Berardi Blog

At Berardi Immigration Law, November is the month of gratitude. With Thanksgiving around the corner, it is a time to reflect on what we’re grateful for and give back to the community. Berardi Immigration Law closed its Williamsville office on November 11 and spent the day working with Special Spaces Buffalo to create a dream […]

After you’ve prepared all of the necessary documents and have everything signed, sealed and delivered to USCIS for your marriage-based green card application, you may be wondering what’s next. For Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status applicants, USCIS generally takes five to six months in total to process your application. It should be noted, however, that processing […]

USCIS has recently updated its immigration guide which includes information to help new immigrants navigate everyday life in the U.S. “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants” is free and available in 14 languages. In the revised guide, USCIS has updated general information on policies, programs and resources. There are also two […]

If you are an employee with TN visa status, your family may be able to join you in the United States by applying for a TD visa. Spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 are eligible for TD visa status. To qualify, applicants must be able to demonstrate a spousal or parent-child relationship […]

Samantha Murphy is a Senior Paralegal at Berardi Immigration Law. Ms. Murphy is knowledgeable in all aspects of case preparation for family and employment-based immigration matters. She prepares and files adjustment of status applications, waivers, nonimmigrant and immigrant visa petitions, naturalization applications, and work authorization applications, with a focus on O-1 applications and H1-B applications. […]

A NEXUS card is a border crossing card that offers expedited travel at the U.S. and Canadian Borders for pre-screened individuals. There are designated border ports, preclearance airports, and marine reporting locations where individuals with a NEXUS card may enter. Becoming a member of the NEXUS program reduces wait times at designated ports of entry through specific […]

The “Typical” L-1 Case The L-1 visa category involves the transfer of managers, executives, or “specialized knowledge” personnel to the U.S. from an entity abroad. Each applicant must have worked abroad for a “foreign qualifying entity” for at least one year during the previous three years. Once in the U.S., his or her job duties […]

Foreign students and graduates, take note: you may be able to work in the U.S. for longer. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is aiming to improve the optional practical training program (OPT), which allows foreign students or graduates to temporarily work in the U.S. This program gives them the chance to further their education […]

The B-1 Business Visitor Category The B-1 nonimmigrant visa category allows certain visitors to enter the U.S. for limited and specific business activities.  B-1 visitors cannot engage in any activity or perform a service that would constitute local employment for hire within the U.S., and the category is not meant for extended, long-term activity. What […]

The wait for the U.S. State Department to address visa processing delays continues until core problems causing disruptions are resolved. According to a recent report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office cites increased demand for nonimmigrant visas and issues with IT systems as the two “key challenges” hindering the agency’s efforts to quicken the pace of […]

Starting on October 19, 2015, there will be new direct filing addresses for Form I-140 Immigrant Petitions requesting Premium Processing Service through Form I-907. This change will only be applicable to worksite locations in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, or Pennsylvania. Announced last week, Form I-140 and Form I-907 should be filed with the Nebraska […]

The Department of Homeland Security recently announced it will be creating a program to allow certain family members of Filipino and Filipino-American World War II veterans to receive parole to come to the United States. The Veteran Parole Program for Filipino WWII Veterans was first announced in November of 2014 by Secretary Johnson and President […]

Applicants applying for Naturalization can now pay the N-400 naturalization application fee using a credit card with no additional fees added. Form N-400 is the only form that can be paid using a credit card. USCIS has valuable guidelines on the process of paying the application fee that must be followed in order to ensure […]

  Males between the ages of 18 and 26 are required under United States Law to register for Selective Service. Registering for Selective Service does not mean you have to become a member of the armed forces. However, if a large scale war or a similar event were to happen, males are expected to be […]

On September 25, 2015, Berardi Immigration Law’s very own Rosanna Berardi and Jennifer Behm spoke on expert panels at AILA’s Annual Northern Border Immigration Conference in Clayton, New York. BIL was the only firm at the conference with attorneys presenting on two separate panels. This year’s conference was entitled “Strictly Business” and focused solely on […]

Partner Jennifer Behm was the featured interview during the All Things Considered Newscast with Mike Desmond last Friday, September 18th in a segment titled, “You and the Law: Staying Here For a Job.” The interview aired on radio station WBFO 88.7 at 5:45 p.m. To listen to the interview please click here. In the interview, […]

History of Citizenship Day Citizenship Day is celebrated each year on September 17th, which is also the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in 1787. United States citizenship was first recognized for its significance in 1940 on the third Sunday of May known as “I Am an American Day”. However, in 1952 the date […]

As Berardi Immigration Law celebrates its tenth anniversary, take a look to see what some of our happy clients have to say about their experience!

After 9/11, the federal government began examining ways to increase security surrounding state identification and driver’s licenses, in an attempt to help further prevent terrorism and unlawful entry into and out of the country. The solution was the Federal Real ID Act, a law that was passed in 2005 to set certain federal standards upon […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS) have recently announced dramatic changes coming to the visa bulletin system for the month of October 2015. These changes will allow individuals affected by visa backlogs to begin their immigrant visa paperwork or file for adjustment of status before their priority dates become […]