Articles Posted in Green card

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In this post, attorney Jacob Sapochnick discusses filing the I-751 removal of conditions application where the foreign national’s marriage to the US Citizen has ended in divorce.

Who must file?

If you have received a two-year conditional permanent resident card, based on your marriage to a United States citizen, you are required to remove the conditions on your green card before the expiration date, by filing the Form I-751 Application for Removal of Conditions. This petition is typically filed jointly with your spouse, but you may seek a “waiver” of the joint filing requirement if you are no longer married to the US Citizen spouse through which you obtained conditional permanent residence.

Waiver of the Joint Filing Requirement

If you are no longer married to the US Citizen spouse through which you gained conditional permanent resident status, the burden of proving that you entered the marriage in good faith is much higher. These types of applications are called ‘I-751 Waivers’ because you must request a waiver of the joint-filing requirement in your application. Immigration officers scrutinize I-751 waiver applications much more than applications that are filed jointly with your spouse.

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In this post, Attorney Jacob Sapochnick Esq,  gives you his tips for a successful K-1 Fiancé Visa Interview.

Processing Times and Procedure: 

Since a K-1 visa can take anywhere from 6 months or longer, it is imperative that you submit an application well in advance of your intended date of travel. This will provide you with a buffer should your application take longer than expected.

Although a K-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa, the application process is very lengthy due to its inherent benefit of conferring immigrant status to the foreign fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen. As a result, it is important to begin the process as early as you possibly can. This is especially critical, because United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processes applications on a first-come-first-served basis. Given that there are different stages involved in the K-1 visa process, this can potentially increase your overall wait time for the visa. For example, to begin the K-1 process, your U.S. fiancé(e) must first file a Form I-129F petition with USCIS, and it may take a couple months before USCIS approves the petition, depending on the number of cases ahead of yours.

To learn more about the K-1 Fiancé visa please click here.

Read our K-1 Fiancé visa guide here.

To schedule a first time consultation please contact our office.

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In this video, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick sits down with international business students studying at INSEAD, a graduate business school in France. Jacob asks them a burning question: Despite all of the obstacles foreign workers face in immigrating to the United States, and the President’s hard-line stance on immigration, are foreign workers still interested in living and working in the United States? Click here to join the conversation.

To learn more about the different visa services we offer please visit our website.

For a first time consultation please contact our office.

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In this segment Attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick Esq. discusses the stokes interview otherwise known as the infamous “fraud interview” for the green card application. A stokes interview may occur during the marriage based green card application process, and refers to an interview where the husband and wife are questioned separately, and their answers are compared by an immigration officer to determine whether the marriage was entered into in good faith. A stokes interview (also known as “marriage fraud interview”) is usually a second interview, after the first interview, when the husband and wife were interviewed together, raised some questions about the bona fides of their marriage.

The stokes interview is typically scheduled when couples do not provide enough evidence of bona fide marriage and cohabitation, when the testimony provided by the couple during the first interview contains discrepancies and/or is inconsistent, or the marriage is of short duration. Couples may also be scheduled for a stokes interview if USCIS is concerned about something that came up during the foreign spouse’s background screening process. In every case, the immigration officer is trying to determine whether the applicant’s marriage is bona fide or not. If the immigration officer is still not satisfied that the marriage is a bona fide one after the stokes interview, USCIS may send a field officer to the applicant’s house.

To learn more about the consequences of entering a “sham” marriage please click here.

To schedule a first time consultation please contact our office.

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In this video, our clients speak about their unique experience with the Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick. Our law office specializes exclusively in immigration and nationality law. We work with a broad range of clientele including entrepreneurs, investors, business visitors, foreign workers, U.S. employers, asylees, students, athletes, performers, families seeking to immigrate their family members and much more. Throughout the years, we have established a proven track record of success and a high level of customer service that is unparalleled in the legal industry. Contact our office today to schedule your first time consultation.

For more information please visit our website.

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In this episode, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick Esq. answers one of our most frequently asked questions: can you leave the country while your application is pending with CIS? Keep watching to learn more.

https://soundcloud.com/askanimmigrationlawyer/ep-62-can-you-leave-the-country-while-status-of-application-is-pending

This is one of the most common and most important questions asked by our clients. Once you have filed an application with USCIS and the application is pending with USCIS (meaning that you have not received a decision on your application) you CANNOT leave the United States, UNLESS you have received special permission from USCIS to travel outside the country (an advance parole document). If you do not have an advance parole document you do not have permission to travel outside of the United States while your application is pending with USCIS. Doing so will ultimately result in the abandonment of your application with USCIS. The applicant will have to reapply to receive any immigration benefit from USCIS.

This is a very serious matter that should not be taken lightly. If you plan to travel outside of the country you must apply for an advance parole document at least 4 months in advance of your international travel.

Always seek counsel from an attorney before partaking in any international travel.

To schedule a first time consultation with our office, please click here.

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In this video Attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick takes you on a tour of our law office located at 1502 Sixth Avenue in sunny San Diego, California on the corner of Beech Street and Sixth Avenue. Come and visit us today. We offer first time consultations to meet your immigration needs.

For more information on the services we provide please click here.

To read our client testimonials please click here.

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In this video, Attorney Jacob J Sapochnick, Esq., explains the process of applying for a green card through an employment-sponsored petition.

Overview of Employment-Based Green Card Process

The U.S. employer must prove that hiring the foreign national will not adversely affect current labor available to U.S. workers—this requires the employer to undergo a labor certification process or PERM with the Department of Labor.

Labor certification requires the employer to go through the process of testing the labor market through a process of advertising.

Step 1: The Employer must apply for PERM or Labor Certification with the Department of Labor for the position offered. Once the Department of Labor issues the certification, the Employer may begin the advertising process for the position.

Step 2: Once the PERM Labor Certification has been approved, the Employer can file the I-140 petition with USCIS

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In this video attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick answers your frequently asked questions regarding adjustment of status based on marriage.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Can we do the process inside the United States? This depends. If both the foreign spouse and U.S. citizen spouse reside in the United States legally, then the foreign spouse can apply for adjustment of status within the United States. The foreign spouse’s legal entry is key. If the foreign spouse is living abroad and is not authorized to live in the United States, then the foreign spouse must apply for an immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate abroad to immigrate to the U.S. This process is very different from adjustment of status. Please click here to read more about the consular process.
  2. How long does the adjustment of status process last? From the moment you file the adjustment of status application until the time you receive an appointment for an interview, it takes approximately 4-5 months to adjust your status to permanent resident. This time frame varies by state and by USCIS’s caseload at the time you filed your application.
  3. How much money does it cost to file the adjustment of status? Regardless of whether you file with an attorney or without an attorney, you will need to pay filing fees: $535 for the Form I-130 and $1,225 for Form I-485 (includes $85 biometrics fee) for a total of $1,760. Certain individuals may be eligible for a fee waiver. If you apply with an attorney you will also need to pay the attorney’s fees to prepare the application.
  4. Can I still apply for adjustment of status if I have a criminal background? This depends on the type of criminal conviction, when it happened, and other factors. If you have a criminal background speak with an attorney about your situation.
  5. How much money does my US citizen spouse need to make to sponsor me?The amount of money your spouse needs to make will depend on their household size and the poverty guidelines. Every year USCIS publishes the HHS Poverty Guidelines for the Affidavit of Support which establishes how much money a sponsor needs to make based on their household size to sponsor the immigrant. You must review the poverty guidelines to know how much money you will need to make. For more information about how to do this please click here.

Remember that if you have any questions you may contact our office for more information or e-mail jacob@h1b.biz.

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In this video attorney Jacob Sapochnick speaks at an informational immigration seminar in Istanbul, Turkey. In the seminar, he discusses his book My American Job, which teaches foreign born immigrants how to navigate the complicated process of immigrating to the United States and how they too can make the American dream possible for themselves, as well as different immigration options for highly skilled professionals, entrepreneurs, start up companies, and many other immigration classifications. To learn more just keep on watching.

To read more about the different visa types and immigration classifications please visit our website. If you need more information regarding your eligibility for a particular visa, please contact our office, to schedule a first time consultation.

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