Berardi Blog

Holiday travel can be stressful if travelers do not plan ahead of time. With the holiday season in full swing, it is important to be prepared before you depart for your holiday travel destination. Everyone arriving at a port of entry to the US is subject to inspection by Customs and Border Protections officers for […]

In preparation for the new year, our team is growing!  We are so excited to welcome new Chief Financial Officer, Nichole Herr. To learn a bit more about she is, we interviewed her on her career, home, and things she loves. What led you to finance?  I fell in love with finance at my first job […]

In general, when a citizen of a foreign country wishes to enter the United States, the foreign national must first obtain a visa. The visa allows a foreign national to travel to a U.S. port of entry and request permission of a U.S. immigration official to enter the United States. While Canadian Citizens are required to present a valid passport at the port of entry, they typically do not need a visa to enter the United States directly from Canada for the purposes of visiting or studying…

Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom describes a recent success at the border for a TN client, in which he gathered information on the applicant’s 30 years of relevant experience. With Zachary’s help, our client received a visa for the full three year period in the highly scrutinized category of TN Management Consultant.

Here at Berardi Immigration Law, we offer a wide variety of services to assist our clients. One such service is helping individuals with a DWI or DUI on their record enter Canada. Below is a list of the most common scenarios our office sees and some information on next steps…

We are so excited to have new attorney Lucrecia Knapp join our team! Lucrecia brings years of immigration experience and is already fitting in with our team atmosphere. To learn a bit more about who she is, we interviewed Lucrecia on food, home, and what it’s like being an immigration attorney…

USCIS has recently published a final regulation changing the EB-5 Program that awards permanent resident status to certain investors who create at least ten new jobs for U.S. workers. This new EB-5 rule will be effective for I-526 filings arriving at USCIS on or after November 21, 2019. The new EB-5 investments must be at least $900,000…

On November 14, 2019, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a proposed regulation, which would substantially increase the filing fees for many types of immigration benefits. The agency’s notice of proposed rulemaking, which is published in the Federal Register, explains that the proposed regulation would increase costs for most petitioners and applicants…

On Tuesday, November 12, 2019, U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston ruled suspicionless searches of traveler’s electronic devices without a warrant is unconstitutional. Judge Casper held U.S. border agents need “reasonable suspicion” to search travelers’ smartphones and laptops at airports and other U.S. ports of entry…

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) just recently announced it will be modernizing the way NEXUS members are processed at Canadian airports. The existing NEXUS kiosks that use iris recognition technology will be replaced with new, modernized NEXUS kiosks that use facial verification technology. This new process will first launch in fall 2019 at Vancouver […]

The H-1B classification provides temporary permission for employers to hire qualified foreign nationals in specialty occupations. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) typically accepts a limited number of H-1B cases during each of the federal government’s fiscal years due to the annual cap. There are 65,000 H-1B cap slots, with 20,000 additional H-1B slots that may be allocated…

President Trump’s October 4th Proclamation has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.  If allowed, it would require those seeking U.S. visas to obtain approved health insurance within 30 days of entry if they are not able to cover their own healthcare expenses. Judge Michael Simon, a Federal District Judge in Portland, Oregon, issued a nationwide temporary […]

In addition to summarizing a successful L-1 application, Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom covers some of the information you should know about entering the U.S. over land versus air. He explains what the I-94 would look like for each and how to check your I-94 status online.

Our firm recently assisted a senior project manager secure an L-1 visa for the full three year period. Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom was able to prove that she would fill the role of function manager, as opposed to a people manager, and would be involved with decision making in the U.S., despite having no direct reports.

  Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom describes how our team was able to prove our applicant fulfilled the requirements of the TN Geologist category by showing evidence of his education in a related field and that he would be entering the U.S. to provide services as a geologist. Thanks to his efforts, our client received a visa […]

Partner Jennifer Behm explains how our team overcame CBP’s objections for a recent TN applicant by mailing in an application to USCIS.  While we typically advise the in-person interview, our team determined that the paper option was the best choice for our client.  We were successful, and our client was able to enter the U.S. […]

One of applicants applied at the Derby Line point of entry in Vermont.  The first time applicant managed teams in the U.S. and Canada.  Our team overcame the challenge of establishing the affiliation between the two teams, including translating voluminous documents and highlighting what information from those documents was important for the case.  Attorney Sarah […]

On October 4, 2019, President Trump issued a proclamation that will require legal immigrants to gain approved health insurance coverage within 30 days of their entry to the U.S, unless they can prove that they are in a financial position that allows them to cover their own foreseeable medical expenses…

Attorney Sarah Michalek tells us a bit about a recent applicant’s success at the border. The applicant was a long time L-1A holder, and our team was able to show that he was within the limits for days spent in the U.S., had permanent ties to Canada, and that he held a managerial role. Border […]

On October 11, 2019, three federal courts prevented the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from implementing the new DHS Public Charge final rule. The rulings came from…