Making the Impossible Possible and Simple:  Approval after Denials & RFEs (part I)   Victoria Chen, J.D., Esq.   Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, once remarked— “Canada sets aside 36 percent of their visas for people with skills they think their country needs. We set aside six percent. We educate the doctors, and then don't give 'em a green card.”   This lends to the worldwide perception that obtaining a Green Card for permanent residency in the United States Read more [...]

Making the Impossible Possible and Simple:  Approval after Denials & RFEs  (part II) Victoria Chen, J.D., Esq. CASE TWO – SAP MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING (EB-1A & EB-2 NIW) Similar to case one, case two also concerned a foreign professional who decided to retain the services of Chen Immigration Law Associates following his receipt of RFEs for both his EB-1 and EB-2 cases and understandable dissatisfaction with the original attorney on record.  Additionally, since this client was Read more [...]

Q 1: How fast can I expect my case to be prepared and filed if I work with Chen Immigration Law Associates? A: The time on us is always standard and predicable. It takes us 1-2 weeks to produce the first drafts of the recommendation letters and 1-2 weeks to provide the first draft of the petition letter. After we get comments from you on the documents drafts, it takes us about 1-3 days to provide the revised letters. We also need 3 days to organize the exhibits and file the case to the USCIS. This Read more [...]

Case Outcomes Simplified:  How Much Discretion Does an Immigration Officer Truly Have?                                                                         Victoria Chen, J.D., Esq.   We at Chen Immigration understand that the supposedly complex nature of an Immigration Officer’s discretion can become quite confusing and deeply frustrating, especially for the self-petitioner.  Accordingly, unreasonable Requests for Evidence letters (RFEs) and Read more [...]

Victoria Chen, J.D., Esq.   We at Chen Immigration Law Associates always appreciate the hard work of most immigration officers who review cases in a timely and accurate manner. Because of the correct determination of immigration officers, more than 95% of our EB1 cases filed are approved by the USCIS. Although Ombudsman has expressed its concern regarding the inconsistent decisions of EB1-EA (Aliens of Extraordinary Ability) cases after Kazarian v. USCIS, our EB1-EA cases filed in February Read more [...]

by Chen Immigration Law Associates  04/10/2012 On October 11, 2011 the USCIS Director announced a new initiative, called Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) that will use industry expertise from public and private sectors to increase the job creation potential of employment-based and high-skilled visa categories. USCIS sought out external experts including entrepreneurs, business leaders, and academics to review USCIS policies, practices, and training. USCIS launched EIR with an Information Summit Read more [...]

by Chen Immigration Law Associates  04/10/2012 Reference letters are important since they serve as crucial evidence for the meeting the necessary criteria. They can be used to demonstrate or confirm the significance of the applicant’s work and the recognition of their achievements. Therefore, we at Chen Immigration Law Associates draft reference letters for clients to help them build up their credentials and strengthen their cases. First of all, after retaining us, clients will have a detailed Read more [...]

by Chen Immigration Law Associates   04/05/2010 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has established an expedited process for reviewing and correcting decisions resulting from certain administrative errors. This process enables customers to request an expedited review of their case and correction of the decision where data entry and/or an administrative error resulted in a denial or rejection of their petition or application. A customer or his or her authorized representative Read more [...]

Victoria Chen, J.D., Esq. “Major Media” criterion:  “Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications or other major media relating to the alien’s work in the field for which classification is sought.” EB-1 categories have consistently had a very high standard of law, especially EB1A Alien of Extraordinary Ability and therefore we at Chen Immigration Law Associates have always evaluated all the credentials of our clients carefully before we claim any evidentiary Read more [...]

by Chen Immigration Law Associates, 03/05/2012 On September 12, 2011, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) undertook changes in policy for mailing original I-797 receipt and approval notices. The USCIS, which is a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, began sending original I-797 receipt and approval notices directly to petitioners and applicants, rather than to their attorneys or accredited representatives. Due to public feedback and opinions by USCIS stakeholders, Read more [...]