“Outside-In Immigration”

2024-12-04T11:34:33-05:00

SMA Law Firm has its origins in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where its founder, Steve Maggi, set up shop in 2004 and started offering U.S. immigration legal assistance to people and companies from his native Argentina. What developed from that was a specialization in what we call “Outside-In Immigration”. What does this mean? Essentially it […]

“Outside-In Immigration”2024-12-04T11:34:33-05:00

USCIS Announces Alarming Changes in Immigration Petition Adjudications

2024-12-04T11:47:20-05:00

On July 13, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a policy memorandum on its website, that provides guidance to USCIS adjudicators regarding their discretion to deny an application, petition, or request without first issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) when required initial evidence was not submitted […]

USCIS Announces Alarming Changes in Immigration Petition Adjudications2024-12-04T11:47:20-05:00

Hang On! Tips for Surviving the 2018 H-1B Roller Coaster Ride

2024-12-04T14:13:38-05:00

The annual roller coaster ride known as the H-1B visa application process is about to go up the hill and come speeding down, with unknown twists and turns coming your way.

For the next four weeks, employers are scrambling to decide whether to sponsor foreign nationals for professional positions, American university grads from foreign countries […]

Hang On! Tips for Surviving the 2018 H-1B Roller Coaster Ride2024-12-04T14:13:38-05:00

My view on President Trump’s 4 Pillars of Immigration Reform

2024-12-04T14:18:22-05:00

At his first State of the Union address, President Trump announced his 4 Pillars of Immigration Reform. The pillars are:

  1. Dreamers’ Path to Citizenship
  2. Securing the Border
  3. End of Diversity Lottery
  4. End of Chain Migration

With any potential immigration reform, there is no perfect package that exists, but the one proposed by President Trump does […]

My view on President Trump’s 4 Pillars of Immigration Reform2024-12-04T14:18:22-05:00

How I Feel About President Trump’s (sh**thole) Comment

2024-12-04T14:21:12-05:00

Six years ago, I wrote my first ever blog, titled “U.S. Immigration Policy: Don’t give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”, discussing the trend towards an increasingly selective and contradictory immigration system. On the eve of comments by President Trump which referred to immigrants from Central America, the […]

How I Feel About President Trump’s (sh**thole) Comment2024-12-04T14:21:12-05:00

The H-1B Visa under Trump

2024-12-04T14:39:14-05:00

President Donald J. Trump recently announced plans to issue an executive order which would change the way the H-1B visa is used by U.S. employers. The “specialty occupation” visa is essentially used by U.S. employers to hire foreign nationals to occupy professional positions that generally require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree […]

The H-1B Visa under Trump2024-12-04T14:39:14-05:00

The Trump Administration and the Effect on the E-2/E-1 Treaty Investor/Trader Visas

2021-12-29T08:45:59-05:00

Since 1815, the U.S. has been signing bilateral treaties, including the E-1 treaty trader and E-2 treaty investor treaties, with other countries, that are ratified by Congress which allow citizens from other countries to get visas based on the establishment of businesses in the U.S. Essentially individuals from many of those 80 […]

The Trump Administration and the Effect on the E-2/E-1 Treaty Investor/Trader Visas2021-12-29T08:45:59-05:00

Looking Forward to the Trump Era: U.S. Immigration

2021-12-29T08:50:23-05:00

Part I: The Future of Investor Visas

Trump Bay Street development in Jersey City, New Jersey, a project of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is supposedly using $50 million from EB-5 investors. Why is this relevant? It signals that Mr. Trump is a proponent of foreign investment in the U.S. […]

Looking Forward to the Trump Era: U.S. Immigration2021-12-29T08:50:23-05:00

Time to File Visa Petitions is Now: Fees Going up December 23rd

2021-12-29T08:50:23-05:00

{2 minutes to read} For the first time in many years, applicants will need to pay substantially higher fees for certain visa petitions. The fees are set to increase on December 23, 2016.

If you file anytime before that date, you will only have to pay the current, less expensive fees.

Time to File Visa Petitions is Now: Fees Going up December 23rd2021-12-29T08:50:23-05:00
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