• Miami – Miami Passport Agency-OMNI Center, 1501 Biscayne Blvd, #210
• Coral Gables – City of Coral Gables-405 Biltmore Way
• Ft Lauderdale – Ft. Lauderdale Main Office-1900 W Oakland Park Blvd
• Hallandale Beach – City of Hallandale Beach-400 S. Federal Highway
• Royal Palm Beach – Palm West Post Office-10299 Southern Blvd
• West Palm Beach – West Palm Bch Main Office-3200 Summit Blvd

President holds meetings to discuss moving forward with Immigration Reform

In an effort to pressure Congress to act on Comprehensive Immigration Reform legislation, the President is stepping up efforts to get the issue moving. On March 11th, he met with immigration advocates, and later with Senators Schumer and Graham, sponsors of a Democratic/Republican bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill. Following these meetings, the Whitehouse issued a statement expressing unwavering commitment to comprehensive immigration reform and strong support for bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement in congress. However, experts are skeptical that any immigration reform measure could pass before the November elections, since immigration reform is not a popular subject with either conservative Democrats or Republicans.

IMMIGRATION Q&A

Question: My daughter is a very famous author in Jamaica and is coming soon to the U.S. for a promotional book tour. This is her sixth book in five years and she is very successful. A friend of ours who got his Green Card with you for being famous told us you could help us do the same for my daughter. Can you tell me more about this kind of Green Card for famous individuals?

Answer: You are referring to the “Extraordinary Ability” Immigrant visa, for individuals of "extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics". This includes nearly every profession and is a fairly quick way to obtain a Green Card for those who qualify. However, it is not easy to qualify for and is very often misused for those who do not meet the criteria. To qualify for this visa, an individual must have “sustained” national or international fame or notoriety in his or her professional field. This requires extensive documentation including media articles about the individual, awards, professional recognition, significant contributions and authorship of scholarly articles in the field, etc. A good case proves that the individual has such a high level of expertise that he or she is one of only a small percentage of individuals who are at the top of their profession in their own country or abroad. This means that it is not just enough for an individual to be a published writer. To qualify, the writer must have numerous publications, be well recognized in the field of writing, have won awards and professional recognition and show that they are at the top of the writing field in their country or internationally.

There is also a similar non-immigrant visa called an O-1, which requires much less notoriety for individuals who have "extraordinary achievement". This visa allows individuals to come and work in the U.S. in their field of ability, but does not require them to have “extraordinary ability”. However, if the O-1 visa individual also meets the advanced qualifications for the “Extraordinary Ability” Immigrant Visa, an Immigrant visa can be filed for a Green Card as well.

Typically, individuals of “Extraordinary Ability” obtain O-1 visas to allow them to work in the U.S. while their Immigrant Visa case is being processed for a Green Card. For those who qualify, Immigrant Visa processing can be as quick as 15 days (with USCIS expedited processing). Once the Immigrant visa is approved, Green Card processing can take an additional 6 to 8 months.

*This column is published for the purposes of providing a general understanding of immigration legal issues, as a public service and is not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Consideration given to any immigration issue is not intended in any way to substitute for individual legal consultation with a licensed attorney. Readers should understand that this column and the foregoing illustrations are subject to different interpretations in each particular immigration case that may arise and no one reading this column should attempt to apply his own particular situation to the principles described herein. Readers with specific legal immigration issues should consult their attorney. If you have an immigration issue and do not know an attorney, you may call your state’s attorney Bar Association.