BAY AREA IMMIGRATION SERVICES

Marriage-Spousal Petitions. Marriage-spousal petitions allow American citizens and Green Card holders (LPRs) to apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of a spouse so that he/she may immigrate to or remain in the United States. However, the immigration laws governing marriage-spousal petitions are cumbersome and lengthy, and simple mistakes may result in a denial of the marriage-spousal petition or lengthy delays. Contact us before you file an application with CIS.

Aliens with Exceptional Ability. Individuals holding an advanced degree or aliens of exceptional ability may be eligible for a First Employment-Based Preference (EB1-EA or EB1A) petitions without an employer’s sponsorship, which provide the freedom for changing jobs without going through the normal immigration process and could be a much better choice and quicker way to obtain U.S. Green Card to enter the United States. If you need assistance with this petition, please contact our immigration lawyers today.

H-1 Visa for Professionals. For employers seeking to hire foreign workers in specialized fields requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher, such as scientists, engineers, or computer programmers, the H-1B visa program can be confusing and complex. At the Law Offices of Haitham Edward Ballout, we focus on providing your business with a range of services, from employment counseling to filling out the necessary paperwork for the H-1B visa, or assisting you in the transfer of an existing H-1B employee’s work authorization.

L-1 Visa – Intercompany Transfer of Employee. L-1 visas apply to intercompany transferees who, within the three preceding years, have been employed abroad continuously for one year, and who will be employed by a branch, parent, affiliate, or subsidiary of that same employer in the U.S. in a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge capacity. If you are in need of a L-1 visa, please contact our immigration attorneys today.

Investor Visas – Immigrant Investor. For investors looking to develop and direct a business enterprise in the United States or to invest a substantial amount of capital in a new business project, a special E-2 Treaty Investor Visa is available. In order to obtain an investor visa to conduct or invest in business in the United States, several requirements must be met. We encourage you to consult with our office on your particular U.S. investment.

Employment Visas. Immigrants wishing to enter the United States based on a prospective employment must obtain an approved employment visa from the USCIS. Our experienced and professional legal staff has over 20 years of experience helping our clients obtain employment visas permitting them to live and work in the United States.

Extend or Change Status. If you currently hold a non-immigrant status and seek to extend or change your immigration status, then you are required to file an application to change your status on Form I-539. We have a friendly staff that will help you achieve your goal of staying in the United States.

Citizenship Applications [N-400, N-600]. The basic requirements for U.S. citizenship are that the applicant hold a legal status as a full-time resident for a minimum period of time and that the applicant promise to obey and uphold that country’s laws, to which an oath or pledge of allegiance is sometimes added. Becoming a U.S. citizen provides you with new rights and privileges; including the right to vote, run for federal office, eligibility for grants and scholarships.

Waivers [I-601, 212©]. This waiver is used to allow aliens to return to the U.S. or to obtain a green card without leaving the U.S. If you are illegally in the US and are married to a US citizen or the holder of a green card, and you entered without inspection, you may need to return to your own country and apply for an immigrant visa through the US consulate there. We will assist in preparing the I-601 waiver application. To prevent delays with the waiver process, your applications should be prepared correctly the first time. We have over 20 years experience handling immigration cases and will ensure that you permanently stay in the US. Read reviews from satisfied clients on Avvo.com.

Removal of Conditional Status [I-751]. Your permanent residence status will be conditional if it is based on a marriage that was less than two years old on the day you were given permanent residence. You are given conditional resident status on the day you are lawfully admitted to the United States on an immigrant visa or receive adjustment of status. Your permanent resident status is conditional, because you must prove that you did not get married to evade the immigration laws of the United States. Within 90 days after the second anniversary of your conditional residency, you must file an I-751 with all supporting documents. Failure to do so will cause the revocation of the legal status and can lead to deportation/removal from the U.S. To avoid losing your status and to get assistance in filing the I-751 application correctly, please contact us before the second anniversary of your conditional green card. In some instances, late I-751 applications may be accepted by CIS.

Self-Petitioning by Abused Spouse [I-360] VAWA (Violence Against Women Act). An abused alien spouse of a US Citizen or Green Card holder may file a green card application on his/her own without the consent of the US citizen or legal resident spouse. A self-petitioner must be legally married (in good faith) to the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident batterer. A self-petition may be filed if the marriage was terminated by the abusive spouse’s death within the two years prior to filing. A self-petition may also be filed if the marriage to the abusive spouse was terminated, within the two years prior to filing, by divorce related to the abuse. Our law office has extensive experience in VAWA applications. If you need help with obtaining permanent residency because of an abusive spouse, please contact our office today for assistance.

Asylum Law. Asylum is a form of protection granted to individuals in the United States who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Individuals who meet this definition of a refugee and who are already in the United States or who are seeking entry into the United States at a port of entry may qualify for a grant of asylum and be permitted to remain in the United States as long as they are not barred from either applying for or being granted asylum. Individuals who are granted asylum are eligible to apply to adjust their status to that of a lawful permanent resident.

Deportation/Removal Defense. Our office is skilled and knowledgeable in removal proceedings and immigration law. We have over 20 years experience in handling deportation/removal defense matters. You can be assured that we at the Law Office of Haitham Ballout & Associates have the precise knowledge and experience to successfully handle your case before any U.S. immigration court and judge. For more information on our exclusive removal/deportation practice, please visit our web site nodeportation.com or call us today.

Obtaining a Green Card. While there are many ways to get a Green Card, becoming a Lawful Permanent Resident in the United States is a multi-step process that could be stressful and time consuming. In most cases, USCIS must first approve an immigrant petition for you, usually filed by an employer or relative. Then, an immigrant visa number must be available to you, even if you are already in the United States. After that, if you are already in the United States, you may apply to adjust to permanent resident status (If you are outside the United States, you will be notified to go to the local U.S. consulate to complete the processing for an immigrant visa.) To find out how you can apply to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States, please contact us today. We will help you identify what you need to do to obtain your green card and live permanently in the United States.

The Adam Walsh Act of 2006. US citizens with certain criminal convictions. Congress prohibited certain U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents with criminal convictions from obtaining any Family-based immigration benefit. Sections 402(a) and (b) of the Adam Walsh Act amend section 101(a)(15)(K), 204(a)(1)(A) and 204(a)(1)(B)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit U.S. citizens and LPRs who have been convicted of any “specified offense against a minor” from filing a family-based visa petition on behalf of any beneficiary, unless the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security determines that the petitioner poses no risk to the beneficiary of the visa petition. This authority has been delegated to USCIS, pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 103.1.

Appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). Our legal team has years of experience practicing before the Board in numerous types of cases and we possess the necessary skill and knowledge in aggressively advocating for our clients in their cases on appeal. It is essential that any appeal brought before the BIA be exhaustive and complete as the record and the issues presented to the Board will comprise the extent of any argument that may later be brought to the federal Circuit Courts on a Petition for Review. Our legal team knows and understands the complexity of the legal arguments that may be raised and we fully brief and provide the necessary record on which to present the arguments. For more information on our exclusive removal/deportation practice, please visit our web site nodeportation.com or call us today.

Immigration Appeals to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and all other Circuit Courts. Our legal team has extensive experience in arguing immigration matters before the federal Circuit Courts, especially in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. We are skilled in framing the legal arguments before the federal appellate courts so that our clients have the best opportunity available in having their claims heard and decided upon. For more information on our exclusive removal/deportation practice, please visit our removal/deportation web site nodeportation.com or call us today.

Writs of Certiorari before the United States Supreme Court. In order to fully exhaust all potential avenues of appeal, our legal team is prepared, and in fact has on several occasions previously, petitioned directly to the U.S. Supreme Court in what is called a Writ of Certiorari. However, the U.S. Supreme Court accepts for review and a further hearing, only a very small percentage of cases that are filed before it. In past session, the Supreme Court receives in excess of 8,000 petitions and on average reviews only around 80 cases. For more information on our exclusive removal/deportation practice, please visit our removal/deportation web site nodeportation.com or call us today.

Representation before the Federal Immigration Courts and before an Immigration Judge. Our attorneys have extensive experience in providing the best possible legal representation in the Federal Immigration Courts for someone in a removal or deportation proceeding. We understand that this can be a frightening experience, with serious consequences if the person is ordered removed resulting in separation from their families and friends. Our skills attorneys will use every available means to which our clients may be entitled, in order to provide our client with relief from removal. For more information on our exclusive removal/deportation practice, please visit our removal/deportation web site nodeportation.com or call us today.

Appeal to the Administrative Appeals Office (“AAO”). Typically, this appeal must be submitted on a form I-290B plus supporting documents. Our immigration attorneys have the necessary experience, skill, and knowledge to submit a compelling appeal in your case. One such example is where our office has taken the appeal on an initial denial of a J-1 waiver application of the two-year foreign residency requirement to the AAO and successfully obtained such a waiver for two medical doctors and physicians.

Consular Processing-Obtaining a visa from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Our office has successfully assisted many immigrants to the U.S. in obtaining their visas through U.S. State Department consular processing. Any intending immigrant living outside of the U.S. must obtain their visa through consular processing. This process can be challenging, time consuming, and frustrating if you fail to timely file the proper document. Once you have obtained the approval of your visa petition and a visa is available for you, your application must be processed through the National Visa Center. Our skilled professional staff can assist you in navigating your visa application through this bureaucratic maze and insure that you receive a timely consulate interview on your petition so that you may join your family in the United States.

J-1 Waivers of the application of the two-year foreign residency requirement (Physicians, medical professionals & others). A J-1 holder who is subject to the foreign two-year residency requirement must obtain waiver before being allowed to seek an H-1B visa or to adjust his/her status through marriage to a U.S. citizen. Our office has over 20 years of experience in this field of l aw and can assist in filing this type of waiver or appealing a denial of J-1 waiver application to the AAO. Please contact us for more information.

Cancellation of Removal in Immigration Courts (Nationwide). Certain aliens who have resided illegally but continuously in the U.S. for over 10 years and have a qualifying U.S. citizen or LPR spouse, child or parent may qualify for cancellation of removal (which leads to a green card) if they can show extraordinary hardship to any one of the qualifying relative. Certain abused spouses may also qualify for cancellation of removal even if they have not resided in the U.S. for 10 years or more. Our law office focuses on cancellation of removal and deportation defense and has 20 years of experience in obtaining successful results in this area. Please visit our nodeportation.com web site dedicated to deportation/removal defense proceedings or contact us for a consultation on this very important relief from removal.

Nationwide Representation of Individuals in Immigration & Deportation/Removal Cases. During the past successful 20 years, we developed a reputation for dedication to our clients and & success. Based on this reputation, we are called on to handle immigration matters in various states. Although local competent counsel is usually best equipped to deal with local immigration matter, our office will gladly discuss representing you in any U.S. city and before any immigration court so long as our representation is more beneficial to you than local representation. Please contact us today to discuss whether our representation is more beneficial to your important immigration matter.

Other Areas of Legal Practice – General Civil Practice. Our legal team has experience and knowledge in many areas of law of civil and appellate law. We represent clients in various civil venues, as well as local administrative hearings. Please contact us today for a consultation.