US Immigration: Will You Be Relocating in 2010?

Will 2010 be Your Year to Relocate to America?

Happy New Year One and All!

It’s great to be writing this first Newsletter of 2010 to all of our 3000 readers. Thank you for your continued support and I hope that this year many of you will be able to realize your American Dream.  I will certainly do my best to keep you informed as to what’s going on in US Immigration.

For most of 2009 we saw very few clients coming through with their E2 Visas: buying or setting up a business, or our L1-A visa clients: being transferred from a UK company to the US or willing to open a US branch. This was not surprising given the ravages of the recession. This having been said we did have a stream of diehards who braved it and are now here doing very well. My feeling is that if they can survive and thrive in the worst economy in living memory, they should do fantastic as the economy turns around.

Client-Shane and Donna - Make 2010 Your Year For the American Dream

There are Many Visa Options to Choose From

We have also had a number of clients go from either an E2 visa (E2 video) or L-1A visa (L1 video) to attaining green cards for their families. This was a constant theme of 2009: many people already here upgrading to green card status.

Our K1 Fiance(e) and Green Card by Marriage practice has remained steady throughout the last 12 months. I guess love is financially blind.  When you’ve got to be together you’ve simply got to be together.

The breakout area of our practice that has really done well is our O1 Visa and EB1 Green card business. These visas and green cards are for Aliens of Extraordinary Ability. In a nutshell, these are clients who typically work in Entertainment and Media who would like to work in the US.  We have enjoyed great success in this area winning case after case, sometimes within a matter of days after filing. we’re certainly looking to continue to expand this area of  the practice.  If you’re a high flyer in any profession the O1 visa (Video) or EB1 visa (Video) maybe something you should seriously consider for 2010.

F1 Visa Students Are Always Well Placed to Take Advantage of Local Opportunities

Students and Graduates

Another area of practice that continues to do well is the F1 Student Visa option. Many people use this visa option as a stepping stone to other visas. The F1 student visa will certainly enable you to get a strong local presence, build contacts and a network that can lead to job opportunities that otherwise you’d never hear about.

Perhaps one of the hardest hit of our practice is the Graduate H-1B visa market. Ironically, this has been not due to a lack of H-1B visas as these were available from April 1st right through until the end of the year, for the first time since 2003. The problem for our clients was finding the right employment opportunity. The next batch of H-1B visas is April 1st  for jobs starting no sooner than October 1st 2010 and as usual these will be on a first come first served basis.  The key is to try and get your job lined up asap so we can make these H-1B visa applications for you as close to April 1st 2010 as possible.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

I’ve been waiting with baited breath, watching  all the various news bulletins on TV and in the Press looking to see how the Health Care Reform is going to be settled so that Congress can then focus it’s attention on starting the much anticipated Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR).  I have to say it’s been very frustrating.  As I discussed in previous Newsletters, pundits have been looking for Health Care Reform to pass before jumping into Immigration Reform.  Unfortunately, even though a separate HealthBill has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate, these Bills have to be reconciled, voted upon and then signed into law.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform is For Everyone

Just Tuesday January 19th 2010 the Democrats (Pro Health Care Reform) lost the Massachusetts Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy to the Republican Party, this loss had national implications because it meant that they lost the 60 vote Super Majority. It takes 60 votes to pass Bills in the Senate so the Democrats could pass any Bill they wished if they all voted as one. With the loss of this Super Majority, bipartisan cooperation will be required. I could go on for hours discussing the ramifications here, but suffice to say, we’ll have to wait and watch very closely over the next two weeks or so to see if we’re going to get Health Care Reform resolved. If it’s defeated this will be a major blow to President Obama and the certainty of Comprehensive Immigration Reform will become tainted.  I’ll keep you posted in the February Newsletter which might come early if news breaks our way.

I look forward to hearing from you very soon.