Berardi Blog

In May of 2013, CBP created a new office, within the existing Office of Field Operations, called the Entry/Exit Transformation (EXT) Office. The Entry/Exit Transformation team’s mission is to enhance the integrity of the immigration system through assurance of traveler identity. The ultimate goal is to verify who is arriving in the U.S., determine who is abiding […]

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a memo on May 30, 2014, issuing a new policy on the validity of Form I-693, the report of medical examination and vaccination record. The new policy states that Form I-693 will now only be valid for one year from the date the form was submitted to […]

At Berardi Immigration Law, our phone rings a lot with callers wanting to “ask a simple question.” Unfortunately, when it comes to immigration law, very little is “simple.” There are many reasons for hiring an immigration attorney to handle your case. Aside from saving you time with research and form filing, lawyers can provide you […]

When non-U.S. citizens decide to come to the United States, whether to visit, work or stay, many may not know where to begin the process. A good place to start is to determine if it is necessary to obtain a U.S. Visa. A visa is a travel document inserted into a foreign national’s passport giving […]

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in conjunction with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced proposed changes to regulations regarding the ability for certain H-4 dependents to obtain work authorization. Under current regulations, the DHS does not list H-4 dependents of H-1B nonimmigrant workers among the visa classes eligible to work […]

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) met earlier this year to talk about adjudicating nonimmigrant business category visas at the northern border. Decisions and future plans from this meeting potentially impact how officers handle L visa and TN visa requests along the U.S./Canadian border. Some highlights of that meeting […]

With Memorial Day weekend as the official opening for local theme parks and beaches, it’s no surprise this marks the beginning of the summer season for many. This, of course, means thousands of people will be flocking across the U.S./Canada border to celebrate. If you’re looking to cross the border this busy weekend, here are […]

U.S. employers must check to make sure all employees, regardless of citizenship or national origin, are authorized to work in the United States. If you are not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident, you may still be eligible for employment authorization. Many individuals will automatically have authorization to work in the U.S. as a […]

On May 1, 2014, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched a new webpage that offers foreign visitors to the U.S. not only access to their most current I-94 arrival/departure record but also to their U.S. travel history going back five years from the request date. The I-94 card look-up and the travel history function can both […]

As the weather finally begins to change and vacation plans become finalized, the global peak travel season begins. Whether enjoying the many sights and sounds of our neighbors to the north or south, or taking a trip around the world, shortening travel delays by becoming a trusted traveler is a great way to ensure a […]

The U.S. Department of State announced the 2015 winners of the Diversity Visa Lottery Program on May 1, 2014. More than 100,000 hopeful U.S. immigrants were selected to have the chance to obtain a green card. However, the title “winner” may not be so fitting here. Those selected for the Diversity Visa Program may be […]

The first thing that often comes to mind when thinking about green card sponsorships are those between a U.S. citizen and his or her foreign spouse. But Mother’s Day reminds us that some people may be unaware you can also sponsor other immediate relatives – like your mother. For immigration purposes, “immediate family members” or […]

According to the American Medical Association, Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) make up approximately 25 percent of the United States physician population. A foreign medical graduate is a physician who graduated from a medical school outside of the United States. There are several types of nonimmigrant visas available to FMGs: the J-1 exchange visitor visa, the […]

For Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) looking to enter the U.S. workforce, H-1B status is often the best option. H-1B status, “the working visa,” allows foreign professionals to work legally in the United States in specialty occupations, which includes medicine. In order to obtain this status, a FMG must possess a medical degree from an accredited […]

One way for foreign medical graduates (FMGs) to ensure their legal stay in the United States is through obtaining permanent residence, also known as a green card. There are several different types of these petitions. They are EB-1 Extraordinary Ability, EB-2 Labor Certification Application and EB-2 National Interest Waiver. EB-1 Extraordinary Ability A foreign medical […]

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced a plan to increase the number of border agents. In fact, several million dollars have been added to the 2014 fiscal budget that will result in the hiring of more than 2,000 additional border agents nationwide. This change is part of a long-standing push to increase […]

The lead up to festivities surrounding Cinco de Mayo seems to grow each year, which got us thinking about the importance of a strong immigration relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. While most agree that U.S. Immigration policy often does not reflect real-world issues and concerns, and the debate over comprehensive immigration reform continues, the TN […]

Attorneys from Berardi Immigration Law have been very busy at the Peace Bridge these last few weeks, handling a wide variety of border-crossing activities. Here’s an update on a handful of successfully completed cases. Last week, Jennifer Behm, our associate attorney, met with three clients to present their NAFTA applications. • TN for a Computer Systems […]

In 2007, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) presented a proposal to eliminate hundreds of thousands of green cards issued years ago without expiration dates. Although the proposal was never implemented into law, the last seven years have seen a concerted push for immigration officers to strongly advise travelers to renew green cards without expiration […]

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fraud Detection and National Security division has announced it is expanding unannounced workplace site inspections to include employers of L-1 intra-company transfers. Previously reserved only for companies that employed H-1B workers, this expansion of the program to include the L-1 category means that any company that employs […]