Overview of U.S. Visa Options for Foreign Entrepreneurs ... · Overview of U.S. Visa Options for...

OverviewofU.S.VisaOptionsforForeignEntrepreneurswithReal-LifeCase

Examples

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PRESENTED BY:

Sponsored by:

TheEntrepreneurand“TheAmericanDream”

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•Origins/Introduction•“Outside-In Immigration”– Originatesoverseas•MerriamWebsterdefines“Entrepreneur”as“onewhoorganizes,manages,andassumes therisksofabusinessorenterprise.”•The“AmericanDream”takesmanyforms,bothpersonalandcollective,including:

•Acompany/concept/brand/product launchintheU.S.•EstablishmentofaU.S.subsidiary ofaforeignbusiness• Investmentinprojectswhichcreatejobs

• BasicIntro– “Threeheadedmonster”andstatusversusvisa

E-2InvestorVisa:BasicRequirements

• NationalityofsponsoredindividualsMUSThavecorrespondingtreatywithU.S.It’sassimpleaslookingatthecurrentDepartmentofStatelist.

• Dualnationality- canchoosecountrywhichhasbilateraltreatywithU.S.(e.g.foreignnationalhasRussiancitizenship,sohe/shewouldnotqualifyduetolackofU.S.treatywithU.S.,butifhe/shehascitizenshipfromatreatcountry,likeFrance,forexample,theycanapplyunderthatpassportandqualify);

• Thisrulesoutapproximately60%oftheworld’scountriesand¾oftheworld’spopulation,sinceIndiaandPRCdonothaveatreatywiththeU.S.

• “Nationality”ofU.S.company– atleast50%ofU.S.enterprisemustbeownedbynationals/companiesofthetreatycountry

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• Treaty“nationality”mustbemaintained– theU.S.entitymustalwayscontinuetomaintaintreatynation’snationalitybynevercedingmorethan50%ofownershiptonationalsfromothercountries:Twospecificscenarioswherethisischallenging:1)JointVenture– 50%treatynation-ownedand50%ownedbynationalsfromoneothertreatycountryAllowsnationalsfromBOTHtogetvisasasprincipalinvestors,supervisorsoressentialemployees– butifthisdelicatebalanceisshiftedATALL,forexampletreatynationcompanysells10%ofitshares,theU.S.entityceasestohavetreatynationalityanditsexistingE2sarevoided2)Companiesseekingventurecapital– GenerallytheU.S.entityis100%ownedbysamecountrynationalswhenfounded.IFsharesaresoldtoinvestors– 50%MUSTremaintreatynation-ownedortreatynationalscannotbeemployedbytheU.S.entityunderE2

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• VisasbasedoninvestmentcanexistonlyaslongastheU.S.entitydoes:IftheU.S.company ceasestoexist,sodoallvisasbasedonthatcompany

• ThreecategoriesofindividualscanreceiveanE-2visa:1)principalinvestortobeableto“directanddevelop”theU.S.entity;or2)forasupervisor(executiveormanager);or3)foranemployeeessentialtothecompany,liketechnicaltrainerforpatentedsoftware

• Extremelyversatilevisa:CanalsobeusedforlaunchofU.S.office/flagshipstoreofforeignbusiness,anewconceptlaunch,orthepurchaseofexistingbusinessorfranchise

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• U.S.companyservesassponsorforthevisapetition• NationalityofU.S.companymustmatchitsE-visa

sponsoredemployees• 50/50JointVentures– companymayhave2different

nationalitiesbut50%mustbeapplicant’shomecountry;• Nolimittonumberofrenewalsaslongasthesponsoring

businessisoperatingsuccessfully,creating/maintainingjobsandpayingtaxes

• ApplicationscanbefileddirectlyattheU.S.embassy,consularsection,ofthecorrespondingcountry,whichmaybefasterandlessexpensivetoprocess.EachEmbassyhasitsownprocessingrulesandrequirements,butapplicablelawsarethesame.

• Spouseofvisaholderscanobtainemploymentauthorizationandcanworkindependently.

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Requirements• A“substantial investment”mustbecommittedtotheU.S.

entity– thiscomprisesstart-upcosts&1st-yearoperatingcosts,withtheexpectationofrevenuebeinggeneratebytheendofyear1.Thisvariescase-by-case.

• Investmentcannotbe“marginal”– Itmustbenefit theU.S.economy,notjustthebeneficiariesofthevisa– jobcreation,revenuegeneration/taxes arenecessaryforvisarenewalsanddemonstrate thattheventureisnotmarginal

• Fundsmustbe“committed”- Fundsmeetingthesubstantialitytest(orcombinationofgoods/equipmentandcapital)thresholdmustbedeposited intothebankaccountfortheU.S.entity.MustshowproofofwirefromoriginaccountandreceiptofsamefundsinU.S.account.Ifinvestmentcomprisesgoods/equipmentgoodtohaveproofandCPAletter.

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• Fundsmustbeplaced“atrisk”– Essentiallythismeansthatthefundsaresetintomotion,topayforaleasedofficespace,forstart-upcosts.Shouldcorrespondtotheinitialstepssetforthin5-yearbusinessplan.

• SourceofFunds– Requirementistoshowthatthefundswerelegallyobtained.AdvisabletogetCPAletterandproofofincome/capitalusedtofundtheinvestment–Ifagift,thenoriginalsourceoffundsmustbeshown.Thismaymeangoingbackasmuchastenyearstoaccountforallfundswhichconstitutetheinitialinvestment.

• Reciprocity– Thisallowstheconsulatestolimitthemaximumtimeforthesevisasandnumberofentries(singleormultiple)– cangreatlyaffectstrategiesandvisachoices

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ExamplesofE-2Businesses• Mexicannationalpurchases3branchesofCrunchgym

• GermannationalsignsfranchiseagreementtosetupexclusiveretailstoreforAsianbathproductcompany

• ItaliansocialmediamarketingcompanylaunchesinFlorida– movingestablishedbusinesstoU.S.

• Danishstartupwhichremindspatientsaboutdentalanddoctorappointments

• NorwegianentrepreneurbuysFedex routeinCA• UKnationallaunchesafinancialadvisorycompany• FrenchwineimportersetsupinNYandbringsinwinespecialists(Cheesecompanyaswell)

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• DutchhotelcompanyopensU.S.constructionanddesignmanagementoffice

• IsraelinationalwithFrenchnationalityopensanIsraelibakery

• Egyptiannationalopensprojectmanagementcompany• Turkishnationallaunchesceramictileandkitchenappliancecompany

• Frenchfatherandsonlaunchan“escaperoom”business

• Australianwomanlaunchesarealestateinvestmentand“flipping”businessmodel

• Korean/ArgentineJV– televisionproductioncompany

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E-2:Step-by-StepCaseExample• MexicannationaldecidestoinvestinaGymfranchise• U.S.entityisincorporated,getstaxIDandbankaccountfor

entity• PrincipalInvestment ismade– fundsare“committed”by

wiringthemintoU.S.entity’sbankaccount• U.S.companysignsandexecutesthefranchiseagreement,

paysfranchisefeeandprocuresofficespacetomanageitsbuild-out,andthushasputthefunds“atrisk”

• PrincipalInvestment amountis“substantial”,constitutingmorethanstart-upandfirstyearoperatingcosts,includingthefranchisefee

• E-2visapetitionandbusinessplanwithfive-yearprojectionsareprepared

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• SinceheisintheU.S.currentlyonanH-1Bvisa,heapplieswithUSCISinconjunctionwithachangeofstatus.

• ThepetitionisapprovedandheisgivenE-2statusfor2yearsasa“principalinvestor”.HiswifealsogetsE-2visastatusthenappliesforemploymentauthorization.

• Lateron,whenhehastoleavethecountry,apetitionisfiledattheU.S.EmbassyinMexicoCity,andhegoestohisinterviewandtheygettheirvisasforfiveyears.

• Afterexpandingtothreegymsunderthesamecorporation,hestartsplanningonhowto“convert”hisE-2intoagreencard.

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Investment:EB-5InvestorGreenCardFoundation:• U.S.businessorprojectinU.S.whichwillcreateataminimumofat

least10full-timejobsperinvestor• InvestormustinvestminimumUS$500,000orUS$1million

dependingonwhethertheareawherejobswillbecreatedisinaTargetedEconomicArea(“TEA”)

• InvestormustbeabletoshowlegalsourceoffundsSuspensionMechanism:HowtoKeepGreenCard• U.S.entity/investment vehiclemustcontinuetoexistthroughout

theconditionalgreencardphase.• Theminimum tenjobsmustbecreatedbeforetheconditional

greencardisconvertedtoapermanentgreencard.Note:Whethertheinvestmentisprofitableisirrelevant.Jobcreation

minimumbeingmetisdecidingfactortobeabletogetpermanentresidence.

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Real-LifeEB-5Case:BackgroundStory

• Mr.Wu,48yearsold,isnationalofthePeople’sRepublicofChina(PRC);Hisdaughter,Jen,iscurrentlyasophomorestudyingBus.Admin.inU.S.universityonF-1visa,andhehasawifeandtwoadditionalchildrenunder18livingwithhim.

• Mr.Wuisaruralfarm-ownerwithasuccessfuloperation.• Mr.Wuboughtapropertyforhisfarmingbusinessin1999

fortheequivalentofUS$140,000andhasmadeseveraladditionallandpurchasesandsalessince,includingthepropertywheretheybuiltahouseandnowreside.

• Mrs.Wuhasearnedasteadysalaryinheradministrativejobatamanufacturingplantforthepastdecade.

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• JenaspirestoremainintheU.S.aftershefinishesschool,butgettingajobandvisasponsorshipisdifficultandthevisatypicallyusedforemploymentofforeignuniversitygraduates,theH-1B,islimitedbyaninadequateannualcapandno-guaranteelotterysystem

• Jenwouldconsiderrunningafamily-ownedbusinessinthefuture,butsincethePRCdoesnothaveaE-2treatyinvestorvisawiththeU.S.,shecannotapplyforthatvisabasedoninvestmentinabusiness.

• Currently,theWu’shavemorethan$500,000insavingsandpropertyholdings,butunder$1million

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Step1:ChoosingtheInvestmentVehicle

• TheWu’sbegintoresearchpossibleinvestmentprojectswheretheycouldinvestmoneyinordertoprocureGreenCardsforthefamily.TheyattendalargeexpositiononEB-5,filledwithRegionalCenterspromotingtheirprojectsandpromisingquickprocessingandeasilymeetingthejobcreationrequirementforallinvestors.However,Jenwantstousehereducationandapplyithands-ontoabusinessventure.Mr.andMrs.Wuareunsureofthesecurityoftheirassets.

• AfriendofafriendofMr.WutellshimaboutachancetoinvestinafranchiserestaurantownershipopportunityintheBronx,whichwillcreate15full-timejobsandthereforecanaccommodateoneEB-5investor.

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• SincetheBronxisdesignatedaTEA,thisdirectinvestmentprojectallowstheWu’stoinvestthelowerthresholdof$500,000toopenandrunafranchiserestaurantlocation

-- Based on their desire to be entrepreneurs anddistrust of unknown projects and in light ofhorror stories about EB-5 regional centerscams, the Wu’s chose this project. They signthe required documents with the project andbegan to plan the rigorous and complex processof making the investment.

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Step2:ProcurementandSourceofFunds

• TheWu’shadtofirstputalltheirfundsinoneplace,andselltheirprincipalproperties.Afterdoingsotheywereabletobeginthemovementoffunds.

• TheWu’swererequiredtodocumentthesourceofallthefundsusedfortheEB-5investment,includingproofofpurchaseandsaleofpropertiesoverthelasttwodecades,includingproofofincomeforMrs.Wu’sjobandMr.Wu’sfarmingbusiness.

• Thisinformationwasanalyzed,certifiedandcataloguedcomprehensivelyinaSourceofFundsreport,whichwouldberequiredintheEB-5application.

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Step3:MakingTheInvestment:TransferofFundsfromSourcetoEB-5Project

• SincethePRClimitstheamountofforeigncurrencythatanyoneindividualresidentmaypurchaseandtransferoutofthePRCtoUSD$50,000peryear,Mr.Wu,asprincipalinvestor,hadfirsthadtotransferthemoneyto10friendsandfamilyinparcelsoftheequivalentofUS$50,000.

• ThoseindividualsconvertedthefundstoU.S.dollarsandthentransferredthosefundstoanaccountsetupinHongKong.ThetotalofallthosefundswasthenfinallytransferredtotheEB-5project’sescrowaccount.Thisprocesstookapproximatelytwomonthstocoordinateandfinish.

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Step4:SubmittingtheI-526Application

• TheimmigrationattorneyspreparedtheI-526ImmigrantInvestorApplication.Thepetitionincluded,amongotherthings:

1)TheSourceofFundsreport,includingathoroughpapertrailtracingallofthefundslawfullyobtainedbytheWu’sfromtheiroriginalsources,proofofallwiresfromMr.Wutofriendsandfamily,totheHongKongaccount,andfinallytheEB-5projectescrowaccount.

2)Allcorporatedocuments,agreements,certificationsandlicensesrequiredfortheprojecttooperateandforMr.Wutoparticipateinthebusinessasinvestor.

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3)Economist’sreport4)BusinessPlan5)PersonaldocumentsforMr.Wuandalldependents(Mr.Wuwaschiefapplicant)

• Theapplicationwassubmittedandapproved1yearaftersubmission.

• Mr.WuandhisfamilyappliedfortheirvisasattheU.S.embassyinGuangzhou.Basedonherfather’sapprovedgreencard,JenappliedforadjustmentofstatusintheU.S.andreceivedherconditionalgreencardsixmonthslater.

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Step5:SubmittingtheI-829PetitiontoRemoveConditions

• AnI-829applicationwassubmittedbeforethefamily’sconditionalresidentstatushadreachedthe2-yearmark,atwhichtimehehadtodocumentthatminimum10jobswerecreatedasaresultofhisinvestment.

• Mr.Wuhadtoincludeproofofjobcreationthroughpayrollrecordsandtaxreturnsandalsoincludedbankstatements,invoices,contractsandtaxreturnsfortheEB-5project.JenandMrs.Wuwereworkingforthecompanybutcouldnotbecountedtowardsthejobcreationrequirement.

• TheapplicationwasapprovedandtheWu’sreceivedapermanentGreenCardandwouldbeeligibletoapplyforU.S.citizenshipatthefive-yearmarkofgettingtheirconditionalgreencard.

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FinalNotesonEB-5• 1)EB-5investmentscanbeusedbyentrepreneurswhowanta

hands-onroleinthemanagementofthebusinessorcanbelargelypassiveinnature,wheretheinvestorinveststhefundsandhasnocontactwiththeproject.

• 2)Jobcreationisthesingle-most importantfactortokeep inmindwhenchoosingaproject.Businessmodelswhichdependonmanpower fromday1ofoperations,likerestaurants,hotels,resorts,hospitalsandassistedlivingcenters,areidealforEB-5.

• 3)TherestrictionsonmovementoffundsforPRCnationalsrepresentsperhapsthemostcomplicatedpathtotransferoffundstotheEB-5projectsandwasusedforillustrativepurposes.Onemustknowhowtomaneuver thosekindsofroadblocksdependingonwherethefundscomefrom.Nomatterwhat,allsourcesoffundsmustbethoroughlydocumented.

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4)Bewareofpromisesofacceleratedprocessing– AllEB-5visaapplicationsareprocessedintheorderinwhichtheyarereceivedandcannotreceivepreferentialtreatment.

5)Bewareofinvestmentsatthe$1millionmark6)BewareofprojectswhichdonotholdtheinvestmentinescrowuntiltheI-526isapproved,thusnotprotectingthefundsduringadjudication.Thishasbecomeatrendsincetheeconomicrecessionin2008causedcomplementaryfundingtodryupandwithdelaysinI-526processing.

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UsingForeignCompaniesasaPlatform:L-1VisaandEB-1GreenCards– Intra-CompanyTransfer

FoundationforVisa:• ExistenceofForeignCompanyandDirectly-RelatedU.S.EntityisRequired• Foreigncompanymusthaveexistedforatleastoneyearbeforeapplyingand

employeestobetransferredmusthaveworkedforatleast1continuousyearinthepast3yearsforforeignentity– canbeanybranchworldwide

SuspensionMechanism:• Foreignentitymustcontinuetofunctionfordurationofvisaandrelationship

betweenforeignandU.S.entitymusttocontinueexist– iftheseconditionsceasetobemetthebridgecollapsesandthevisastiedtoitdoaswell

• IftheU.S.entityissoldtoanothercompany,thebridgealsocollapses• Generallytheforeigncompanyistheparentcompany,whollyowningand

controllingtheU.S.subsidiary

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• Theemployeetobetransferredmusthavebeenemployedabroadinan"executive" or"managerial"position(L-1A)orapositioninvolving"specializedknowledge." (L-1B)

• L-1A:Whether thepositionisexecutiveormanagerialisdefinedbyitsdutiesandresponsibilities.Generally, Amanagertendstodealmorewithpersonnelsupervisionandanexecutivesupervisesthemanagersandhandlespolicyandnegotiationsforthecompanywithothercompanies.

• InmanycasesthepositionforanewcompanyisaCountryManagerorRegionalManagerandtheexecutivesremainoverseas(SeeFAMforexpandeddiscussion)

• Inthecaseofsmallercompanies,owners/foundersoftheoverseasentityoftencometotheU.S.asthefirstLvisaholderfortheU.S.entity, tolaythefoundationforU.S.business

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• L-1B:“SpecializedKnowledge”– FAMdefines thisas....”??”– It’samystery!!Sowhatisthisinpractice?

•– Ifthepersonwillnotoccupyamanagerialorexecutive function,and

hasnotdonesooverseas, thenthisistheonlyoption– soargumentmustbemadethattheyhaveknowledgeofaproduct,system,software,etc.thatissingular,uniqueandproprietarytotheforeigncompanyandthatthereforeonlytheyarequalified(andnotaU.S.Hire)andtheirpresence isneededintheU.S.

-- ThiscreatesaSlipperySlope– Loosedefinitionmeansroomformorecreativityinpresentingarguments.ItalsomeansthatUSCIShasgreatermargintodenyonsubjectivegrounds!

--Thishasalsobecomeproblematicwhenrenewingthevisas– USCISwantstoknowwhyUScitizenscouldnotbetrainedtoobtainthisspecializedknowledge

-- EndResult:ReductioninL-1Bpetitionsanddistrustfortheprocess

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– theExecutiveActiononimmigrationreformannouncedNovember20,2014,underpart4oftheinitiativeontheUSCISwebsiteentitled“Modernize,improveandclarifyimmigrantandnonimmigrantvisaprogramstogrowoureconomyandcreatejobs”addressesthislackofclarity,whichhasledemployerstonotapplyforL-1Bvisas,bystatingthisobjective:“Provideclear,consolidated guidanceonthemeaningof“specializedknowledge”tobringgreaterclarityandintegritytotheL-1Bprogram, improveconsistency inadjudications, andenhancecompanies’ confidence intheprogram.”

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ExamplesofL-1Bcases-- ExamplesofL-1bcasesIhavepresented:

1) Koreancompanywhichfabricatesagriculturalequipment andhasover200patentsontheirproducts– L-1Bspecialized knowledgeemployee supervises teamwhichhandlesrepairoftheproductsintheU.S

2) IsraeliChainofBakeries – L-1Bforpastrychef– ArguedthatheadpastrychefforchainwasnecessarybecausetheUSbusinesswasgoingtosellpastriesbasedonhisproprietaryrecipesandhehadtoteachthestaffhowtomake themhisway

3) Argentinecompanywhichcreatessoftware-basedapplicationsforvirtualcommercialshoppingplatformstransfersitsheadsoftwaresalesteammanager totheU.S.torunsoftwaresalesteam

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ObservationsonL-1:• DurationoffirstL-1visadependsonhowlongtheU.S.

entityhasexistedbeforeapplying:– Lessthan1yearis“NewOffice”:initialvisascanbegrantedforonly1year

– Ifmorethan1year,visascanbegrantedforaninitialperiodofthreeyears

WhyIsthissignificant?- RequirementforrenewalforL-1Aisthemanagerorexecutive’s“RemovalfromDay-to-DayActivities”- thisessentiallymeansthattheyarestrictlymanagingandnothandlingtheminutiaofbusiness

- “NewOffice”visaforoneyearmeansanextremelydifficultstandardtomeetinoneyear

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– Shortandlong-termstrategymustbeinplaceandthetimingofthevisaapplicationisveryimportant

– Solutioncanbetoestablishthecompanyfirstandthenapplyforvisasafteroneyear

– Avisafor3yearsalsogivesthecompanyenoughtimetoapplyforandreceivegreencardsforL-1Amanagersandexecutives

– Planningshort-termandlong-termsimultaneouslyandpropertimingcankeepthesponsoringbusinessandthevisasthecompanyneedsinplace

– Ifeventualgreencardsarenotapriority,thenE2maybepreferablecategory(assumingcountryeligibilityandposition),asyouhavefiveyearsuntilrenewal

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L-1:Step-by-StepCaseExample• Foreignhotelcompanyfoundedin1998andsuccessincludesexpansionto

severalothercountries• BusinessplancreatedforexpansionofbusinesstoU.S.andU.S.entityis

incorporatedassubsidiaryofDutchcompany• ManagertravelstoU.S.onvisawaiver/ESTAoraB1visatolaygroundwork

forU.S.entity• AfterU.S.entityhasbeeninexistenceforoneyear,appliesforL-1visa,

whichisgrantedforthree-yearperiod• ManagergoestointerviewatUSEmbassyandreceivesvisa• Hierarchyiscreatedwherehe/sheiseventuallyremoved fromday-to-day

activitiesandissupervisinganotherlevelofemployees• SinceL-1AisafasttracktoMultinationalExecutive GreenCard(EB-1),

applicationispresentedandapprovedwithintwoyearsofgrantingofvisa

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BridgefromL-1AtoGreenCard• L-1AExecutivesorManagershaveacorrespondinggreen

cardcategory,theEB-1MultinationalExecutiveorManagercategory.

• RequirementsareverysimilartoL-1Arenewalrequirements– Candidatesmustberemovedfromday-to-dayactivitiesandinpurelysupervisoryorexecutivefunctionsonly

• Requirementofoneofthepast3yearsworkingforforeignentitybeforeworkingintheUSexists– butalltimeinUSistolled– canapplyforgreencardanytime

• Nolaborcertificationisrequired,aswithotherEBcategories(EB-2/EB-3)soprocessingcantakeplaceinapproximatelyoneyear.

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Nocompanyneeded:EB-1ExtraordinaryAbilityGreenCard

• SimilartoO-1nonimmigrantvisaforExtraordinaryAbility– Qualifyingcriteriaareevenmoreflexibleandnumerous,butO-1requiressponsorship,whileEB-1isself-sponsored

• Almostnolimitationastoprofession:Science,Academics,Arts,Sports,Research,Business,etc.,aslongasqualificationisestablished

• Nocaps,filingdeadlines,andiseligibleforpremiumprocessingsocanbeadjudicatedextremelyquickly(Havehadcasesapprovedintwodays).

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ExtraordinaryAbilityEB-1:Three-ProngTest

1) Qualificationin3of10categories2) “SustainedAcclaim”:Applicantmustshowthathe/shehasa

highlevelofnationaland/orinternationalsustainedacclaim– Thisisevidencedbyletterssignedbyleadersintheirindustry.Theletter-signersreputations legitimizethesustainedacclaimofthevisaapplicant.

3) SubstantialBenefittotheU.S.– Thisstandardisnotclearlydefined,butargumentmustbemadethatvisaapplicant’sphysicalpresence intheU.S.willtranslateintotangiblebenefitstotheU.S.economy, likejobcreation,aswellasmoreintangiblebenefits, likeoverallcontributiontotheartsorcultureoftheU.S.

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Prong1:QualifyingCriteriaYoumustshowthatapplicantqualifiesinaminimumof3categories,not

allten(notevenamajority):

1)Lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards(“Lesser”is not strictly defined but inpractice means anything but aPulitzer,Nobel,AcademyAward,Grammy,Emmy).

• These canbe national or international awards,andthe organizationswhich grant them should be well recognized,soawards aredeemed asarecognition ofbeing atthe topofone’s field.

2)Evidence ofyour membership inassociations inthe field whichdemand outstanding achievement oftheir members

• Cannot be membership that simply requires payment ofdues.Membershipmust be obtained after ascreening process andthespecific criteria ofmembership selection should be enumerated inaconfirmation letter by the entity.

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3) Evidence ofpublished materialabout you inprofessional ormajor trade publications or other major media

• What is most important factorhere is the number ofreaders/circulation ofeach publication.The bigger,the better.Onlinesources areacceptable but harder to definenumber ofreaders,andsothose with corresponding published editions arebest.Profile pieces arebetter than simplementions,asapplicantsarechief focus ofarticles.

4) Evidence that you have been asked to judge the work ofothers,either individually or on apanel

• Judgingtheworkofyourpeerspositionsyouasanexpert– Thismustbeassociatedwithanofficialevent,likejudgingatalentshowforentertainers,orpresentationpapersforamajorconference,forexample– Needofficialconfirmationletterstatingcriteriaforchoosingjudges

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5)Evidence ofyour originalscientific,scholarly, artistic,athletic,or business-related contributions ofmajorsignificance to the field

• Keys here arethat contributions be original,preferably solowork andthat the significance ofthe work be demonstrable –impact on the industry canbe shown vis-a-visarticles/reviewsandcitations inwork by other professionals – This category isoften used by inventors ,scientists andrecording artists

6)Evidence ofyour authorship ofscholarly articles inprofessional or major trade publications or other majormedia

• This usually applies to academics/science/math/medicine–Proof ofpublicationand confirmation letter from publisherestablishing reputation andcirculation for publicationsuggested

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7)Evidence that your work hasbeen displayed atartistic exhibitionsor showcases

• This applies to artists only – Canbe concerts,festivals,exhibitions• Best proof is articles published about the event with specific

mention ofthe artist,website printouts,flyers/promotionalmaterials andconfirmation letters from exhibition organizers

8)Evidence ofyour performanceofaleading or critical roleindistinguished organizations

• This roleshould be an actualpositioninthe organization,not just aroleinaproject.For people who generally work on aproject-by-project basis,being apermanent board member is one way tosatisfy this category,or amember ofthe faculty ofauniversity/school,but generally this applies to aperiod where theindividualwas employed by the organization

• Letter from organization should describeindetail the person’sleading or critical role

• Distinguished Reputation ofthe orgranzation must be established –Awards/Recognition, reviews,history ofsuccess.

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9)Evidence that you command ahigh salary or other significantlyhigh remuneration inrelation to others inthe field

• This category is difficult to establish because what is considered“significantly high”andin“relation to others inthe field”arelargely undefined.

• Asaruleofthumb,you want to domarket research forsalaries/compensation inthe field andshoot for atleast 150%overthe highest reported levels,andget expert letter to corroboratethis.

• Inpractice,USCISwill comparecandidate’s income to the top10%ofthe field andwill citethe highest-paid individuals assetting thestandard,making this difficult to utilize.

10)Evidence ofyour commercial successes inthe performing arts• Sales,sales,sales– Needtoshowthatboxofficereceiptsorsalesof

videosormusicrecordings• Rememberallyouneedisthree!!

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EB-1ExtraordinaryAbility:Step-by-StepCaseExample

• Long-timeCreativeDirectorinAdvertisingdecideshewantstolivepermanently intheU.S.andnotbesponsored/employed

• Evaluationofhisworkandc.v.leadstodecisiontoapplyforEB-1greencard

• Letterswritten,documentationassembled, confirmationlettersprocured,etc.

• Applicationsubmittedwithpremiumprocessingandapproved• ApplicantsendsadditionaldocumentstoNationalVisaCenterfor

consularprocessing(IfinUSonvisa,wouldapplyforadjustmentofstatus)

• InterviewatUSEmbassyinLondonandvisagiven• ApplicantmovestoUSaspermanent resident;eligible forUS

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FinalComments– TakeHomeLessons

1) Jobcreation isthesingle-most importantfactortokeepinmindwhenchoosing aroad/path.

• BusinessmodelswhichdependonmanpowerfromDay1ofoperations, e.g.serviceindustrybusinesses likehotels,hospitals ,assistedlivingcentersandrestaurantsareidealformaximizing chancesofgettingvisasandgreencards.

• Businesseswhichdependontemporary jobcreationoroutsourced laboraretheweakestcases,becausetheydon’tdirectlybenefittheU.S.economy.

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2)Investmentscanbeusedbyentrepreneurswhowantahands-onroleinthemanagementofthebusinessorcanbelargelypassiveinnature.Whethertheycangetavisaoragreencardwilldependonthesizeoftheinvestmentandthenumberoffull-timejobscreated.

3)E-2istheidealcategoryforstart-upswithouttheresourcestocreatelargestaffnumbers,astheexpectationsforjobcreationarelowerandthereismoretimebetweenrenewaldeadlines,dependingonreciprocity

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4)L-1fitsthemultinationalbusinessmodelandcompaniesthathavetheresourcestocreatemorejobsintheshort-term

5)LayingthegroundworkBEFOREapplyingforanybusinessorinvestment-relatedvisashelpsmaximizechancesofsuccessinshortandlong-term:

a)Developingafive-yearbusinessplan,projectinggrowth,hiring,andrevenuegeneration

b)IncorporatingandFundingtheU.S.entity

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c)Puttingthepreliminaryphaseofbusinesslaunch/expansionintomotionby:

• procuringofficespace•marketingnewbusiness• formingstrategicbusinessalliances• beginningtodoworkandifpossible,hiringpreliminarystaff• UtilizingVisaWaiver/ESTAorB1visainordertotravelandlaythegroundwork

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7)Overachieverswhoaretopsintheirfields,inalmostanycategory,maybeeligibleforextraordinaryabilitygreencards,aslongastheyhaveprojectsandplanswhichextendabenefittotheU.S.asawhole,especiallyeconomic benefits

8)Businesses intheU.S.whichcreatejobs,especially inhospitality industries,canutilizetheEB-5programtoprocureneededcapitalandhelpgrowtheirbusinesses,andforeignnational investorscanobtaingreencardsfortheirparticipation. EB-5canbeusedbypassiveandactiveinvestors.JobcreationisTHEkeytosuccess,whichmeansthatchoosing abusinessyoucancontrolandoperatecanmaximizechancesforsuccessandthusmakesitanidealvehicleforentrepreneurstogetgreencardsforthemselvesandtheirimmediatefamilies.

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SteveMaggi,Esq.SMALawFirmU.S.Immigration&ConsularLaw80MaidenLane,Suite509NewYork,NY10038Office:(212)402-6885Email: smaggi@smalawyers.comWeb:www.smalawyers.com

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