EB1 – Rob, Hollywood Photographer
I am from Toronto, Canada, originally, and I am a fashion photographer. Right out of university, I was looking for work and I started working as an assistant to a professional photographer – at the time I knew nothing about photography. Even though I didn’t know anything about the technical side of photography, it was something I could see myself doing. Eventually I got a used camera, and started playing around with it. I have several friends who were actors, so I started doing head shots and other gigs.
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I ended up moving to Vancouver, which is a smaller city and I was able to make several great contacts. I was working in Vancouver when I got a call from one of the agencies I worked for that needed a local photographer to photograph Kristin Kreuk – one of the stars of Smallville – for Spin Magazine. This was the beginning of my celebrity work.
I had lived in the US for a very short period in the US while I was attending an acting school. All throughout this time, I was assisting photographers, and I realized that Los Angeles is where everything was happening. This was where I would need to be to really launch my career.
I always had a plan to come back to the US. I began doing research and taking meetings with lawyers in both Canada and Los Angeles. It was during this research that I came across the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram. He was the first attorney that had actual interviews with former clients discussing their experiences. When I watched those videos, these experiences were very real, and it carried a lot of weight with me.
I called Chris, and we had a long talk about my options. When I went to visit him at his office, we really hit it off and I was inspired by his own immigration story and how hard he fought to get his family here.
I already met with several attorneys by the time I met Chris, and he really took the time to listen to my story. One of Chris’s biggest talents is seeing the facts of a case right off the bat.
Chris told me I had the credentials to satisfy the elements of an EB1 application.
The EB1 process was a long road for me. I had to bring the evidence to the firm, and I was striving to provide more and more throughout the process. It took a long time, and looking back, I probably could have done it a lot faster.
It was easy to let self-doubt creep in during the process, but ultimately it was my life and I really wanted to move to the US.
This is your life, and it can be quite emotional. Coming from Canada – a country so similar to the US – there is not a huge culture shock, but it is still life changing, so there is this heaviness, a lot of emotion involved.
Chris’s help was very crucial throughout the entire process, and he has sensitivity and knowledge about exactly what US Immigration is looking for in the cases they approve. He really pulled out the big guns for me.
It becomes a very close relationship for the period of time you are working on the case because you are communicating on a daily basis, sometimes several times a day. It becomes a form of emotional support because it can be up and down. The paperwork can be frustrating, but ultimately patience is required.
I found out my EB1 was approved in the middle of one of my training runs. I like to go for long runs to clear mind and, at the time, I was training for a marathon. I had a day off and went for a long run. I was about an hour and half in when I got the call. I almost dropped, because I wasn’t expecting the call and I definitely wasn’t expecting such life-changing news. I continued my run for another hour and a half. When I got back, it started to sink in about how hard I worked for this, but also about grateful I was for the opportunity to come to America. With a green card in hand, I have really been able to move forward in building my career.
I love everything about Los Angeles – the opportunity, the level of talent, especially in my industry. It’s very competitive but there are amazing people here who are really pushing forward, and pushing me to be better in my career. I feel like I am in an area that is top-shop.
While I love Los Angeles, and my life is here in California, Canada will always be home – there is a sense of safety when I go back to Vancouver.
My advice to those considering an EB1 would be take stock of every thing you have done. Review the 10 categories and see which ones may apply to you. I tend to downplay my accomplishments, but Chris was able to convince me otherwise. If you can look at your entire career and fulfill three of those categories, you probably have a good chance.
EB1 Green Card Success – Our website attracts a wide variety of professionals, many of whom are so modest that they’d never consider themselves as being ideal candidates for the EB1 green card for aliens of extraordinary ability. Yet, from the first time I talked to Rob I knew instantly that he was a great candidate for a green card. In fact, I had to convince him he was a great candidate. I guess belief in one’s abilities is very important, my role is to see if I can genuinely see a possibility and the show the client precisely how we can get the job done so they feel enthusiastic and motivated to take the plunge. For Rob we chose the following EB1 categories – Judging, Critical Role, Published Material, Exhibitions and High Salary, so we had five categories to work with. You do not have to be a Nobel Prize winner to qualify for an EB1 green card, but you do have to be very good at your job and recognized as such from as wide a variety of sources as possible. We can help you break all of these requirements down so you can see for yourself whether or not you have that EB1 potential. Our initial consultation is free so gives is a call today on – 310 496 4292. One phone call could really change your life.
Select Your 3 EB1 Categories
Checkout these EB1 green card categories below. If you can satisfy three categories, then you may just qualify for your green card. Good luck.
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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,
Santa Monica,
California 90401
Tel: 310 496 4292
Everyday the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram provides a comprehensive range of US Immigration expertise. We also provide a free consultation for our prospective clients.
Please note that nothing contained in this website or link therefrom shall be regarded as providing legal advice. Please contact us directly for legal advice specific to your situation. Thank You.
Specializing in the E2 Visa, EB1 Green Card, L-1A Visa and O1 Visa and K1 Visa Marriage-Based Immigration. Attorney Chris M. Ingram is dedicated to providing the very best in US Immigration legal representation. Enjoy our website.
Important Notice: Please note that all videos created by the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram are intended as general information only and not specific legal advice pertaining your case. If you would like specific legal advice on any immigration matter please do not hesitate to contact this law office accordingly. All pictorial images used in these videos and the website in general are licensed stocked images and not portraits, or otherwise, of anyone from the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram, nor of its clients unless otherwise indicated by name. All images are used solely for illustrative purposes only. Copyright 2010-2015 All Rights Reserved.
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