Immigration and Visa News

Frontier Legal to Serve as Comprehensive U.S. Visa and Immigration Services

Mon, 25 May 2009 04:35:34 +0000

            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 10, 2009) – Frontier Legal (www.FrontierLegal.com), a leading online immigration service, has launched a new Internet based portal offering a wide range of immigration services for U.S. lawyers with clients in Asia and the U.S.

            Frontier Legal is intended to change the way lawyers practice law by providing them a more efficient and cost-effective way to represent clients abroad, particularly in consulate processing matters by having local representation for consulate inquiries and appeals. The site offers one centralized stop on the Internet containing a vast collection of immigration services compiled by a U.S. licensed attorney.

            Attorneys and individuals can access a wide array of immigration services ranging from simple inquiry with the consulate, personal consultation, research local laws, request a legal opinion for Thailand or Vietnam, secure documents, and provide local filings directly with the government.

           Frontier Legal services are easily available and comprehensive to suit any particular case, eliminating the time-consuming process of using international postal services and local visa agents. The services are provided by licensed US lawyers.

            The site is headed by Cathy Tran Reck, a duly licensed U.S. lawyer, the originator of the concept for the site, developer of its immigration services, and an expert in consulate processing for South East Asia. Reck was educated in California, U.S. and speaks fluent English, Vietnamese, and conversant in Thai.

            “Every good immigration lawyer will provide a full service immigration practice," says Reck. "But what most good lawyers do not have is easy access to their clients overseas, and high quality representation at the local consulate. In today's competitive market, our specialized service will be a valuable place in cyberspace for lawyers and individuals who have not tapped into local resources where their loved ones are. We take the guess work and ambiguity out of the process and all you need to do is simply provide us with your documents and we'll handle the rest. Our specialty does not end with simple K1 Fiancee Visa or K3 Spouse Visa petitions, our firm handle complex waivers, meaning if your loved ones cannot come to the U.S. because of a stated statutory violation, we will determine whether he/she qualifies for discretionary relief. We regularly get inquiries from the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City due to 221(g) visa denials requiring extensive review and heavy documentation. We provide comprehensive guidance on waivers and revocation/denial issues at the consulate level where your loved ones reside."


   Frontier Legal (www.FrontierLegal.com) is an online immigration service for lawyers and individuals with indispensable online immigration news for Thailand, Vietnam and the U.S. Every other month Frontier Legal hosts a seminar covering a specific area of immigration will be conducted in Bangkok, Thailand. Frontier Legal has offices in Bangkok, Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The firm and its affiliates presently employ American lawyers licensed to practice law in at least one jurisdiction in the U.S. Our lawyers and support staff are committed to providing clients with high-quality legal advice and services.

Cathy Tran Reck,
Attorney at Law

Frontier Legal

Skype: Frontierlegal

Email: Info@FrontierLegal.com

New report says that Brits save money by moving to Australia and New Zealand

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:45:51 +0000

Foreign currency broker Foreign Currency Direct has found that the cost of living in Australia and New Zealand is up to a third lower than in the UK. This is one of the main reasons why Brits are moving to Australia.

US Tax Information for Expats

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:35:42 +0000

U.S. citizens and green card holders living abroad have the dubious honor of being the only expats of an industrialized nation to be subject to taxation of foreign earned income.

If you are a U.S. citizen or green card holder you must file a U.S. tax return if you earned over the minimum filing income for a U.S. resident. For a married taxpayer filing separately, the threshold for filing can be as little as $3,000.

In most cases, foreign residents are granted an automatic filing extension to June 15th (return must be received in the U.S. by that date.) Interest, however, will accrue from April 15th.

Note that if you haven't been filing that there are ways to come forward and back file before the I.R.S. finds you and impose interest or penalties.

Section 911 of the U.S. tax code allows bona fide foreign residents to exclude up to $87.600 (2008 income) of foreign earned income under certain conditions. Generally, this income will not fall under U.S. taxation laws even if you pay no local taxes.

Passive income such as pension payments, rental income, capital gains, dividends, etc.,.) is subject to U.S. taxation and generally may not be excluded, no matter where it was earned. However, you may use income tax paid for income from the category (passive, salaray, etc.,.) in question.

UK Streamlines Visa Process in Vietnam

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:50:26 +0000

A new three-step nonimmigrant visa application process will see visas completed within seven working days, the British Embassy in Vietnam said in a statement on Tuesday.

US to Maintain Visa, Immigration Policies in Vietnam

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:48:16 +0000

Janice Jacobs, assistant secretary at the Bureau of Consular Affairs, said the US was interested in increasing the number of foreign students, including Vietnamese, studying in the US.

Currently, the US is hosting around 15,000 Vietnamese students and the Southeast Asian nation now ranks 8th among countries sending most students to the US, she said.

Vietnam to Crack Down on Illegal Immigrants

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:45:29 +0000

The HCM City chairman recently directed the city’s police to better detect and fine illegal immigrants. Immigration police explains Vietnamese Law to two foreigners whose visa expired.

UK: Foreign Workers Could be Barred from Entering

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:38:42 +0000

New measures to bar tens of thousands of foreign workers from outside Europe coming to work in Britain as the recession bites deeper were outlined by the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, today.

The package includes possible moves to prevent the families of skilled migrants working in Britain and restricting skilled migrants to taking jobs only in occupations with shortages.

UK Home Office Latest Comments on Immigration

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:24:18 +0000

Points based system forces employers to offer jobs to British before immigrants.

Record Level of UK Work Permits Issued

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:21:49 +0000

More than 151,000 overseas nationals from outside the EU were granted permission to work: almost four times the level when Labour took power in 1997.

Identity Cards and UK Immigration

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:12:53 +0000

New requirements for immigrants in the UK to carry identity cards, replacing stickers in passports.

Barack Obama's Aunt has Immigration Hearing in April

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:59:11 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration quietly withdrew in the weeks after Barack Obama's election a new rule requiring high-level approval before federal agents nationwide could arrest fugitive immigrants. The future for Obama's aunt, who had been living in the country illegally, will be determined at an immigration court hearing in April.

UK: Arrests After Immigration Raids

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:53:55 +0000

The BBC reported on the immigration raids that occurred recently.

Seven people have been arrested in raids by UK Border Agency officers on restaurants and takeaways in County Durham and Tyneside. In one Indian restaurant in Durham three Bangladeshi men were found working illegally while in a Chinese takeaway two more people were arrested.

Three further arrests were made in another Indian restaurant and a fish and chip shop in Wallsend.

An agency spokesman said the raids followed tip-offs from the public.

Foreign Nurses Must for US Visa

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:11:37 +0000

Many nurses hoping to move to the US will now have to wait around three years to gain their US visa, as opposed to the two months they needed to wait previously, as US immigration clears its backlog of EB-3 visa applications.

Foreign nurses are being told not to lose faith that they will be granted a US work visa, despite a current freeze on work permits for nurses from certain countries.

Immigration Fraud in Sham Marriages

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:21:23 +0000

This is why I always reiterate, defrauding the federal government is not only felonious it's foolish. Desperate people wanting to make a buck and thinking that entering into a sham marriage will be the answer may be in for a big surprise. Entering into fraudulent marriages for immigration purposes give the rest of the legitimate cases a bad rep and unfair to those that have taken legal steps to ensure they are reunited with their loved ones.

RYAN NICKLAUS WILLIAMS, 28, of Puyallup, Washington was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 37 days in jail with credit for time served, 100 hours of community service, four months of electronic home monitoring, and three years of supervised release for the crime of Conspiracy to Commit Visa Fraud. In sentencing WILLIAMS, U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton noted that the visa fraud conspiracy was a “very serious offense” that had a profound effect on legitimate visa seekers.

Thailand Plans to Waive Visa Fees for Tourists

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:08:14 +0000

Multiple media outlets are reporting that Thailand plans to waive visa fees for tourists.

Sounds interesting but do you think that will really encourage people to come to Thailand? How about making the government more stable and taking measures to prevent another hostile airport takeover?

When a Widow is No Longer Considered a Spouse Under U.S. Immigration Laws

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:02:47 +0000

This article by my vigilant colleague, Brent Renison, has a poignant message regarding the rigid immigration system and its archaic interpretation of a spouse. I was inspired by Brent and went on to represent two widows who were entangled in this immigration mess, and while one was successful, the other is part of Brent's class action. Here's the article and link.

On November 23, 2008, CBS “60 Minutes” exposed the Widow Penalty to a national audience in a segment hosted by Bob Simon entitled “For Better or For Worse – A Loss of Love and Country.” This letter is written to the Obama-Biden Transition Team in an effort to educate the incoming Administration about the Widow Penalty, and to urge its end through administrative interpretation and through legislation. There is a way to ameliorate the Widow Penalty through a simple administrative policy change – to recognize that once an application for benefits is lawfully filed, the death of the petitioning relative does not automatically strip the survivor of the status of a spouse. There is also a way to help thoseSurviving Spouses Against Deportation Urges An End To The Widow Penalty who intended to file an application, but who did not have an opportunity to do so before an untimely death – through legislation.

DHS: Janet Napolitano Says Fixing ‘Broken’ Immigration System a Priority

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:36:58 +0000

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has the experience and diplomacy to make immigration reform a top priority. This is certainly a practical and reasonable move in the right direction in the Obama administration. Here's the article from Bloomberg on January 15th.

Janet Napolitano, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for homeland security secretary, told a congressional panel this morning that fixing the "broken" U.S. immigration system would be a priority. As governor of Arizona, a border state, Napolitano called for the National Guard to help secure the Mexican border and she billed the federal government for state services used by illegal immigrants. "I have walked, flown over, and ridden horseback along our southwest border," Napolitano told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's hearing on her nomination. "I appreciate its vastness, as well as the grave consequences of our broken system," she said.

She Wants Hubby Deported

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:34:02 +0000

Q: I am a United States citizen. I petitioned for my husband and brought him here from abroad. After three years of marriage and just seven weeks after immigrating, he abandoned me and asked for a divorce. It is clear to me that he married me only to get his green card. Can I get my husband deported?

A: At this point, you can't do much to affect your husband's immigration status. Because you thought the marriage was genuine, it would be almost impossible for you to prove fraud. And because you were married more than two years on the day he became a permanent resident, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services won't be checking to see how your marriage worked out. Move on with your life. Trying to get revenge won't help.

Advance Authorization Required for Visa Waiver Travelers to the US

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:44:00 +0000

Foreign nationals planning to travel to the United States for short-term visits for business or tourism under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) must register as soon as possible for travel clearance through the online Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Beginning January 12, 2009, VWP travelers will be required to register and get ESTA clearance before boarding a carrier bound for the United States. Travelers should submit their applications well in advance of travel, and no later than 72 hours before departing for the United States.

UK Border Agency Signs IBM as Strategic Systems Integration Partner for Immigration Case Work Program First Phase Contract Awarded to IBM for Overall Design of Systems

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:41:18 +0000

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service also signed with IBM to streamline their immigration processing system, it's not surprising that the UK was also on board. USCIS was signed with IBM in November 2008.