Berardi Blog

The US Department of State has dramatically increased visa issuance fees for Australian nationals in certain visa categories as of December 23, 2019. The US government charges visa issuance fees for nonimmigrant visas that are approved. The fee increases are intended to reciprocate the fees the Australian government charges US citizens who are issued visas.  […]

The L-1 category allows a U.S. employer to transfer an executive, manager, or specialized knowledge employee from an affiliated foreign office to one of its offices in the United States. To qualify, there are specific requirements that must be satisfied by both the petitioning employer and the beneficiary employee. On the employer’s side, it must […]

President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation on January 21, 2020, expanding the Travel Ban 3.0 to include certain individuals from Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania. According to the Department of Homeland Security, these additions were based on a DHS assessment after reviewing updated security criteria first established with the original travel ban. […]

Zach Ahlstrom is an associate attorney at Berardi Immigration Law. Zach started with Berardi Immigration Law as a law clerk during his second year of law school in March 2017 and officially joined our team as an Associate Attorney in January 2019. Zach graduated summa cum laude from Mercyhurst University in 2014 with a degree […]

Our office is happy to report another successful trip to the Peace Bridge for an L-1 renewal.  Over the last year, Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has said their rules are changing regarding the adjudication of L-1 renewals.  Moving forward, if an individual has spent approximately six months or longer in the United States per […]

Effective January 24, 2020, the Department of State (DOS) amended its regulation governing the issuance of visas in the “B” nonimmigrant classification for temporary visitors for pleasure.  This new rule establishes that travel to the United States with the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the U.S. is an […]

Senior Associate Attorney Gabriella Agostinelli reports another successful trip to the border for a first-time L-1 applicant. When our team puts together an L-1 package, we want to be able to show several things: person holds a qualifying position the foreign entity and U.S.-based entity are properly affiliated; and the two entities are actively doing business.  […]

Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom discusses a recent TN application he submitted for an engineer. In this case, our client came to us after he was previously denied TN status at the border. Unfortunately, he submitted his application on New Year’s Day around 10pm, and the officer reviewing the application was not fully versed in the TN […]

Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom discusses a recent TN application he prepared for a biologist. Our client applied for status when a U.S. laboratory needed this individual to come to the United States to research cancer medications and the effects of these medications on the human body. To qualify as a biologist under TN status, we need […]

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency committed to administering the nation’s immigration system and adjudicating the applications of those seeking lawful status in the United States, released statistics on the most popular and widely-used benefits and programs administered by the agency for final fiscal year 2019. The agency released statistics relating to benefits […]

On January 9, 2020, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) published a notice in the Federal Registerannouncing the implementation of the registration process for H-1B cap-subject petitions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021.  The initial H-1B petition registration period will begin on Sunday, March 1, 2020.  Starting on this date, USCIS will require H-1B cap-subject petitioners, including those eligible for […]

Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom was able to successfully secure our client’s TN work authorization for a three-year period by showing that the applicant possessed a bachelor’s degree in interior design and was coming into the U.S. to provide interior design services.

The President has issued an executive order imposing sanctions against certain persons connected with the construction, mining, manufacturing, or textiles industries in Iran. This executive order includes the suspension of the immigrant or nonimmigrant entry of such persons into the United States. The entry of Iranian immigrants and nonimmigrants in these fields is hereby suspended, […]

In addition to describing the TN category, Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom tells us about a recent case where our client is an accountant. He explains the educational requirements needed to show that an individual is qualified for this category. The application was approved for a three-year period and our client is happily working in the U.S.

On January 6, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiated a pilot program to assess the operational impact of proposed regulatory changes that would require the collection of DNA samples from certain individuals in CBP custody.  This “limited, small-scale pilot program” will last 90-days in only two locations: the U.S. Border Patrol in the Detroit […]

The TN category is designated for Canadian and Mexican citizens who enter the U.S. to provide prearranged professional services for a U.S. entity. Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom recently assisted a landscape architect enter the U.S. to provide professional services for a large U.S. company. With his help. this application was ultimately approved for a three-year period.

Iranian nationals are increasingly hesitant to travel after dozens of Iranian citizens were held by U.S. immigration agents at the Canadian border in Washington state this past weekend. On Saturday, January 4, 2020, dozens of Iranians and Iranian-Americans were held for hours in secondary screening at the Peace Arch Border Crossing in Blaine, Washington.  It is estimated […]

Background  On January 31, 2019, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a final rule making significant changes to the H-1B visa lottery process.  This rule added an electronic registration requirement for petitioners seeking to submit H-1B cap-subject petitions and reversed the order by which USCIS selects petitions under the H-1B cap and the advanced degree […]

Who is an “Accidental American”?  There are on occasion individuals born inside the United States to non-U.S. parents or individuals born outside the United States to U.S. citizen parents, are often unaware of their status as U.S. citizens for years.   These individuals are commonly referred to as “Accidental Americans.”  While this can initially feel quite exiting for […]

Every fiscal year, approximately 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas are made available to qualified applicants under the provisions of US immigration law. Employment based immigrant visas are divided into five preference categories. These five preference categories include priority workers and persons with extraordinary ability, professionals holding advanced degrees and persons of exceptional ability, skilled workers, professionals, […]