Table of Contents. See also Summary of Contents beginning on page xv.

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1 Table of Contents See also Summary of Contents beginning on page xv. Chapter One Nonimmigrant Visa Overview & Visitor Visas... 1 Gregory J. Eck, Esq., and Valentine A. Brown, Esq. Roadmap... 3 Nonimmigrant Visa Overview... 4 Nonimmigrants v. Immigrants... 4 Factors for Nonimmigrant Intent... 5 Visa Application Process... 5 B-2 Visitor Visas... 8 B-1 Business Visas B-1 Business Visitor Visas Business Visitors Visa Waiver Program Visa Waiver Countries Visa Waiver Program Changes Special Types of B Visas B-1 in Lieu of H-1B/H B-1 for Academics/Honorarium Payments B-1 for Members of the Entertainment Profession B-1 Visitors in Special Circumstances B-2 Visitors: Special Circumstances Takeaways Appendices Sample Letter to U.S. Consulate or Embassy Regarding Employee Invitation Sample Letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chapter Two Students and Exchange Visitors Emily M. Cohen, Esq., and Joan McGinley, M.Ed. F-1 Visa Agenda Acronyms F-1 Requirements Obtaining the I Applying for an F-1 Visa When to Apply for an F-1 Visa Documentation Required to Apply for F-1 Visa xvii

2 xviii Entry to the U.S After Entry to the U.S. as F Changing Status to F Maintaining Student Status Address Reporting School Transfer Change of Educational Level Full-Time Studies Exceptions to the Full-Course-of-Study Requirement (Reduced Course Load) F-1 Grace Periods F-1 Employment Options On-Campus Employment Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Optional Practical Training (OPT) Application Deadlines Are Critical Month STEM OPT Extensions...45 STEM OPT OPT and Cap Gap Employment Travel and OPT Reinstatement Conditions for Approval of Reinstatement Reinstatement Pointers Consequences of a Denial (of a Reinstatement) Travel to Regain Status Dependents...52 J-1 Visa Agenda...52 Categories of Exchange Visitor Participation Categories and Eligibility Requirements for J-1 Exchange Visitors J-1 College and University Students...54 J-1 Two Year Home Residence Requirement Fulfilling the Home Residence Requirement...56 Waiver of the Two Year Home Residency Requirement...56 Dependents J-1 Student Interns Appendix...59 Student and Exchange Visitor Program Chart Chapter Three Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) Steven J. Larín, Esq. DACA...65 Deferred Action Background Eligibility Filing Process Evidence in Support of Application Education Evidence... 70

3 Renewal Advance Parole Delivery of Legal Services Participation in DACA and Impacts Success Stories Quotes Future of DACA Appendices Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Toolkit Instructions for Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals USCIS Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals USCIS Form I-765 Worksheet I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Chapter Four The E-3, H-1B and TN Nonimmigrant Visa Classifications Jack Doebley, Esq., and Nicole Simon, Esq. I. E-3 Specialty Occupation (Australian Nationals) A. Obtaining E-3 Status; Time Limits B. Numerical Limits on the H-1B Classification C. E-3D Status for Dependents of the E-3 Employee II. H-1B Visa Classification for Temporary Workers A. Position Requirements B. Employee Requirements C. Petitioner Requirements D. The H-1B Petition Form I-129 Main Petition Form The H Classification Supplement The H-1B Data Collection and Filing Fee Exemption Supplement The I-129 Trade Agreement Supplement E. The Labor Condition Application (LCA) The Employer s Obligations Under the LCA H-1B Dependent Employers and Willful Violators Penalties and Sanctions for LCA Violations F. Other Obligations of the Petitioner G. Numerical Limits on the H-1B Classification H. Time Limits on H-1B Status I. Portability J. H-4 Status for Dependents of the H-1B Employee III. TN NAFTA Professionals A. Procedures for Canadian Citizens Form I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker The I-129 Trade Agreement Supplement B. Procedures for Mexican Citizens C. Changing or Adding TN Employers D. Limitations on TN Status E. TD Status for Dependents of the TN Employee xix

4 Chapter Five E-1/E-2/L Section 1 Intra-Company Transferees The L Visa Joel Pfeffer, Esq. I. L-1 Temporary Non-Immigrant Status A. Executive B. Manager C. Specialized Knowledge II. Qualifying Ownership A. Parent Subsidiary B. Joint Venture C. Affiliated Companies III. Filing Procedures and Supporting Documents IV. Duration, Quota and Spouses A. Canadian Citizens B. Other Nationalities V. Executive or Manager VI. Specialized Knowledge Guidance A. Special Knowledge B. Advanced Knowledge C. Factors to Be Considered D. Off-Site Employees VII. Blanket Petitions VIII. New Office Appendices L-1 Intracompany Transferees U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Policy Memorandum , L-1B Adjudications Policy Section 2 E-1 & E-2 Nonimmigrant Visas Y. Jessica Choi, Esq. E Visas: Basic Requirements E-1 and E-2 Visas: Qualifying Treaty? E-1 Treaty Trader Basic Requirements Trade Substantial Trade Trade Must Be Principally Between U.S. & Treaty Country Issues & Pointers E-2 Treaty Investor Basic Requirements Active Investment Substantial xx

5 Real and Operating Marginality Issues & Pointers E Visa Applicants Executives/Supervisors Essential Skills E Visa Application Process Transitioning to Lawful Permanent Resident Status: Issues Chapter Six Application for Alien Labor Certification PERM Richard D. Steel, Esq., and Wendy Castor Hess, Esq. I. Sources of Law A. Immigration and Nationality Act B. Regulations C. Case Law D. Other II. Employer Is Responsible for Costs A. Employer s Responsibility III. Drafting Labor Certifications See Application at Appendix A A. Job Description B. Prevailing Wage Request C. Live-in Worker D. Layoffs E. Qualifying Employment: Permanent Full-Time Position/Employee F. Bona Fide Job Opportunity G. Tactical Considerations Related to Employer s Minimum Requirements O*Net Limitations Experience Gained on the Job Establishing Business Necessity Preference Category The Foreign National s Qualifications The Importance of Section K IV. Recruitment A. Mandatory Recruitment B. Additional Recruitment for Professional Cases C. Results of Recruiting Applicant Review, Timing and Filing D. Special Recruitment/Handling for Faculty Members and Other Teachers at Institutions of Higher Education E. PERM Filing Procedure and Document Retention Requirements V. Determinations A. Approval B. Audit C. Denial D. Validity VI. Schedule A Labor Certifications A. Schedule A B. Physical Therapists C. Registered Nurses xxi

6 Appendices Application for Permanent Employment Certification ETA Form O*NET OnLine Job Zones Foreign Labor Certification Data Center SVP Information Employment and Training Administration Prevailing Wage Determination Policy Guidance Nonagricultural Immigration Programs Application for Prevailing Wage Determination ETA Form Office of Foreign Labor Certification Memo to Attorneys Chapter Seven O-1/EB-1/NIW Section 1 EB-1A, EB-1B, NIW, O-1A Brian H. Getson, Esq. I. Introduction Employment-Based Permanent Residence While Avoiding PERM Labor Certification II. III. Evaluating and Processing EB-1A, EB-1B, and NIW Petitions: Kazarian and Preponderance of the Evidence A. Kazarian and the Two-Step Approach B. Preponderance of the Evidence EB-1A Foreign Nationals With Extraordinary Ability in the Sciences, Arts, Education, Business, or Athletics A. EB-1A Evidentiary Burden Receipt of Major, Internationally Recognized Award EB-1A Evidence Categories B. Final Merits Determination C. O-1 Nonimmigrant Visa for Foreign Nationals with Extraordinary Ability in the Sciences, Arts, Education, Business, or Athletics D. EB-1A vs. O-1A IV. EB-1B Foreign Nationals Who Are Outstanding Researchers and Professors A. International Recognition as an Outstanding Professor or Researcher in a Specific Academic Field Evidence Categories and Final Merits Determination EB-1B Evidence Categories Final Merits Determination B. Qualifying Employment Offer C. Three Years of Experience as a Teacher or Researcher V. National Interest Waiver A. The New York State Department of Transportation Three-Part Test Employment in an Area of Substantial Intrinsic Merit Foreign National s Benefit Will Be National in Scope Requiring a PERM Labor Certification Would Adversely Affect the National Interest VI. Premium Processing VII. Post-Filing Issues A. When to File for a Green Card B. EB-1B Post-Filing Job Change xxii

7 Section 2 O/EB-1/NIW/Exceptional Ability Extraordinary, Outstanding, or Merely Exceptional Elise A. Fialkowski, Esq., and Brian H. Getson, Esq. O-1 Visa: Individuals With Extraordinary Ability or Achievement Extraordinary Ability (O-1) Visas Criteria O-1A Criteria for O-1B O-1 Alien of Extraordinary Ability O The What and Why of EA/OR/NIW The Preference Categories Permanent Residency Quotas, Where Are We Now? How Do You Get to Be EB-1? EB-1 Outstanding Professor or Researcher What Is This EB-2? EB-2-NIW Today s Focus USCIS Top 10 for an RFE Best Practices to Avoid RFEs Appendices Extraordinary, Outstanding and National Interest Foreign Nationals U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Policy Memorandum Buletini v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 860 F. Supp. 1222, E.D. Mich. S U.S. Dist. Lexis Kazarian v. US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 596 F.3d 1115, 9th Cir U.S. App. Lexis Chapter Eight Family Immigration Sondra Miller-Wein, Esq., and Brennan J. Gian-Grasso, Esq. Immediate Relatives and the Preference System Consular Processing Adjustment of Status Stateside Waivers Adoption Post-Hague Stateside Waivers I-601A Requirements for Stateside Waiver The Fiancé(e) K-1 Visa Hybrid Marriage Cases Special Issues 245i, VWP Documents for Marriage-Based I-130 Petitions Bona Fides I-485 Documentation Conditional Residence Changes xxiii

8 Chapter Nine Ethics Prof. Fernando Chang-Muy xxiv I. Hypotheticals II. Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct Chapter Ten A Brief Primer on Admissibility and Deportability Jonah Eaton, Esq., and Katelyn M. Hufe, Esq. I. Admissibility II. Grounds of Deportability III. Removal Proceedings Chapter Eleven Asylum and Other Related Humanitarian Relief Submitted by Ayodele Gansallo, Esq. Key Terms and Acronyms Chapter Objectives I. Overview and Sources of Law for Asylum A. Sources of Law B. Definitions Persecution Agents of Persecution Past Persecution Well-Founded Fear of Future Persecution C. The Enumerated Grounds Race Religion Nationality Membership in a Particular Social Group Political Opinion D. Standard of Proof and Credibility E. Bars to Asylum Eligibility One-Year Deadline Persecutors Convicted of an Aggravated Felony or Particularly Serious Crime Firm Resettlement Safe Third Country Terrorism and Danger to U.S. Security Multiple Asylum Applications F. Denial, Revocation, or Termination of Asylum II. Asylum Procedure A. Building the Asylum Case B. Compiling the Affirmative Asylum Request C. Defensive Asylum Claims D. Frivolous Asylum Applications E. Asylum Applicants and Employment Authorization

9 III. Credible and Reasonable Fear Interviews IV. Benefits of Asylum Grant V. Withholding of Removal VI. Convention Against Torture Appendix Representing Asylum Seekers Chapter Twelve Defensive Applications in Immigration Court Elaine Y. Cheung, Esq., and Anna Paciorek, Esq. I. Defensive Applications for LPRs II. Defensive Applications for Non-LPRs III. Intake Questions to Formulate Defenses to Removal Proceedings A. Basic Biographic Information B. Marital Status C. How Many Children Do You Have in the World? D. Do You Have Any Current Immigration Status? E. If No Status, How Many Times Have You Entered or Attempted to Enter the United States? F. Have You Ever Been Arrested? G. Have You Been the Victim of a Crime in the U.S H. Has Anyone Filed a Visa Petition or Labor Certification on Your Behalf? I. Do You Fear Return to Your Home Country? J. If Entered the U.S. as a Minor and Currently Under Age Chapter Thirteen Crimmigration: The Impact of Criminal Activity on Immigration Status Wayne Sachs, Esq., and Rosina C. Stambaugh, Esq. I. Immigration Conviction A. What Is It for Immigration Purposes? B. Effects on Status II. Advisals: Padilla v. Kentucky III. Major Consequences of Convictions A. Inadmissibility v. Deportability B. Deportation-INA 237a(2)(A-E): Immigration Prosecutions C. Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude (CIMT) D. Aggravated Felony Offenses E. No Discretion-Certainty of Deportation F. Mandatory Detention IV. Other Effects of Criminal Convictions A. Limit or Bar Path to Citizenship B. Restriction on Right to Travel xxv

10 Appendix Crimmigration: The Impact of Criminal Activity on Immigration Status Chapter Fourteen Administrative & Judicial Review Christopher M. Casazza, Esq. I. Significant and Recent BIA Decisions A. Bond B. Material Support Bar C. Good Moral Character/Fraud D. Hearing Procedures E. Relief F. Criminal II. Published Third Circuit Decisions Since September A. Stop-time Rule, Cancellation of Removal, Defective NTA B. Padilla/Ineffective Assistance C. Habeas Corpus D. CIMT, Removal, PA Terrorist Threats E. CIMT, Stop-Time Rule F. Conviction w/o Penalty G. Hypothetical Felony, Expedited Removal of AF H. Court-Martial, Removal, Conviction I. Conditional LPR, 212(h) Waiver J. Asylum, Social Group, Domestic Violence K. Asylum, Material Support L. Withholding of Removal, Social Group, One Central Reason M. Naturalization & Obtaining LPR Status via Fraud N. Removal, Jurisdiction, NIV Waiver O. Religious Special Immigrant, Lawful Employment P. K-4 AOS III. Significant and Recent SCOTUS Decisions A. Crime of Violence Analysis B. Modified Categorical Approach C. Categorical Approach & Drug Possession/Paraphernalia xxvi

Immigration Law for Paralegals

Immigration Law for Paralegals FOURTH EDITION by MARIA ISABEL CASABLANCA, ESQ. GLORIA ROA BODIN, ESQ. Carolina Academic Press Durham, North Carolina Copyright 2015 Maria I. Casablanca and Gloria Roa Bodin