A step by step summary on getting an H1B Visa

If you are seeking an H1B visa, please note that the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 1 and run through noon Eastern on March 17, 2023. The clock is ticking. What is the process for an H1B? Below, I describe the steps as simply as possible:
 

First Here Is What You Need To Get The H1B Visa

1. You need a job offer from a U.S. employer for a role that requires specialty knowledge.
2. You need proof of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in that field
3. Your employer must show that there is a lack of qualified U.S. applicants for the role

Second Here Are The Steps You Need To Take To Get An H1B Visa.

1. Register with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and be selected to apply.

The cap is at 65,000 visas per fiscal year. If you have a master’s degree from a U.S. institution, an extra 20,000 visas available for those who have a master’s degree or higher. If the employer who is sponsoring you is an institution of higher education, a nonprofit organization connected to an institute of higher education, or a government research organization, then the visa cap does not apply. Read More

By: Marcia Giordano Hansen
Recently, a client called me because their tenant had advised that he could no longer pay rent and asked to early terminate his lease agreement. My client was upset because the tenant had 6 months left on the lease agreement. Terminating the lease early would subject my client to many unnecessary and unexpected expenses such as cleaning the property, hiring an attorney to resolve the early termination, paying a broker to re-list the property and paying that broker’s commission and the list goes on and on. My client told me that this tenant had poor credit when he had applied initially but she felt bad and wanted to give him a chance. 
First tip here, when it comes to renting to tenants never “feel bad” and never ” give someone a chance” if your gut is telling you this might cause a future problem. Remember, if it talks like a duck, smells like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck…. that cannot pay rent!
First and most importantly, always include an early termination clause in your lease agreement. This clause makes your tenant agree to pay 2 months rent if he or she decides to leave early, before the lease agreement matures. Read More

As the Johnny Depp Vs. Amber Heard defamation trial starts coming to a close after over 20 days of witness testimonies and a nationwide media focus, many questions have arised from the public in regards to what we have seen presented in that Fairfax, Virginia courtroom.

At the heart of the trial are video and audio recordings presented as evidence from both sides to support their argument that one was violent with the other. Many people are wondering how these recordings are even allowed to be submitted into evidence since most of the time it is obvious that one party, either Depp or Heard, is not aware they are being recorded. Such as the infamous kitchen cabinet video where Amber Heard secretly records an angry Johnny Depp slamming the kitchen cabinet doors. Read More

Geo Tracking and Its Detrimental Effects on Criminal Cases

Gone are the good old days where a criminal defense attorney could claim “I was not there”. Why? Because of the little communication devices we all carry in our hands, in our pockets, in our purses, 24 hours, 7 days a week. These cell phone devices have become a so called appendage to our bodies due to our insatiable need to always be connected. Our every single movement is “geo-tracked” by our cell phone providers. I recently had the not so pleasurable experience of defending someone whose moves placed him at the crime scene within minutes before the shooting, during the shooting and right after the shooting. The geo-tracking was overwhelmingly persuasive and negative. So what exactly is geo tracking and is it lawful for the government to have access to our every single move? Read More

$997 Million to the family members of those individuals who did not survive and $83 Million to the survivors whose property was destroyed and lost. The discrepancy has caused quite a friction amongst the “survivors” and “victims”. Even the nomenclature that one group is called “victims” and the other group is called “survivors” seems to be a cause of frustration for those people that survived the collapse. In a recent tv appearance, I met two survivors who were visibly upset, frustrated, confused and distraught over the settlement that they were going to receive vs. the settlement that the family members of those who lost their life. So why the discrepancy? Read More