Skip to main content

Berardi Blog

The Berardi Immigration Law blog – find all our posts here.

  • My Conviction has been Pardoned. Why am I still Inadmissible?

    Many people who have been convicted of crimes in their past are ultimately granted pardons by their government.  They are under the impression that a pardon “wipes their record clean.”  This is not the case however, for U.S. immigration purposes. Under U.S. immigration regulations, judicial expungements do not eliminate criminal convictions.  Further, an individual who […]
    Read More
  • CIS Now Accepting H-1B Petitions for FY 2013

    Effective April 2, 2012, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“CIS”) began accepting H-1B Petitions for fiscal year 2013 which begins on October 1st. CIS will consider cases “accepted on the date that CIS takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct fee.”  (As opposed to the date a petition may be postmarked or delivered to […]
    Read More
  • Easing the Nonimmigrant Visa Application Process

    Berardi Immigration Law, and our clients share the goal of an expedient and successful visa application process.  Achieving this vision relies on a myriad of factors, most importantly the expectations and requirements of the respective U.S. Consulate or Embassy. It is often difficult to navigate the varying information contained on Consular websites and nearly impossible […]
    Read More
  • Authority of CBP Agents: Oh Yes They Can!

    At ports-of-entry Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) Agents have the authority to search people and their personal affects such as purses, luggage, computers and vehicles.  This rule may also apply to outgoing traffic of people who are departing the United States.  CBP Agents do not need a warrant or even reason to suspect an individual […]
    Read More
  • Case Study: L-1A Status Granted to Canadian Executive

    Recently, Berardi Immigration Law was retained by a high-level Canadian executive who was stopped by CBP at the pre-flight inspection in Toronto.  This individual, who had been entering the U.S. once or twice a month was aggressively questioned in secondary inspection and missed his flight.  Reluctant to attempt entry again, he was unable to appear […]
    Read More
  • Traveling with Children

    Because of the ever-increasing incidents of child abductions in disputed custody cases as well as child pornography and abuse, Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) recommends that unless a child is accompanied by both parents, a statement be provided which grants permission to individuals traveling with their children. While CBP may not necessarily ask for this type of […]
    Read More
  • One Year Admission to the U.S. for Unmarried Domestic Partners

    CBP has recently provided guidance on the admission of unmarried, cohabitating domestic partners of nonimmigrant aliens coming to work or study in the U.S. An individual presenting a valid passport and B-2 visitor’s visa who is accompanying a nonimmigrant alien entering the U.S. in long-term status for employment or study reasons should be admitted to […]
    Read More
  • Irish Immigration

    The annual celebration of St. Patrick’s Day may make everyone feel a “little” Irish this month.  In fact, nearly 12% of the total U.S. population can trace their roots to Irish ancestry. During the 1600 and 1700’s approximately 200,000 Irish came to America.  From 1820 to 1860 nearly two million Irish immigrated to the U.S., […]
    Read More
  • Government Revises Secure Communities Deportation Guidelines

    The Obama administration announced that guidelines for the Secure Communities fingerprint sharing program will be modified to focus more on illegal immigrants with serious criminal records rather than minor offenders and others. The Secure Communities program was developed to identify and deport convicted felons, but while enforcing the program individuals beyond its scope got caught […]
    Read More
  • Rep. Zoe Lofgren Introduces IDEA Act of 2011

    On June 14, 2011, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) introduced HR 2161, the Immigration Driving Entrepreneurship in America (IDEA) Act of 2011. This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, calling for efficiencies in the immigration system that can strengthen the U.S. economy through innovation, investment, and research. Current laws allow 85,000 H-1B visas to be issued each […]
    Read More
  • 2,400 Convicted Criminal Aliens and Fugitives Arrested by ICE in National Enforcement Operation

    Following a seven-day immigration enforcement operation conducted last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today that their efforts led to more than 2,400 arrests.  The “Cross Check” operation targeted convicted criminal aliens and immigration fugitives throughout the U.S. ICE Director John Morton explained that “the results of this operation underscore ICE’s ongoing focus on […]
    Read More
  • 1,000 Additional I-9 Audits Served on Employers for Fiscal Year 2011

    In an effort to make sure that U.S. businesses are in compliance with federal immigration laws, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) served another 1,000 Notices of Inspection (NOI), bringing the total number of audits for the year to 2,338. ICE announced that this latest round of audits emphasizes businesses related to vital infrastructure and critical resources. Though […]
    Read More
  • Michigan Plans New Measures to Attract Skilled Business Migrants

    In an effort to boost Michigan’s ailing economy, Gov. Rick Snyder has launched an initiative designed to attract highly skilled immigrants and investors who can help the state get back on a financially successful path. The program, known as Global Michigan, is a scaled-up version of an earlier initiative that Gov. Snyder implemented on a local […]
    Read More
  • Total H-1B Cap Count Reaches 25,400

    USCIS has issued an H-1B cap update for Fiscal Year 2012, which commences on October 1, 2011. As of June 15, there have been 15,200 H-1B regular cap petitions received and another 10,200 petitions received applicable to the master’s degree cap. Numbers since the last USCIS update on June 6 are as follows: 1,600 new […]
    Read More
  • Alabama Governor Signs Immigration Bill into Law

    Governor Robert Bentley signed HB 56 into law last Thursday, making Alabama the fourth state to pass tough new immigration legislation. Civil and immigrant rights organizations are preparing to file a lawsuit blocking it from going into effect on September 1, as planned. Alabama’s law, which was modeled after Arizona’s immigration law, SB 1070, outlines provisions that: require local […]
    Read More
  • Rights Groups File Federal Lawsuit Challenging Georgia Immigration Law

    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a class-action lawsuit in Atlanta federal court last Thursday contesting the constitutionality of Georgia Law HB 87, asking the court to block the law before it takes effect on July 1. Last month, Georgia’s Republican Governor, Nathan Deal, signed HB 87. In an effort to crack down on illegal immigration, the law […]
    Read More
  • Using false documents to gain employment leads to 11 arrests on Colorado Dairy Farm

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the arrest of 11 men in Colorado last week, following a routine inspection of eligibility forms by the Department of Homeland Security. A Morgan Countygrand jury indicted 20 men with possessing or using falsified “green cards” and social security cards to obtain employment.  The other nine men remain at large. The Wildcat […]
    Read More
  • E-Verify may expand to include driver's data for checking worker status

    On May 26, 2011, the Obama administration proposed plans to add driver’s license data to the E-Verify System to determine whether this will help companies better identify people who can legally work in the U.S.  This is a further step in the administration’s ongoing effort to make illegal workers a key part of its immigration enforcement policy. […]
    Read More
  • With Electronic System for Travel Authorization in Place, Program Risks Still Need to be Addressed

    Despite implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and other enhancements to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), recent reviews of the program have identified areas of weakness that poseU.S. law enforcement or other security risks. The VWP was developed as a way to promote travel to the U.S. The program allows business and leisure travelers from approved member […]
    Read More
  • USCIS Enhancements to EB-5 Visa Processing Aimed at Job Creation

    Last week, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced three fundamental changes to the way it processes applications for the Immigrant Investor Program, commonly referred to as the EB-5 Program. The changes are designed to improve the intake and review process for immigrant investors. Congress created the EB-5 Program in 1990. The goal of this […]
    Read More

Do you have questions?

Want to know if our team is a good fit for your needs?

Contact Us

Recent Blog Posts

Our Services