USCIS Says ‘Bring Me Your Best’. So, Are You Ready?

In 1883 it was “Bring Me Your Poor” – Today USCIS Says, No. “Bring Me Your Best”.

By Chris M. Ingram, LL.M., ESQ

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Let’s Get Personal 

As an immigrant from Northampton, England, having moved to the US in 1999 and practicing in US Immigration law, I am, what I do. I love being an immigration lawyer and I love the fact that I’m part of America’s tradition of immigrants, that has been a nation of immigrants from it’s very founding.

What makes an American? Is an American, an American simply because they happen to be born in the USA or could it be that, to be an American is about holding and cherishing the ideals and promise of America?

To be able to come and live in this ‘land of the free’, has been the joy of my life, why? Because in America, anything and everything is possible regardless of where you started from. You could have started with absolute nothing, living off the streets but through hard work, achieve millionaire status. Stories abound of people who have risen from rags to riches.

When I came to the US, in 1999, I came on an O-2 visa, then got an H-1B visa and then I was sponsored for my EB2 green card.  When I started my own law firm, I started with an idea (my wife’s idea actually) that maybe I could attract potential clients online. Who knew? The internet, as we know it today, was relatively new back then.

Anyway, we started with zero clients. We built our first website and after much trial and error we began to build a client base. It was really difficult, but in true American spirit, we did it. Today, we’re living the American Dream, our dream. What’s your dream?

I know first-hand what it is to be an immigrant and all the drama associated with the US immigration process.  I also know first-hand what it means to risk everything and build, from scratch, a successful business.

I feel honored and privileged every day to get to work with my clients to help them realize their American Dream. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I am my clients, and my clients are me. I can relate to every client on a personal level.

 The Latest on Making America Great Again

If we’re going to Make America Great Again, and I use this phrase merely as a sound bite, America has to continue recruiting the best and the brightest from around the world. Yes, of course I say this in many of my articles. However, what I want to talk about in this particular article is the increased effort that our clients must be prepared to go through to be successful in getting their visa or green card approved. It’s a lot harder now.

America Needs Your Talents. Are You Ready to Join Team America?

Bring Me Your Best?

Well actually, what Emma Lazarus wrote was “….Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these , the homeless, temp-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Yes, but that was in 1883. America is different now. I’ll not get into the sheer poetry and reality of the then immigrant coming to American through Ellis Island and seeing the Statue of Liberty, but instead I’d like to discuss the new challenges of  immigrants wishing to ‘breathe free’ today.

Bringing Your A-Game

Our law firm specializes in working with Aliens of Extraordinary Ability and clients who have the funds to invest in America, in terms of buying businesses, so my articles tend to pivot between these two classes of immigrants. Of course, there are law firms who have other specialties and that’s great.

So, what do I mean by ‘Bringing You’re A-Game’?

Getting to the top was never easy. The EB1 Green Card is the highest visa accolade and we want you to have it.

Under, 8 C.F.R. 204.5(h)(3) – If you’re at the top of your field, Arts, Business, Science, Academia, you can qualify for the EB1 Green Card for Aliens of Extraordinary Ability. The EB1 Green Card, enables you sponsor yourself for a green card without the need for a US sponsor to hire you in advance. In fact, you can get your own green card based on your own merits. How cool is that?

I’ve practiced in this field almost exclusively for over a decade and I’ve (my team) won more cases than I can count. Some cases are easy and some cases are extremely difficult but the outcome has been the same – we ultimately prevail. We have to bring our A-Game to every case.

What is a Good vs. a Bad EB1 Green Card Case?

The wording and criteria for qualifying for an EB1 Green Card,  in essence says – that if you’ve won a Nobel Prize or other similar internationally acclaimed award,  then without question, you’re an Alien of Extraordinary Ability.

However, if you’re not one of those extremely rare hand full of people, then you can still qualify for one of the 40,000 EB1 green cards made available each year if you can satisfy at least three categories of achievement from the following list: – The other ten categories are – National Award, Invited Membership, Published Material, Judging, Innovation, Scholarly Articles, Exhibitions or Showcases, Leading/Critical Role, High Salary and finally, Commercial Success.

We can guide you through all of the steps from A-Z in securing your green card.

Truth, is almost anyone at or near the top of their profession will be able to provide evidence that they have done three or more of these categories in their careers.  E.g., If you’re a PHD in anything, there’s a highly likelihood that you have published scholarly articles, innovated something or another and possibly peer-reviewed the work of your peers. If you’ve not done the later, getting to do so would not be a stretch, right?

If you’re a business executive then you’re probably making a high salary e.g., above $100K, play a leading or critical role in your company and maybe you’ve been written about in a trade paper or maybe you’ve been invited to judge an Award event or the work of others in some capacity and if not, you could get to do so.

What is a good EB1 case v. a bad one? A good EB1 case is where the client can be easily seen as a tremendous high flyer with a ton of accolades / awards.  Such cases are relatively easy to document and we should get a swift approval. What is a bad case? Well, I prefer not to call any case a bad case, but instead determine that the case is not ripe yet. Indeed, the needs further development.

Don’t Hide Your Light Under a Bushel

If you look at our EB1 Approvals Gallery you will see an astounding array of professionals for whom we have secured EB1 Green Cards.  From the Indian Software Architects, Film and TV Editors, Oil and Gas Engineers, and so forth. Not one of them had won a Nobel Prize or cured cancer, but they have all be judged by USCIS as being Aliens of Extraordinary Ability.

Every top professional can secure an EB1 green card. It’s all about hard work, determination and Confidence. Do you have that?

Some lawyers will simply not take on potentially great EB1 cases because their client does not present as being achieved enough and thus they are deemed bad EB1 cases. Whereas, we take a more measured view. What I see are perhaps diamonds in the rough. We obviously want to win every single case as our reputation for success must be maintained, but at the same time we recognize that some cases, will require time polishing them  and if the client is willing, we’ll still go on that journey with them. In other words, if we’re going to ultimately win this case we have to bring our A-Game and the client must also be prepared to do the same.

Winning EB1 cases is all about the power of persuasion, modesty cannot play a part of it. The amount of times we have worked for a client for months only to find out that they actually failed to mention something so awesome, but to them, they did not think it was a big deal to even mention.

Don’t hide your light; your accomplishments under a bushel. You have to shamelessly boast about every single achievement. If you’re lacking in certain achievements e.g., you have not done peer-reviewing or written articles or had articles published about you or won anything, then be prepared to go way out of your comfort zone and do something to build out those categories. Get out of your cubicle and shine.

Are you a high flyer? Don’t be bashful.

Yes, I know EB1 candidates are extremely busy high flyers, but if you work in a low profile field and stay under the radar, it will be very easy for a USCIS officer to dismiss your accomplishments as being just ordinary, and not extraordinary.

So, if we suggest that you need to do more to build up your case, take a breath and then go for it. All we want to do is win your case and we know exactly what you will need to do to get there.

Let me give you a weight loss analogy. Let’s say you hire a weight loss trainer to help you lose 30 lbs. So, you work with the trainer for a while and you indeed lose 20 lbs. You can’t then say, well 20 lbs is enough you want to stop there. No, you have to continue the program and give it your blood, sweat and tears, until you actually hit the goal weight.  EB1 cases, are just like that. Sometimes, having gone through the case in detail we can see areas or weaknesses that will require you to dig even deeper and do more work. Sometimes, we’ll file a case and the USCIS officer identifies a weakness in the case and request additional, new or better evidence. We can’t just quit, we have to keep going. In either instance, as long as we keep working to address everything you will eventually get your green card. Yes, it’s hard work, but that what winners are made from, right?

Celebrate your EB1 green card success With US.

So, if you really want to secure that green card to live the American Dream, we’re right there with you, every step of the way. We’ll roll up our sleeves and bring our A-Game and ff you’re prepared to do the same it won’t be long before you too will be celebrating your heart out as you get your EB1 Green Card, with the letter starting “Welcome to America”.

By Chris M. Ingram., LL.M., ESQ
Attorney at Law

Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram

US Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram
Chris M. Ingram LL.M., ESQ – Immigration Attorney
Admitted in New York.
Practice Specializing in US Immigration Law
401 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor,
[Cross Streets 4th and Wilshire]
Santa Monica,
California 90401
Tel: 310 496 4292