Welcome to Pennsylvania! Many of our clients when moving to the USA, if they haven’t got family situated in a particular State of American, will often ask for our opinion on where they should settle. Of course, we cannot direct our clients to any State as this must be their choice. Similarly, we cannot tell our clients which type of business to buy for their E2 Investment Visa’s or which college/University to attend for their F1 Student Visa’s, or help our O1 Candidates find the best agents to use in order to be sponsored for a visa or the single person looking for love, who to marry in order to obtain their Green card through marriage visa. So throughout the course of 50 blog periods (Not necessarily running back to back) we will do our best to give each and every...

With such extremes as the waves of the Atlantic Ocean to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia is a study in contrasts. Nicknamed “Old Dominion,” Virginia is named for Elizabeth I and was one of the earliest places colonized in the nation. With a rich and unique history, Virginia hearkens back to centuries long gone while still remaining a cornerstone of modern American society. With its rich history, the state has a wide variety of cultural attractions, from museums commemorating early Native American tribes to sites memorializing the lives of soldiers who served their country in various wars. Virginia also is the birthplace or launching site to a number of musical acts, past and present, including Ella Fitzgerald, Timbaland, the Carter Family and Patsy Cline. One of the original 13...

If you have been to North Carolina on a visa waiver and on return to your home town realized that you could make NC your new home, this section will interest you. If coming here as a student on an F1 visa, we will introduce you to some of the colleges. If you are contemplating an E2 Investment visa, we will introduce you to some great resources. If you are planning on getting married to your US finacee and eventually coming out here on either a K1 or K3 visa, we will tell you a little bit about the history and lifestyle. Whichever way you get here you will need help from a qualified Immigration Attorney, especially when it’s not just you that wants to emigrate to the US but your entire family. Join us and let us welcome you to North Carolina. Located on the Atlantic Seaboard in...

Outdoor fun in South Carolina is not over in the fall. In fact, it’s one of the best times to see the picturesque colors of nature when the leaves change from green to dazzling shades of red, orange, gold and brown. One of the best areas of South Carolina to view fall colors is in the Upstate. Take a ride down Scenic Highway 11 for miles of spectacular autumn beauty. You can also catch a glimpse of the fall foliage color show at South Carolina State Parks such as Table Rock, Caesars Head,  Jones Gap,  Kings Mountain and Chester. Watch the colors change from the webcam at Table Rock State P ark! Plan your fall trip to South Carolina now. Peak season for fall foliage is between the second and fourth weeks of October. South Carolina facts and figures; State Capital: Columbia...

 Welcome to Georgia, Population 9,544,750 (2007 est.) It is also the third fastest growing state in terms of numeric gain and fifth in terms of percent gain, adding 202,670 residents at a rate of 2.2 percent. From 2006 to 2007, Georgia had 18 counties among the nation’s 100 fastest-growing counties, the most of any state. Georgia is also known as the Peach State and the Empire State of the South. Atlanta is the most populous city, and the capital. Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina; on the west by Alabama and by Florida in the extreme southwest; and on the north by Tennessee and North Carolina. The northern part of the state is in the blue ridge mountains, a mountain range in the vast mountain system of the...

Where do our clients move to? Whilst living in the UK the only place in the US we would consistently here about would be Florida. This became a huge destination magnet for the “Brits”. What attracted us was the promise of sun, Sea and cheap vacations. Then folks began buying holiday homes there, and why not, they were affordable and gave one a step up the class ladder “Yes we have the home in the UK and one in the USA”.  They would stay in their apartment by the sea or in their beautiful house within towns such as Kissimmee, Tampa, Port St Lucia  or Cape Coral. Their homes would have crystal blue pools with tiled floors throughout the living area and huge refrigerators. They grew palm trees in their yards along with orange trees, lemon trees and avocado...

  We are getting a number of enquiries from people who have lost their green card unexpectedly due to their own ignorance of the law. So let me just put a warning out there in the hope that we can avoid this happening to others.     If you are a green card holder you must actually live in the US or you will lose that status. Remember, green card holders are residents of the US therefore if you don’t actually live here then you can’t argue that you’re a resident. There are automatic ways residency can be determined. If you live in the US and then leave the US to visit abroad, then as long as you do not stay away for more than six months then on your return no questions will be asked.  If you stay away more than six months but less than a year you then have to prove...

LOVE IS IN THE AIR!  Love has no age limits.  People fall in love at any age. With the Internet and the ease of international travel you can fall in love, if you’re not already spoken for, at any time or place. I was recently speaking to a friend of mine who met his wife at an airport. I met my wife of 24 years in the Town library. I had many of my immigration clients find their American spouse on holiday, at work, on a student exchange, at a party, a wedding, through a friend, blind date, in a chat room, through a dating agency, etc. The stories are as endless as they are fascinating.    Whilst I am an incurable romantic US Immigration is not. US Immigration (USCIS) have a completely cynical attitude about marriage because they think that every one who marries an...

Do you have a college degree? Do you want to spend a couple of years in the USA, seeing what it’s like to live here whilst filling your brains with more knowledge? Have you considered taking the plunge and becoming an international student? Well we will help you do just that. Here in the Santa Clarita Valley, we are fortunate enough to have “The College Of The Canyons”. This college runs an International student program offering an array fo courses from Sports - Technology. Situated in the heart of Valencia, where you are surrounded by Theme parks, beaches, Hollywood sights, restaurants and movie houses this is one of many perfect locations to experience L.A This college offers their students plenty of opportunity to make life long friends. On campus they have an award...

moving pets to the UK - From Allan Van As We recently packed up our life in the UK to embark on our new adventure in Florida (Near Miami). It was important for us to bring our children (All our children) including Mojo and Furby our two adorable Siamese cats.  They understand how cats and dogs can be effected by a long flight (much like some humans I know) so the crates were a good size and once we placed Mojo and Furby’s favourite toys and blankets in with them our fury little critters were off on their adventure.  They were flying with British Airways cargo and like us had to be there four hours before the flight departed. BEWARE - You are entering a secure airport terminal to deliver animals and thank god we had photo ID as otherwise they would not have let us in. The...

  You must remember that when you move to another country, not only do you have to get use to the climate, weather cycles and accents you may need to re-familiarize yourself with the simple things in life such as in the States, if you were to walk in a stationers and asked for a “Rubber” they would send you to a pharmacy! I will not go into anymore detail about that. Here’s an example of one such occasion; A funny story from a new immigrant   After dislocating my knee back in February whilst still in the UK and then moving out to Florida, the knee starting causing me problems. Sometimes the burning pain was unbearable. I finally couldn’t take it anymore, got up (as it was quite late at night) but knew I would be able to find either Walmart or Walgreen’s...

    If you are buying House insurance, then get a quote.  If your buying car insurance get a quote. If you checking out flights on a plane then get a quote online. So yes there are some things where shopping for the cheapest quote is perhaps a good idea. However when it comes to more complicated matters such as medical, dental or legal issues then just going through the process of getting a quote is definitely the wrong way to go about things.   When it comes to choosing an Attorney to represent you in a serious legal matter such as immigration where perhaps your career, business opportunity or relationship is at stake then searching for the cheapest quote is definitely not a good idea. US Immigration law, like many other areas of legal practice is a very complexed because of the...

 In the aftermath of 9/11 it was discovered that virtually all of the hijackers entered the US originally on a various nonimmigrant visas, student visas, if I recall exactly. Some of the students had attended flight schools in the US before turning into hijackers. What I want to focus on here is that they were legal aliens approved by immigration officers in the department called INS a.a.k.a Immigraiton and Nationality Service. You can be sure that the Government would have been able to track down every immigration official that had anything to do with approving these visas looking for a scapegoat.  As a result the INS was taken under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security and was renamed to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  USCIS then under...

As the temperatures in California begin to cool down the danger aspects of living in this beautiful state start to heat up. To those of us who have lived here for some years now, we understand that fire season is upon us. Spurred on by the ever increasing Santa Ana winds, these fires take on a life of their own. To date, only two fatalities but things could get worse before they get better. Our praise of course goes out to the thousands of fire fighters and air support systems who are fighting this battle from the front lines. They collectively try to predict the fires course and evacuate those in imminent danger. Hundreds of homes have been cleared and the hope is that not only will lives be saved but peoples houses containing years of memories. As I look out from the balcony at work, I...

  It is possible for aliens to find employers who will sponsor them for skilled jobs (requiring two years training or qualification) right up to Advanced Degrees such as an MA or PHD and in so doing enabling the alien to acquire a green card.  Employers must first prove to the satisfaction of the Department of Labor that the Employer has been unable to find local qualified Americans to fill the vacancy.   In this section I’m going to talk about Quotas and Processing Times.   USImmigration (USCIS) on the one hand wants employers to fill vacancies to maintain production, but at the same time does not want to suck hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from around the world in such numbers so as to depress the local wage economy. For example ; An MA graduate from Mumbai India...

  Every so often as a P.R operation, we send out customer questionnaires in order to improve our services.  We send them to those who have just got in contact with us and others who have retained our services and finally to those who are jumping up and down with joy - State side.  Below are a couple of questionnaires that prospective clients have completed;  1)How did you hear about our company?  Through searching the internet. Google US immigration lawyers. Had you made enquiries through other Immigration Attorneys offices prior to ours? Only a couple of tentative enquiries but was deterred by a high consultation fee. How did our office compare in service quality? Excellent! A free consultation is a great incentive for potential clients.  When you made your initial enquiry, did we...

83°F Current:Clear Wind: W at 0 mph Humidity: 25% Wed 94°F | 63°F Thu 79°F | 54°F Fri 70°F | 47°F                                   Sat 67°F | 47°F WEATHER FOR SANTA CLARITA,CALIFORNIA    The temperature has really been rising here in the USA as the two presidential candidates thrash it out in the hope of winning the big grand prize of becoming the next President of the United States of America. Sometimes it’s a blessing that I cannot vote (As a mere Green Card Holder, I do not have the right) as I don’t think I could decide between the two. My hubby has his money on the old guy. Me, I’m not sure. In the mist of all that kerfuffle (always liked that word) we have the worlds economic geniuses all wondering if they will have a...

  Many our clients would love to come and find employment and live in the US. Of course that would be great. However, about the same time our client’s are thinking about this half the planet is thinking the same thing.  America is the place where millions of people want to emigrate to every year so there is a lot of pressure for US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to filter the number of people wanting to move to America down to a more manageable size.   Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll be writing about how various aspects of US Immigration works so that my readers and future clients can better prepare  themselves to move to America. Today I’d like to talk about Labor Certification and how it works.   Did you know that you can qualify for a...