Positive Changes on U.S. Visas for Iranian Nationals Two of my best friends are Iranian-Americans…well, like me, they really are just plain old "Americans". The "Iranian" prefix for these guys - like the "Cuban" prefix for me — is really more of a heritage stamp than any sort of embedded ethnic identity. They call me "dude", I call them "bro", and we are, basically, another subgroup of your basic Yankee Doodle Imports.The demonization of the Iranian people has been the unfortunate consequence of U.S. policy against the various flavors of zany leadership which have governed this incredibly sophisticated, talented and productive nation since the Shah was ejected from power.In Southern California, where LatourLaw will soon be opening our long-delayed West Coast office, there…
How To Destroy an Economy Where politics steps into the private sector and emasculates it, only one thing happens, invariably: the economic might of a nation embarks on an exodus via its best and brightest.And this, my friends, is why I have so many good clients in Sunny Isles…US slams Russia over Khodorkovsky treatment – Nation Wires – MiamiHerald.com.… Continue Reading →
Brian Su’s Las Vegas EB-5 Boot Camp Seminar- MAY 25 Well, I'm sad to say that I will NOT be in Vegas tomorrow to see Brian put on another of his priceless seminars…I have a travel conflict. For those of you who've attended his prior events, you know that there is simply no more valuable an educational and networking event in EB-5 Land.As I told you, the opportunity to speak at Brian's Houston event a few weeks ago was a great one for me and I'm still returning calls from the productive networking which unfolded. I'm very bummed about not going to this particular one, though. (And NO, not just because it's in VEGAS!….)In this event, Brian grabs the Asian Tigers by the tail, targeting the need-to-know information for EB-5 Regional Centers and projects looking to do more in China and th… Continue Reading →
LAKE POINT ECOVENTURES: THE FIRST “100% LATOUR” EB-5 RC Folks, I feel like I should be handing out cigars and shaking hands: the first EB-5 Regional Center designed, conceived, tweaked, massaged, and 100% legally structured by Yours Truly was approved by the USCIS last week. As most of you know, I've had a lot of input with various EB-5 projects these last few years…but this is my first one from conception to delivery.It was not unlike, I suspect, birthing a brontosaurus.When I got the receipt notice last summer telling me that in 120 days I'd hear from USCIS, I was innocent enough to believe it. But then, when the new $6000 EB-5 RC filing fee was about to kick in, every unemployed immigration attorney on earth decided to file a Regional Center, or so it seemed. The good folks at Laguna Niguel went from 60 to zero … Continue Reading →
ARTICLE LINK: TCKs…Third Culture Kids Folks, my son Alex sent me an article I truly enjoyed and I wanted to share it with you. It is definitely a pro-Obama piece, but that's not why I'm linking it. I'm doing so because Alex, after reading it, commented that he was glad for the international experience he's had as a result of his life as the child of former wayfarers.One thing is for sure: parochialism and narrow points of view are damn near impossible to maintain when you are a citizen of the world! (-:Andrew Sullivan's TCK Commentary… Continue Reading →
Bin Laden’s Death and U.S. Immigration Policy On September 11th, 2001, I was in Miami when a realtor friend phoned to tell me that an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I thought, as many did, that this initial news must be a mistake. But it wasn't. It was the beginning of what would be, ultimately, the single most transformational event in the life of Americans since the Depression and the Second World War. It was the beginning of a new, fear-based America…a new paradigm.I reacted in a similar way to the first news about Bin Laden's death: disbelief. I'm one of those who, for reasons most definitely not macabre, insists on seeing photos of the dead man. And although as a Christian it is impossible for me to feel joy at the death of any human being, this person was le… Continue Reading →
“Substantial Presence Test” for Worldwide Tax Liablility as Defined by IRS Folks, this is hardly a newsflash but given that I've explained the Substantial Presence test probably 10 times in the past 7 days, I wanted to provide you with the IRS site link which explains it in pretty clear language. There seems to be a lot of confusion out there!Right now there is a small army of EB-5-promoting immigration attorneys who:Have their eye firmly set on the prize of a nice fat finder's fee ANDAre conveniently hiding behide the "I'm just the immigration guy" facade.As a result of this, I am getting a steady stream of affluent foreigners who've been recklessly steered toward an EB-5 permanent residency…a residency which will make them liable under U.S. law not only for their foreign earned income but for estate taxes AND capital gains … Continue Reading →
One more thing re “Substantial Presence”… While am hardly qualified to give tax advice, I know I need to address this issue with clients BEFORE making a recommendation regarding permanent residency. If you are a high-net-worth individual considering U.S. residency, do yourself (and me, if I subsequently resolve your immigration issue) a favor by contacting my go-to guy on pre-immigration tax planning, Steve Cantor at Cantor & Webb… Continue Reading →