted Employment Area (TEA) Designations using Geographical Alignment of Tract Employment Statistics (GATES) Analysis     For a limited time, Ismael is offering a free Targeted Employment Area feasibility study.  To take advantage of this offer, please contact him through his show notes page below   http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/7

http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/6   In this episode we talk to Immigration Attorney Layli Eskandari on H-1B visas and the challenge of proving Remote Workers are not from staffing Agencies     Layli Eskandari is a founding partner of the Atlanta law firm Levine & Eskandar. Layli’s practice concentrates on business immigration, including temporary employment visas and permanent residence for professionals, international transfers, investors, researchers, and nurses.  She has served on the Executive Committee of the Georgia-Alabama Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and has been a Super Lawyers since 2012       In this episode you will hear:   The requirements of the H-1B visa Family impact of the H-1B process The changeling with proving a nurse needs a degree (and therefor an H-1B) Why Staffing Agencies can not apply for H-1B worker Visas The changeling with proving a remote worker is not a form of ‘Staffed Agent’     Layli also shares with us:   Her 13 year Journey in Immigration law

http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/5   In this episode we talk to Phillip Yadidian on Immigration Case Management with eImmigration

http://usimmigrationpodcast.com/4   In this episode we talk to Immigration Attorney Karol Brown on L-1B visas and supporting the Specialized Knowledge Experts of Multinational Businesses.    Karol Brown is the Managing Partner of Karol Brown, Attorneys at Law based in Seattle Washington and has been practicing businesses and family immigration law for 14 years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University and a law degree from Yale. She has taught Immigration Law at the University of Washington and has founded the Center for Human Rights and Justice at the both the University of Washington and Seattle University law schools.   In this episode you will hear:   The requirements of the L-1B visa How this visa type compares to L-1A, H-1B and O-1 Visas The 3 important factors of the L-1B and how to support them in the petition Microsoft's strategy to leverage the blanket L-1B process by opening a center in Canada How another company had challenges proving the L-1B visas for two engineers (e

http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/3   In this episode we talk to “Caroline” about her bootstrapped E-2, Immigration Attorney selection and the importance of a business plan.   On this episode we have “Caroline” as she discusses:   How a $40k start up investment was approved for an E-2 visa How she selected her immigration attorney (out of 6) Immigration concerns: Complexity & Scary The importance of immigration representation that “believes in you and your story” Her Business plan development Outsourced to a firm that didn’t engage with her on the specifics of her business She then recreated the written elements of the plan to align with her story and “vision” Engaged  Foreign Investor Resource Group to recast the financial projections She then understood and supported her business plan during her immigration interview I usually asks our guests to offer our audience a discount on their product or services.  Since “Caroline” wishes to remain anonymous and we did touch on business plans for E-2 visas, I

http://USImmigrationPodcast.com/2  Roy J. Watson, Jr. is a graduate of Brandies University (B.A. Economics), Boston College School of Law (J.D.), and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (M.P.A). Roy has been assisting businesses and individuals solve complex business immigration questions for almost 40 years. He focuses on employment-based non-immigrant and immigrant visa petitions for companies of all sizes, including hospitals, high tech / bio tech, architects, CPAs and Attorneys. Roy is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. In this episode you will hear: What the immigration landscape was like almost 40 years ago Roy’s passion and how puts that to use for his clients L-1As Visa requirements (and what is not required) L-1A Request for Evidence rate (hint: it is more than you think) ‘Matter of Z’, setting a precedent to standardize what Immigration needs for an L-1A visa p