Sep

30

Problems at Immigration - Re-applying for a B2

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So the Morning in Lake Hughes started out a little chilly.  As I tuned into my favourite radio show they promised that things were going to warm up a little   (Weather Mostly Sunny 90°F  Hi: 95°F Lo: 66°F  Feels like: 86°F Visibility: 13 mi). They were not joking, by the afternoon it reached 95 degrees and by 2pm it had topped the 100 mark.  I love my ride into work. I drive through the canyons as you see from the photo, and I use this as my thinking time. I wonder what enquiries we will get throughout the day. Will we get a loving couple on their way to a successful green card via marriage visa or will a family start their lives in the USA by buying into a small business that will one day grow from a mere E2 investment visa to an EB5 Green card. Today was no different. I opened my email and there were loads of new enquiries filtering through. I read every one of them but one stood out more than the rest.

Couple in photo not actual clients
Couple in photo not actual clients

This desperate email arrived from an elderly couple who had been visiting the USA on a B2 visa. This visa was very popular for retired folk, students or people from the UK with close family members here in the US. It allowed a longer visiting period than the visa waiver (Up to 6 months stay). This couple had been coming out to America and touring various regions. To date they have been to no less than 25 out of the 50 States in the USA. Although he did tell me he had been to Alaska twice…and looking at the photo you can see why! It was time to renew this visa so they made their way to the US Embassy in London.

Unfortunately the Immigration officer wasn’t about to play ball. Once they found out that the couple had been coming in and out of the US so often they refused to issue an extention to their visa on the grounds that they thought the couple could have “Immigrant intent”. The couple barely got time to take a breath when the immigration officer ended the interview by stating that any future applications would be pointless as once an immigration officer read their reason for denial no future visa’a would be granted.

My heart went out to the couple. You could hear the upset blended with absolute confusion. He told me they had never wanted to settle in the States but wanted to spend the rest of what time they had left touring a country that they’d grown to love. They were given the final blow just before leaving that not only were they refused an extension to their B2 Visa but if they attempted to fly into the USA on a Visa Waiver, this would also cause them further problems with Immigration (as we all know, one of the questions asked when completing this form is “Have you ever been refused a visa?”) well we all know the answer to that now don’t we?

We will offer to help this couple and I hope in the future I can report back when we celebrate their success but until then please do not leave your immigration issues to luck. Let us help navigate the course with you. If you have any questions regarding any of our current blogs or you have an immigration question please feel free to contact us. We are your fellow Brits, we just happen to be living in America and in the Immigration know how!

 

 

Sep

30

Celebrating EB1 Visa Success

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We are delighted to celebrate the successful Green card application for our client Declan.   Declan came to us early this year looking for a way to stay in the US beyond his Broadway run in a hit show. After much discussion reviewing Declan’s role in the show and his career to date I decided that he would make an ideal candidate for what is called an EB1 Green Card.

 

In a nutshell, if you are at the top of your profession (any profession or sport in fact) US Immigration is very keen to allow you to stay permanently in the US as you will benefit the US economy. US Industry wants to be unfettered to hire the best of the best from around the world. US Immigration calls these people Aliens of Extraordinary Ability.  For non-permanent assignments these aliens will apply for an O1 visa and for permanent assignments we need to apply for the EB1 Green card.  Declan already had an O1 and now wanted to stay permanently.

 

I don’t know why he did not go back to the same attorney who got him the O1, but for some reason he was drawn to talk to us.  I think when I asked him he said that it was because our firm was British lead, although based in the US and because our website was packed with detailed easy to understand information on the subject too. I had several great conversations with Declan and we agreed we’d fight for the Green card together. I say together because we very much believe in the working as a team with our clients. We coach them in getting us the best information possible, we review it and develop what we hope will be a winning legal argument. Although we don’t go to immigration court per se we have to prepare the case with legal argument as if we were going to court on trial. Legal arguments and decisions will be made to decide the case.

 

After working with Declan for a few months, Declan said he had to go back to England for some engagements. We immediately advised him that since his case had by that time been filed he could not just up and leave but instead had to go through a legal procedure so we could apply for a Travel Document. The Travel Document let’s US Immigration know the reason why you are traveling and that you are indeed coming back and not just abandoning your case. So we got this paperwork filed which was approved just in the nick of time. As a word of caution - if you ever think that you might need to travel back to your home country during a lengthy green card application then it makes sense to file for a travel document with your green card application.

 

In due course Declan was called in for his Biometrics interview which is basically, a finger printing and photograph exercise, then a few weeks later Declan’s work permit was approved. The work permit allows the alien to work while their green card is being processed.

 

In September, we got the great news that Declan’s green card was approved. I have to say that our office was overjoyed and we did celebrate our client’s success. Our client now has his green card to live and work in the US for life, this is awesome and what motivates us every day to do the best job we can.  From filing the case in May to getting the green card approved in September it only took four months. Typically, a case like this would take 9-12 months, Declan was just very fortunate.

 

Now, all I need is tickets to his next show.

 

Chris

Sep

30

Lifestyle differences

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Many of my friends ask if I would ever move back to the UK. My answer is simply “No, why would I?”

Life here in Los Angeles seems so much easier. Yes, you have to drive but with cars being anywhere between 30 - 50% cheaper (BMW 5 series in the UK = 27-30,000 pounds versus $43,000 ) and gas (petrol) a fraction of the price (Approx $9.00 per gallon in the UK versus $3.60 in L.A) and the roads being twice the size, driving is actually a pleasure. Shopping any time of the year is also a pleasing experience. No hustle or bustle, no standing in queues for ages and no lack of shopping trolleys. Parking is also a simple task. Generally speaking you can park your car right outside the store you want to shop in. Every shopping mall (indoor and out) has an array of restaurants or fast food chains waiting to curb your appetite and areas for the kids to play (including the male grown up ones). I often compare my experiences between living in California to that of living in England but it never becomes more of a contrast until I remember shopping.

I remember Christmas shopping at the Croydon Whitgift center a week before Christmas. I decided to drive to Croydon (as opposed to catching a bus) as the weather was bitter. The drive was horrendous and the parking was a nightmare. Signs merrily displaying “Car park full” outside both of the multistory parking structures. As high and as bold as they stood there it only signaled to me that someone in the design center never thought this shopping complex would be as popular as it had become. So even before I start on my exciting venture my frustration levels had been moved up a notch.

I ended up parking down near Argos and had to walk up the hill from the market but finally arrived to the main street where it was all happening. “Unbelievable”. Thousands upon thousands of shoppers weaving around one another with looks on their faces that mirrored “Shoppers on a mission”. It was almost scary. Screaming kids “I want this, I want that” and parents holding back their embarrassment as others judged their responses.

Me I was there to buy the “Barbie” caravan and a “Barbie doll” for my (then) 7 yr old daughter. By the time I got out of the store everything hurt.  I couldn’t give priority to any of my aching body parts because the bitter wind had taken the feeling from my face, hands and feet therefore my priority was getting back to the car in hope that the numbness would wear off before I would need these important tools to drive. 

Shopping in L.A is a joyful time. My husband and I decide what shorts to put on and head off through the canyons to Valencia. No waiting in line to park we just find a spot and pull in. After putting the sunroof up we casually walk into one of an array of stores. We are greeted with smiles and warm wishes for the season. We are never bombarded with assistants offering their annoying help but merely asked if we have found everything we need which usually prompts me to think “Did I find everything?” More often than not, we take a second patrol around the store just to make sure there were no hidden bargains that escaped me. Within an hour or two we’re done. Gifts, wrapping (Which these days can come in the form of a traditional roll of paper or a glitzy bag and cool colored tissue paper) and cards (which never get mailed and so I have a rather large selection of cards, some of which may be antique by now). We then head off to a restaurant. A nice glass of wine, a great meal and soothing music playing ends our Christmas shopping experience and its still daytime so guess what? I can still feel my hands and toes so no problem in putting the roof down and heading towards the mountains on our way home in our little convertible.

Shopping is as much a joy as living here in the USA. With today’s economic climate you couldn’t be in a better position than trading up those cold winter horrifying shopping experiences to the warmer relaxing climate of California. Houses are cheaper, cars are cheaper and life….well, it’s just better. If you have money to invest, America is crying out for investors. Why not do some trading for the future and consider some lifestyle differences.

Here at the Immigration Law Offices of Chris Ingram we are waiting to help you make that move. Whether you have had serious thoughts about moving to the USA, you are in a relationship and you want to find out the best way to handle a green card by marriage or like me, you have close relatives who are prepared to sponsor your application for green card with the eventual prospect of becoming an American citizen, we are here to help you. We would like to offer you a free telephone consultation. We will look at your current situation and discuss all possibilities. Our goal is and always will be to help make the US Immigration process less of a burden for you.

Sep

29

More Drama in Wall Street

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2008-09-29 
Headline - More Drama in Wall Street
 
Today saw the Dow Jones drop 777.84 points, it’s largest every one day fall, but not the largest percentage fall. Reports are saying that this fall was about the 5th largest one day fall. What does all this mean for our clients looking to relocate to the US. To be honest it does not mean much yet. The problem seems to be centered around the banking industry as opposed to an economy wide decline. In recent years many Americans took out what are called sub-prime mortgages. A sub prime mortgage is where a person borrowed say $300,000 on a house worth perhaps $320,000. The interest payments should have been around $1,500pm  at 6% if the borrower just paid the interest. A sub-prime payment meant that the borrower would only be required to pay $750 and the $750 per month short fall would be added to the loan. Over a 3-5 year period these payments would increase and then on the 5th year the payments would correct so that the borrower would pay the full mortgage payment on what might be a $450,000 mortgage.  The argument was that ‘who cares, since in 5 years the house might be worth $650,000 therefore the borrow could still make a healthy profit.
 
This was all great in theory until, the lenders found two things. Firstly, borrowers would borrow much more than they could afford, by buying houses that were well out of their reach e.g, instead of buying a $320,000 they would buy a $640,000 and make payments of $1,500 under the sub-prime system. as the payments started to ratchet up the borrowers found themselves very stretched almost to breaking point, but they held on. Then after 2-3 years of increasing payments they broke and defaulted in their payments resulting in a foreclosure. The foreclosure rates began to sky rocket as hundreds of thousands of people gave up on their mortgages. House prices started to plunge which only made the problem worse. Banks started to fail.
 
Some industry areas have been caught up in this crisis, such as new construction, but restoration and maintainance work has remained very strong. President Bush wanted Tax payers to bail out Wall Street, but the popular sentiment is firmly against this, therefore today the House of Representatives voted down the proposed bail out plan and the Dow Jones fell.
 
Should we be worried about whether or not to relocate to the US? Of course not. As I’ve stated before, many sectors of the economy are doing very well and in fact growing. Many of our clients are starting or buying a new business so they can qualify for an E2 Visa, or opening a branch of their business so they can qualify for an L1 visa. Nothing should change those plans. In fact, it should only speed up those plans. It’s always best to get into the market when the market is weak. Many of our clients have recently married a US Citizen or are looking to go through the US Immigration process in order to get the work permit and green card. Again, the current headline news should not get cloud these plans.
 
US Immigration is a strong sector of the market and should only continue to do well as long as America looks attractive. It seems ironic to say that relocating to America has never look so good.
 
Many of our clients are in the entertainment business in one form or another and again this is booming too. We need entertainment, our appetites through advertising has been engorged so as a law firm we are constantly looking to help talented people relocate as there is work for them here. The O1 visa and P1 visas are the ones we use, they take a lot of preparing but certainly well worth the effort in the end.
 
This blog is geared to shed some positive perspective on what is happening here in America: to try and keep our clients motivated, inspired and eager to move and not be put off by the nay sayers. As Banks fail here, it’s surprising how quickly they are bought up by another bank - so much for hard times.
 
Check out my next blog as I continue to post news and views about relocating to America.
 

Sep

26

It took a while but now we are living the “American Dream”

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Nearly 23 years ago, my husband and I started coming out to California to visit my Husbands Brother, who had moved out of England a few years prior. Eventually his Brother decided to take his US Citizenship just in case any of the immediate family members wanted to eventually move to the United States too.

 

It was on a flight home (Whilst watching our sun tans slowly fade away in front of our very eyes) that we thought about the possibilities. We were young then and had no real ambition to stay in England and as we walked through the lack of customs at Heathrow, looking at the litter on the London Streets and feeling the coldness of England’s June evening we decided that once we got home we would ask his Brother to begin the process of sponsorship.

 

We were so excited and couldn’t wait to share our news with family and friends.

“We’re moving to the States”. Friends received the news well but for my family there were reservations, especially from my Dad whose last trip to the USA was to Texas whilst serving in the RAF many moons ago. His only present time knowledge of life in Los Angeles were the snippets shown on T.V exposing gang violence, the seemingly free access of guns, drugs and violence (But that’s the news for you – always a little dramatic for my liking!).

 

Our application was being formed and every couple of years we would check in with Immigration to find out how things were progressing. Unfortunately, things were not progressing at any speed at all.  We would continue to visit the States if for no other reason other than to re-affirm our commitment to our eventual transition from the UK to the U.S.

 

Throughout the wait we had career transitions, moved house a couple of times and now had two children. We finally moved into pub management. (I think we had given up calling USCIS by this stage.) One morning the mail was delivered as usual. Little did we know that amongst the bills and credit card applications the turning point in our lives lay undisturbed until we sat at the table with a pot of tea and slowly opened each letter with the normal lack of enthusiasm?  My husband sat there staring at the letter. He stared and then he stared some more.

“Did we win the lottery or something?” I asked.

“You could say that” he replied.

“Well, what is it?”

“It’s our US embassy appointment. It’s here…it’s really here”.

It had taken thirteen long years but finally our day had arrived.

 

Our appointment had been scheduled on a day that England played in the World cup, so you can imagine our journey to the American Embassy (via tube). Without going into detail (As that is a story all by itself), we came out of the Embassy knowing that we could hop on a plane and fly out to the States and never come back. It was the most amazing feeling ever.

 

We still had some hurdles to overcome; Selling the house, serving our notice, arriving at LAX Immigration and telling the family of our intentions (Not necessarily in that order) but I will tell you about those experiences in future blog’s. We are now here and truly living our American Dream. When friends and family ask if we would ever go back to the UK, our answer is plain and simple….”Not if you paid us!” Why? Well stay tuned when we will discuss the life style differences and how even though we don’t get the 4 – 5 week holidays per year, we actually see more of our kids than ever.

 

If you are thinking about relocating to the USA, complete our questionnaire and I will be happy to schedule you a free consultation to discuss a much faster pathway for you.

Sep

26

Opportunity Knocks!

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With all the doom and gloom on the news about the US economy, we here at the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram are very excited for our clients coming to the US. Its as if “Happy Days Are Here Again”.  Why all the optimism? At the moment the pound Sterling is very strong against the dollar from an historical point. It was not many years ago when the pound to dollar ratio was one pound to one dollar thirty five cents. That happens to be when I sold my house and moved to the US. Over recent years the pound has hovered at an almost two to one ration, although in recent weeks the dollar has strengthened. The key point being raised here is that the British pound can buy an awful lot in the US. 
 
With house prices so slow and still looking for the bottom, there are property bargains everywhere.  We have clients in the Carolina’s picking up houses for forty thousand dollars and in other areas buying wonderful sprawling dream homes for only two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. With good deposits some clients are literally buying up US properties in bulk. There are also many businesses for sale at great value.
 
Many people are using the E2 investment visa as a vehicle to relocate to the United States. U.S Immigration provides that as long as the investor takes over or starts any business that is capable of creating jobs for at least 2 full time American Citizens within the alloted time period they will grant a visa to enable the family to relocate indefinitely. If that were not enough incentive the spouse not running the business will be able to apply for a  right a work permit which will enable them to get a job practically anywhere which will generate a second income. Opportunity really is knocking and we have all the connections to make it happen for you.
 
You think that the economy is really bad, but don’t let the headlines fool you. As many people know economies run in cycles of up and downs. A booming economy is not that great as it shuts out many people from getting on the property ladder and many other ladders for that matter. Getting into the market where the economy is low is a great time. No one really knows when an economy actually hits the bottom, so you have to get in when you can and ride it down perhaps a little further to make sure you’re in the market when the up turn takes off. 
 
You may be asking yourself, “why buy a business when the economy is slow?” The answer is, if your careful in your selection you’ll find a business that is very well established (IE; has at least a five year history)  so you can be sure that the business has weathered tough economic conditions before. Avoid any kind of newly establish business and indeed where possible starting your own business. The longer a business has been going and trading well the more likely you will be able to make a wise and sound investment.  Again, we can help you and connect you to the right people.
 
As Brits, we know and study the market from both sides of the Atlantic. We are helping many people navigate their way through these challenging times in order to Emigrate to the U.S and we’d certainly welcome the opportunity to talk to you. Please complete our consultation questionnaire and we’ll get you set up with a free consultation as soon as possible. 

Sep

25

Aileen Joins Our Team

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Aileen Simblet from South London who has been living in California for the last 6 years has joined the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram as a columnist to report on Immigraiton news and developments as they relate to our clients.

Sep

25

President Bush American Address

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President Bush addressed the national for 12 minutes urging Congress to pass emergency legislation to in effect bail out Wall Street. The Bush bail out had run into difficulties because at first the plan only saved Wall Street while 7,000 foreclosures per day continue to depress and further exacerbate the housing slump. various factions of both parties are calling for additional measures to save home owners from foreclosure whilst other factions are saying that absolutely no action should be taken to save Wall Street or Main Street because this is a free market economy and bailing the financial institutions out will only encourage them to expect the same again in the future.

From an Immigration stand point the slump in the US economy presents spectacular investment opportunities for immigrants wishing to relocate to the US. If Japanese, Chinese and Middle Eastern financial institutions are cashing in why not individual aliens who may have their own cash to invest.  US Immigration has for a long time encouraged foreign investment with the E2 and EB5 investment visas.

For many of our clients the currency exchange rate will only get better as the US dollar weakens. Foreign investors will generate employment and buy up cheap housing stock and thereby boost the economy.

We have business and property brokers standing by to help our clients take full advantage of this opportunity. For more information please complete the consultation questionnaire and let’s get the ball rolling.