Attorney Lunbing Chen Altaffer is the co-founder and current managing member of Altaffer & Chen PLLC, a law firm based in Dallas, Texas.  In 2022, Attorney Chen significantly participated in two successful EB-1A petitions, which USCIS granted quickly upon respective receipt of each request for premium processing without RFE (request for evidence). One petitioner was a fund manager, and another was an environmental expert. 

Altaffer & Chen PLLC 是一家位于美国德州达拉斯的律师事务所。本所创始及现任管理合伙人，CHEN律师，于2022年实质性参与了两个成功的杰出人才绿卡申请：申请人一个是基金经理，另一个是环保专家。两个申请递交相差几个月的案件均申请了加急处理服务，而USCIS（美国公民及移民服务局）在先后收到案件后也分别很快一次性批准了两个申请，并没有象此类案件中常见的那样，要求申请人提交补充证据材料(Request for Further Evidence, RFE)。

哪些情况下申请人可能不会被批准进入美国或调整在美国的非移民身份呢？美国《移民及国籍法》(INA)第212(a) 条列举了相关情形，如基于与申请人健康有关的情形，申请人是否有相关犯罪记录，是否会危害美国国家安全(如恐怖活动，申请人的独裁政府的成员身份等)，是否可能带来公共负担 (最新相关政策已极大放宽对公共负担的要求)，是否曾非法入境或非法居留，之前有无被遣返，等等。申请人具有举证责任、必须清楚无疑地证明自己不具有相关情形因而不能被批准。当然，这些规定有例外情形。另外，有些情形下申请人可以申请豁免。

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is providing information for nonimmigrant workers whose employment has terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily. These workers may have several options for remaining in the United States in a period of authorized stay based on existing rules and regulations.

如果申请人没有获得过对其杰出成就认可的次于如诺贝尔奖等国际公认的重大奖项的其他国际或国内认可的奖项或奖金，但基于杰出成就获得过国际或国家认可的奖学金、拨款或经费（scholarships, grants, or funds），这些也有可能作为等同于重大奖项或奖金用于满足第一项条件。当然，毫无疑问，这些因为申请人杰出成就或才能而获得的奖学金、拨款或经费可与申请人获得的其他国际性或国家级的奖项或奖金一并提交来夯实申请人为杰出人才的事实。

8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3) 列出了美国杰出人才绿卡申请的十个条件。申请人必须满足这十个条件中的至少三个，如果申请人不能提供其所在专业领域被国际社会广泛认可的重量级国际奖项的话。本文则在此较为详细地讨论第六个条件 (8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(vi)) : 学术文章撰写 (authorship of scholarly articles),  申请人在专业性或行业性期刊杂志或其他主要媒体上发表其专业领域的学术文章｡ 根据申请人的具体情况，这个条件有时也被同时用来满足第五个条件：具有重大意义的原创性贡献 （Petitioner’s original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field）。

要获得基于合法永久居民至少五年的入籍资格，您必须：提交入籍申请N-400表格时至少年满18岁; 证明您是美国合法永久居民至少五年; 证明在您提交N-400表格之前在美国连续居住至少五年; 证明您在提交N-400表格之前的五年中至少在美国居住了30个月; 证明您已在对您的居住地有管辖权的州或USCIS地区居住了至少三个月（如果您是学生且在经济上依赖您的父母，您可以在您上学或家人居住的地地方申请入籍）；表明您是一个道德品质良好的人，并且在您提交N-400表格之前至少五年内一直是道德品质良好的人; 表现出对美国宪法原则和理想的忠诚；能够读、写和说基本的英语; 了解和理解美国的历史基础以及政府的原则和形式（公民学）; 及
宣誓效忠美国。

申请人如果能证明自己未婚，未满 21岁，并且被置于有管辖权的州少年法庭的命令之下，可以根据美国移民法及相关法律 (Section 101 ( a)(27)(J)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 及8 C.F.R. § 204.11 (b)）规定申请绿卡（Petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile）。这个州少年法庭命令必须确定以下事实：（1）申请人被宣布依赖于少年法庭，或者少年法庭指定的州政府机构、个人或实体的监护之下；（2）申请人因虐待、忽视、遗弃或州法律规定的类似原因而不能与父母一方或双方团聚；（3）根据司法或行政决定，将申请人返回申请人的或其父母的国籍国或最后惯常居住国不符合申请人的最佳利益。

USCIS releases “New Data on Effective Reduction of Backlogs, Support for Humanitarian Missions, and Fiscal Responsibility” today, Dec. 7, 2022, showing its substantial efforts, which have been made and will be made, to reduce the backlog and speed up case handlings.

视每个人的具体情况，美国绿卡的获得有多种途径，包括通过寻求庇护。在美国获得庇护有3种方式或程序：积极程序 （Affirmative Asylum Processing USCIS)；肯定的令人信服的恐惧决定之后的庇护实质性面谈（Asylum Merits Interview with USCIS After a Positive Credible Fear Determination); 或 防御性程序（Defensive Asylum Processing with EOIR)。

美国移民法允许某些以就业为基础的非公民移民投资1,050,000美元（800,000美元投资到目标就业区域或基础设施项目）到一个新的商业企业（NCE)—也称为EB-5项目—并且创造至少10个就业机会而成为合法的永久居民（获得绿卡)。 投资者的配偶及21岁以下未婚子女也有资格申请绿卡。投资可分为直接投资和通过美国公民及移民局（USCIS）批准的区域中心投资。直接投资模式中，投资者将资金直接投资于NCE，NCE将负责创造所需的就业机会，因此也被视为创造就业机会的实体（JCE）。相比之下，通过区域中心投资的EB-5资金由区域中心管理，其投资的经济实体中有多个NCE，NCE和JCE通常是分开的。

The employment-based second preference EB-2 visa is for a person who is a member of the professions holding an advanced degree or its equivalent, or a person who has exceptional ability.

基于婚姻的移民绿卡申请成功的最关键在于证明申请人（美国公民或永久绿卡持有人）与非美国公民的配偶之间的婚姻是真实的，不是为了逃避移民法、单纯为获取绿卡而缔结的虚假婚姻。除了需要提交最基本的身份证明材料及结婚证复印件（如果其中一方曾经离过婚，提供离婚证明复印件）外，申请人应视个人具体情况提交如下证明婚姻真实性的证据材料：

根据美国国务院2022年11月10日的最新签证公告信息，中国大陆出生的申请人基于以下情况的绿卡申请12月无排期：1、永久绿卡持有者的配偶和21岁以下未婚子女; 2、杰出人才；3、投资到农村地区、高失业地区及基础建设项目的投资移民。

For an EB-1A petition, different attorneys have distinct ways to handle it. We would thoroughly evaluate a possible case according to the specific facts of a prospective client and decide whether to represent the client.  If a representation decision has been made, we generally first help our clients collect as much as possible relevant, probative, and credible evidence as per our deep understanding of the pertinent laws, policies, and most recently published cases which we regularly study.  Second, we review carefully every document (including reference letters) that is intended to be submitted to prove our client's eligibility and resolve any inconsistencies or discrepancies among the evidentiary documents, in case there is any.  If an examiner raises any doubt on one of the evidentiary pieces, the credibility of the remaining evidence will be negatively affected, and the examiner might deny the petition in the worst case. Third, we search the internet and check if there is adverse information about our client (and take corresponding steps when necessary) because the examiner may consider the evidence publicly available from the World Wide Web. Finally, we make sure every documentation that is in a foreign language other than English to be translated into English by a competent translator with a certificate of translation in compliance with 8 C.F.R. § 103.2(b)(3). 

An immigrant visa is available to an alien, who has been employed outside the United States for at least 1 year in the 3 years preceding the immigration petition in a managerial or executive capacity and seeks to enter the United States to continue to render managerial or executive services to the same employer or to its subsidiary or affiliate.  If the alien beneficiary is already in the United States working for the same employer or its subsidiary or affiliate by which he or she was employed overseas, the beneficiary must establish that he or she was employed abroad in a managerial or executive capacity for at least 1 year in the 3 years preceding the most recent lawful nonimmigrant admission.  

Noncitizens or aliens, including undocumented immigrants, enjoy certain constitutional rights when they have come within the territory of the United States and voluntarily developed substantial connections with this country.  But the constitutional rights do not apply to an alien who seeks initial admission to the United States.

EB-5 immigrant investor program (employment-based fifth preference immigrant visa) is one of the paths immigrating to the United States.  Under this program, investors (and their spouses and unmarried children under 21) are eligible to apply for a Green Card (permanent residence) if they: 1) make the required investment in a commercial enterprise in the United States; and 2) plan to create or preserve 10 permanent full-time jobs for qualified U.S. workers.

There are different paths to immigrating to the United States; EB-1A (employment-based green card under the first preference as an alien with extraordinary ability) is one of them. No offer of employment or labor certification is required for an EB-1A petition; thus, anyone can file such a petition on behalf of an alien with extraordinary ability, including the alien himself or herself as a self-petitioner.

The E-2 treaty investor nonimmigrant US visa permits a citizen of a treaty country, with which the United States maintains a treaty of commerce and navigation, to come to the United States with substantial capital investment in a U.S. business. A treaty investor’s spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 are eligible for E-2 dependent visas and their nationalities need not be the same as the treaty investor.