SIGN UP OPEN: Dubai EB-5 Seminar Wednesday, Nov 17, 2010 @ Shangri La

Better late than never: I've been telling a number of our readers in the Middle East that the sign up for the Dubai EB-5 Investor Seminar would be up soon….and it finally is.  We'll have a Farsi version up ASAP.Sign up here for: Latour's Dubai Investor Visa Seminar Nov. 17 My international marketing partner, Namjoo Hashemi, will be joining me in presenting a comprehensive EB-5 seminar which will address a lot of the questions and concerns most of my, ahem, brethren, fail to mention when they are speaking of the wonders of EB-5 investor visas.  There are a LOT of really, REALLY bad EB-5 programs…and but a handful of good ones.  Attend and I'll tell you exactly why.The event – free to pre-qualified investors – is going to be a provocative 2+ hour barrag…

Mexico’s Drug Wars Making My Phone Ring

When I was a  young Vice Consul in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, it was hardly paradise.  Juarez was a big, booming desert town characterized by endless maquiladora factories, blistering heat, and a vast income gap between the very rich who lived behind guard entrances in plush mansions and the vast majority who didn't.  The neighborhood in which we lived, San Marcos, was home to several U.S. diplomats and another crowd; the nickname for the neighborhood was "San Narcos".Still, you didn't know if the smiling guy across the street with the new bulletproof Benz was a drug dealer, a corrupt politician, or just one of the successful maquila owners.  No shoot outs, nothing external – save the lavish mansions and the fact that no one seemed to have a work schedul…

Obama Socks it to U.S. H-1B and L Visa Employers

Justwhen I think I’m starting to figure out this very bright man for whom I votedas President, another dumb move from the Obama White House.  Last week, he signed into law a so-called “borderenforcement” bill which I had assumed was part and parcel of the ongoingresponse to what Arizona started.  But asso often happens with legislation (and sausage-making), it’s the stuff that isn’tlisted on the box that they sneak past you.Turnsout that Public Law 111-230 doesn’t just address the border…it hammers Americancompanies which were already paying huge fees for theforeign workers they have to hire because they can’t find U.S. workers for thejob.  Now, if more than half of theemployers’ workers are on L or H-1B visa status and the company has more than50 employees…

The Dynamics of U.S. Birthright

Immigration is the topic du jour yet again today and I wanted to share some thoughts.  This morning's Miami Herald blasts several Republicans who are proposing the elimination of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which grants U.S. citizenship to anyone born in the U.S.  Meanwhile, on the front page of today's Wall Street Journal, is an equally volatile headline: "Illegal Immigrants Estimated to Account for 1 in 12 U.S. Births".Both articles make good points about each issue: the Herald points out that such a change would be radical departure from the American concept of inclusiveness.  The WSJ, in turn, tells us that undocumented immigrants make up slightly more than 4% of the U.S. adultpopulation. However, their babies represented twice that s…

Et tu, Bill? Florida’s Politicking Attorney General McCollum Switch Hits on Immigration

Apparently there is an epidemic of constitutional amnesia/shameless pandering affecting state Attorneys General throughout the country.  As I told you last week, first it was Virginia State Attorney Cuccinelli opining that local law enforcement officerscan arrest those they suspect of committing criminal violations ofimmigration laws — crossing the border — but not those they think haveviolated civil immigration statutes — overstaying visas. Rather paradoxically, he added that that it is generally"inadvisable" to arrest those suspected of committing civil violations."The ability to arrest lies clearly when there is a criminal offense andit is decidedly unclear where there is a civil offense," he said.  In other words…"HUH??"  As if a police…

Heads Up, EB-5 Regional Centers: “Accredited Investor” Redefined Under Dodd-Frank

First off, serious kudos to Akerman for their on-point memo (see bottom of blog for link to their site) on this subject; it was totally under the radar till I saw it there and incredibly important from an SEC compliance standpoint, as much for Regional Centers qualifying investors as for immigration attorneys representing clients.As it has been defined until the new law, he term “accredited investor” included any natural person whose networth, either individually or jointly with his or her spouse, exceededone million dollars ($1,000,000), including the value of the investor’sprimary residence, or whose individual or joint income exceeded certain thresholds…AND the person didn't expect things to change dramatically anytime soon.  This has been somewhat glossed over by many…

Sonic Boom: EB-5 Regional Centers Embrace Franchises

In the beginning there was equity.  And it sucked.  It sucked because for the first decade or so, the vast majority of EB-5 Regional Centers were focused exclusively on circumventing the letter of the law as handed down in the Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT90), wherein capital risk was a prerequisite.  While the smoke and mirrors deployed by many of these early players resulted in a remarkable number of initial I-526 approvals — a testament to how unprepared the then-INS was for the shell game shenanigans –  the whole thing came crashing down at the I-829 level, as the government saw the bottom line and permanent residency was denied for many, many families.  It further sucked because the vast majority of regional centers were too preoccupied with collecting the…

And So Virginia Remains as Bass Ackwards as Ever…

[Yes, as a matter of fact, that WAS a typo in original title! (-;]As much as I love the scenery, history, and food of the great state of Virginia, in which I resided off and on during my State Department years, I have always been somewhat shocked with their legal interpretations and rulings.  Today that rep is solidly concerned with their Attorney General's unsolicited and patently wrong legal opinion regarding Arizona's immigration law.  But first a story…As a young consular officer on a temp assignment in DC, I had a landlord unlawfully refuse to reimburse a security deposit.  I took her to Virginia small claims court and won in minutes; restitution and costs were ordered.  Her attorney, knowing I was in Mexico, filed an appeal but deliberately sent it to …

Senate Candidate Jeff Greene: Liar, Liar, Cuban Cigars on Fire

Showing his readiness for the Senate seat into which he is investing millions, Jeff Greene continued his history of totally lying about proven facts, this time in a televised debate with his opponent, Kendrick Meek.  When Meek asked him about Greene's yacht trip to Cuba – a violation of U.S. law –Greene insisted he had not personally takenthe yacht to Cuba.  After the debate, though,Greene acknowledged he "may have gone in 2007". He said the JewishFederation had obtained a visa for him to visit Cuba and that he andother members of the federation visited a synagogue.Having LEGALLY been in Havana several times, there are two possible responses:1- Mr. Greene was AGAIN lying, a habit with which he is increasingly identified OR2- The poor man's memory has deterior…