By:  E. Audrey Glover-Dichter
Attorney at Law
Copyright 2010

My name is E. Audrey Glover-Dichter, and I am a solo practitioner.  Clients have a lot of options for legal representation.  There are firms of all sizes from solos like me, small firms with a few attorneys to the biggest firms in the country, even the world, with hundreds of attorneys at the clients’ disposal.  So, how does a client choose an attorney?  Well, the following are my suggestions for what to look for when you need an attorney. (more…)

Copyright January 2012

I just spoke with another person whose case was recently denied and he said “I should have hired an attorney to handle the case, I’m sorry I didn’t!  I thought it would be easy to fill out the forms online on my own and save money doing it myself.”  If I could have just a penny for every time I hear such a comment, I could have retired years ago.  More importantly, if I could have that person speak with potential clients I meet who say “how much? No I can fill out the forms myself, they are all online and they are simple. I’ll save myself all that money.”  Yes, the forms are all online.  The website makes it seem deceivingly easy to fill out the forms and file the case without assistance from an experienced immigration attorney like myself.  The instructions for the forms seem so simple, or are they?

As an experienced immigration attorney, I know not to rely on the form instructions alone.  I check the  law, regulations, the memos, the cases, and other sources in order to prepare cases properly before filing them with immigration.  The law is a living thing and it changes constantly.  I receive emails with updates on immigration law daily from various reliable and trustworthy sources.  I also attend continuing legal education seminars in new developments in immigration law.  All of which I use to keep myself abreast of the latest changes in the law that affect my clients.

As your immigration attorney, it is my job to know which forms to fill out and how to fill out the forms correctly.  It is my job to know what attachments to send with the forms.  It is my job to know what Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) expects to see in a properly prepared case.  All this knowledge takes time to accumulate, and I have spent the last 20+ years accumulating such knowledge, from which my clients benefit. In order to benefit from my experience, clients need to retain me, and yes, pay legal fees for my work.  In the long run, the cost of hiring an experienced immigration attorney may yield the results desired instead of a possible denial and extra costs of appeal, if appeal is even possible.

The next time you consider filing your own immigration case, ask yourself, “do I have the time to check all the possible resources available for the correct information to properly prepare my own case? Do I know where to find the reliable and trustworthy resources to use while preparing my case?  Do I know how to properly fill out the forms? Do I know what attachments to send to support my case?”  If you answer “no” to any of these questions, then I urge you do not file by yourself. Seek the help of an experienced immigration attorney like me, E. Audrey Glover-Dichter.

Copyright protected October 2011

As an immigration attorney, I have the fortune of working with wealthy clients.  These clients have worked hard and made a lot of money, and now they would like to come to the USA to retire.  Unfortunately, the USA does not have a retiree visa as other countries do.  Although these wealthy individuals do not want to work anymore, they do look for good investment opportunities in the USA.

From an immigration law perspective, the best option for these wealthy individuals is to pursue the EB-5 Job Creation visa program.  Under the EB-5 program, the investor makes an investment of either $500,000 or a million dollars, depending if the business is in an economically depressed area.  Also, the investment must yield 10 jobs for American workers.

Foreign investors have the option of doing an EB-5 on their own by either opening a new business or purchasing an existing business, in which case they are responsible for creating the 10 jobs directly related to the investment.  Another option is doing the EB-5 through a regional center.  Currently there are about 196 approved regional centers throughout the USA that range from the hotel industry to energy.  A regional center is a business venture in which investors either receive an ownership interest, or receive a return on the investment loan to the business venture.  Also, by investing in a regional center, the investor is a passive investor instead of being the main investor running the business.  So, the investor does not need to work in the business venture.

Once the case is filed and it is approved, the investors and their families receive conditional residencies for two years.  Before the two years expire, the investors must apply to remove the condition on their residencies by showing that the investments were actually made and the 10 jobs were actually created.  Once the removal of the condition is approved, the investors and their families receive legal permanent residencies without restrictions.

The EB-5 program is probably one of the most legally complex visa programs available in the USA.  The EB-5 program, however, gives investors great flexibility as to how to invest their hard earned money in the USA without having to work, and achieve their permanent residency through such investments. Although there are plenty of regional centers from which to choose to do an EB-5, not all are peak performers.  My job as your immigration attorney is to help you, guide you, the investors, in the process to pursue the EB-5 visa based on the investors’ wishes and needs.  Some investors want to work, and some do not, and I help investors to achieve either.  I work with the investors every step of the way.  If you are ready to invest in the USA, please contact me at (954) 450-1563 or audrey@gloverdichter.com.

By E. Audrey Glover-Dichter
Attorney at Law
Copyright protected 2011

A couple of weeks ago I had the misfortune of going to the ER not once, but twice in one week.  As the pain subsided thankfully due to the pain medication, I looked around the ER to find a wonderful staff composed of foreigners.  I noticed foreign doctors and nurses working hard at crazy hours.  No matter how tired they may have been, the staff took great care of me.  I must say that I was impressed with the nurses’ ability as well. (more…)

By:  E. Audrey Glover-Dichter
Attorney at Law
Copyright protected June 2011

I recently moved home and office at the same time.  The funny part of moving is that no matter how hard I tried to stay organized planned, and scheduled, the move took a life of its own.  I had to succumb to this life force that thrusted out of control.  I had planned to move in an organized fashion.  I figured if I moved the office first, then I could keep working while the home was being moved, at least it seemed like a great idea.  However, it turned out that everything happened all at once. Although this move was a good and happy occasion for our family, it has been nevertheless stressful.  I am sure that there are many out there who can relate. (more…)

By E. Audrey Glover-Dichter
Attorney at law
Copyright Protected 2010

As an immigration attorney, I hear this question often from clients who are pondering the question whether to naturalize or not.  The answer to the question is based on the long term goals of the person posing the question.  In general, however, if the client has the intent to stay and live in the USA permanently, then perhaps naturalizing is the right thing to do. (more…)

By:  E. Audrey Glover-Dichter
Attorney at Law
Copyright 2010

Once my clients become legal permanent residents (LPR) or naturalized citizens, usually one of the first questions that follows is can I petition for ….  This article is dedicated to answering the ultimate question.  Depending on who is doing the petitioning, determines the category of the beneficiary and how long it will take to finish the process. (more…)

By E. Audrey Glover-Dichter
Attorney at Law
Copyright protected 2010

Investors have several immigration options in the USA.  Which option is best for the investor will depend on his/her long-term goals. Not every investor can actually afford to invest one million dollars or half a million dollars to achieve residency, and those who can, may not want to invest such sizeable amounts of money for immigration purposes.  Also, not every investor wants to live in the USA long term.  Some investors rather set up businesses in the USA for other family members who can benefit and run the business in the USA.  The following is a list of immigration options for investors to consider based on their financial abilities and long-term goals. (more…)

By E. Audrey Glover-Dichter
Attorney at Law
Copywrite protected

I have been practicing immigration and nationality law for nearly 20 years, and I find that most business owners do not know how I can help them.  Did you know that you must have every employee properly fill-out the correct version of I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form upon hiring the person?  Did you know that you must verify the information on the form within three days?  Did you know that I-9 violations could lead to monetary fines and/or criminal investigations or prosecutions?  Are you asking legally allowed questions when interviewing prospective employees with regard to the person’s legal right to work in the USA?  Can you sponsor a foreigner to work in your business and what does that mean? Do you know what a resident card looks like?  Do you know what to do with a no match letter from the Social Security Administration (SSA)? (more…)

By: E. Audrey Glover-Dichter
Attorney at Law
Copyright Protected 2011

I often receive phone calls from prior clients and new clients saying they want to process their US citizenship.  Unfortunately, not all clients qualify for Citizenship services offered by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS), but most do qualify for naturalization.  So, what is the difference?  Both processes yield US citizenship, but the requirements are different. (more…)