At Chodorow Law Offices, we help families and businesses with temporary (nonimmigrant) visa applications at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. We also help with applications and petitions to USCIS for extension and change of status. This includes, but is not limited to:
- L-1 intracompany transferees
- O-1 extraordinary ability
- E-2 treaty investors
- H-1B professionals
- H-3 trainees
- F-1 students
- J-1 exchange visitors
- B1/B2 visitors for business, pleasure, or medical treatment
- Etc.
In addition, our firm has unparalleled experience and resources on the ground for representing clients with regard to temporary visa issues before the U.S. visa-issuing posts China (Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang), Hong Kong, and Taipei. We make it our business to know each consulate’s policies, practices, and procedures.
For introductory information about temporary visas, see:
- Quick Reference to Nonimmigrant Visas
- Visa vs. I-94 (Departure Record): What’s the Difference?
- Admission to the U.S., and Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Nonimmigrant
- Proving Nonimmigrant Intent for a U.S. Visa.
Articles about Temporary Visas
State Dep’t Limits B (Visitor) Visa Validity for Communist Party Members and Their Relatives
On Dec. 2, 2020, the State Department issued new restrictions on B1/B2 (visitor for business or leisure) visas for members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their families. CCP members and their families are now limited to single-entry visas valid for entry within 1 month of issuance. In other words, they will need to…
Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) Enrollment Required for Chinese with 10-Year B1/B2 Visas
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has created the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) to periodically collect updates of biographic and other information from certain Chinese nationals holding long-term validity visas. CBP’s goal is to identify individuals who “may pose a threat or who are otherwise inadmissible” to the United States.[1] EVUS operates similarly to the…
Proving Nonimmigrant Intent for a U.S. Visa
1. Introduction Eligibility for many types of nonimmigrant visa require proof that the applicant (a) is not an intending immigrant, (b) has an unabandoned foreign residence, and/or (c) is coming to the U.S. temporarily. This article describes that set of requirements, which are often loosely described as nonimmigrant intent. Understanding that set of requirements is…
U.S. Visas for Medical Treatment
More Chinese patients are checking into travel abroad for healthcare needs, spurred by a rising demand for specialty care and sophisticated treatments. Below, I look at the driving forces behind the increase in so-called medical tourism, some differences between the U.S. and Chinese health care systems, the doctor-patient relationship in the U.S., and the U.S. visa requirements for healthcare…
H-1B Stateside Visa Renewal Pilot Program
The State Department today formally announced a new pilot program to renew H-1B visas within the U.S. for certain H-1B workers. Stateside visa processing was discontinued in 2004, except for diplomats, because a fingerprint requirement had been put into place after 9-11, and the State Department lacked the capabilities to gather fingerprints. The new program…
Update: Entry Suspended for Chinese Students and Researchers with Military-Civil Fusion Links
The President has issued a May 29, 2020, Proclamation on the Suspension of Entry as Nonimmigrants of Certain Students and Researchers from the People’s Republic of China.The proclamation appears to be counter-productive, a distraction from real measures needed to fight Beijing's theft of sensitive technologies, and an attempt to boost Trump's electoral odds by stoking…
Visas for Parents to Accompany F-1 Student to the U.S.
The B-2 (visitor for pleasure) visa is as flexible as a world-class gymnast. The State Department has announced that a B-2 visa may be used by parents to accompany a minor with an F-1 (student) visa to the U.S. As background, its well known that an F-1 student’s spouse and children (under age 21) can get…
Can I Enter the U.S. as a Visitor Then File a Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status?
Can you enter the U.S. as a visitor, then become a lawful permanent resident (LPR), i.e., green card holder, by filing with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) a Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status, instead of waiting abroad for an immigrant visa appointment?
“Administrative Processing”: a Black Hole for Visa Applicants
For the uninitiated, “administrative processing” (AP) is State Department-speak for a temporary visa refusal pending further investigation of a visa application. (9 FAM Appendix E, 404). The applicant typically learns of the temporary refusal when, at the conclusion of the interview, the consular officer issues a written notice stating that under section 221(g) of the Immigration…