Immigration Lawyer in Los Angeles & Orange County
Chudnovsky Law is a high service immigration law firm for professionals, investors, families and corporations. Our multilingual attorneys have the ability and experience to advise you how to use highly complex US laws to achieve your goals and minimize risks.
Our focused immigration practice is limited to the following types of matters:
- Business, entrepreneur and investor immigration.
- Employment and specialty skills visas.
- Family and marriage immigration.
- Criminal defense of non-US citizens and minimizing immigration consequences.
We have the knowledge and resources to handle even the most complex immigration, criminal defense, business, tax, estate planning and asset protection needs of our clients.
Please note: our firm does not handle deportation defense nor immigration court litigation.
We Help Achieve Your Immigration Goals
Chudnovsky Law’s experienced Los Angeles and Orange County immigration attorneys guide clients through US immigration laws to achieve their immigration or business goals.
USCIS offers over 100 different classes of visas, each with its own application requirements, costs, processing times and expiration dates. Chudnovsky Law immigration attorneys offer streamlined immigration services for the following US visa and immigration options.
Immigrant visas
Immigrant visas provide legal permanent residence and possibly US citizenship.
Foreigners applying for an immigrant visa usually need a U.S.-based sponsor approved by the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). Depending on the type of visa sought, the sponsor has to be either a prospective employer in the U.S. or a relative who is a U.S. citizen or green card holder.
- EB1 visa: For non-US citizens who are exceptional professors and researchers.
- EB2 visa: For non-US citizen professionals with advanced degrees (or their equivalent) and who have an exceptional ability in arts, sciences, or business that benefit the United States economy, cultural or educational interests, or welfare.
- EB3 visa: For non-US citizens who are skilled workers or professionals.
- Spouse visa: For non-citizens with a spouse who is a U.S. citizen or green card holder.
Non-immigrant visas
Non-immigrant visas are for temporary stays in the U.S. and typically have an expiration date.
The process for obtaining a non-immigrant visa involves an application to USCIS and typically an interview. Most non-immigrant visas fall under the following classifications:
Investment or business visas
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E2 visa: For non-citizens from E-2 visa treaty countries who invest a substantial amount of capital in a US business.
Employment visas
- E3 visa: For Australian nationals coming to the US solely to perform services in a specialty occupation.
- H1B visa: For non-citizens with an H1B sponsor in a specialty occupation employment requiring bachelor’s degrees and an H4 visa for their dependent spouse.
- H2B visa: For non-citizens who are non-agricultural temporary workers.
- L1 visa: For intra-company L-1 visa transfers of non-citizens who are managers, executives (L-1A visa), and workers with specialized knowledge (L1B visa) and intending to work at their employers’ U.S-based offices.
- P1 visa: For internationally recognized athletes (P1A visa) or an internationally recognized entertainment group (P1B visa)
- R1 visa: For non-citizen religious workers to come work in the US.
Dependent visas: parent, marriage & family visas
- K1 visa: K-1 Fiancé visa for a non-citizen fiance of a US citizen to travel to the US. The K1 marriage visas allow a fiancé to travel to the US to be married within 90 days of admission to the US.
- K2 visa: K-2 dependent child of a fiancé of a US citizen.
- K3 visa: K-3 spouse of a US citizen. Once admitted to the US, K-3 marriage visa nonimmigrants may obtain a marriage cert and apply to adjust status to a permanent resident at any time and may obtain employment authorization.
- K4 visa: K-4 unmarried, under 21 year old child of a US citizen.
- Parent visa: For non-citizen parent mother and/or father of a US citizen to come live in the US as green card holders.
Education visa
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F1 visa: F-1 Students visa for non-citizens attending an academic institution in the US, F2 visas for student spouses and children, and OPT visa for student Optional Practical Training. Guide to F1 student visa rules
Immigration consultation
If you would like to schedule an immigration lawyer consultation to review your case and provide advice, please visit the page below. We offer immigration consultations to clients worldwide.
Criminal defense and immigration
The intersection between immigration and criminal law is one of the most complex and technical areas of law. Chudnovsky Law is recognized as a leader in criminal immigration law and minimizing the immigration consequences of crimes.
Our immigration litigation attorneys provide the following legal services to consulates, immigrants, corporations, students, scholars and clients from all countries:
Immigration Criminal Defense
Our criminal immigration attorneys understand that criminal charges can have a profound impact on your life. Protecting clients against convictions, penalties, warrants, deportations and adverse immigration consequences is our top priority.
Criminal charges can threaten your personal and professional well-being, cause mandatory deportation or imprisonment and deny future immigration rights. Our experienced criminal defense lawyers provide smart, aggressive defense for most types of criminal charges that carefully considers the immigration consequences.
Immigration Consequences of Criminal Charges
Immigration consequences not only affect a defendant, but that person’s innocent (and often US citizen) children and families. Consequences can include deportation or removal from the US of a parent or family member, or the denial of immigration benefits, such as US citizenship and lawful permanent resident status to which a defendant would otherwise be eligible to receive.
Our Los Angeles criminal defense attorney and criminal immigration lawyers are experienced working with prosecutors, judges and the court systems to adjust charges, reduce sentencing or get cases dismissed to achieve the best possible outcome considering immigration consequences.
Do not delay if charged with a crime
If you are a foreign citizen charged with a crime, it is critical to quickly seek legal advice to minimize potential immigration consequences
Adjustment of status
Aliens living in California may be eligible to adjust status to legal permanent residence without leaving the U.S. Adjustment of status is only available to immigrants who are 1) living in the US, and 2) qualified to get a green card. For non-citizens that wish to get green cards while outside of the U.S. will have to go through consular processing.
When aliens “adjust status,” they change from being a visa-holder to a green card holder. Once aliens have a green card, they are considered legal permanent residents.
Foreigner eligibility for adjustment of status depends on the terms of their immigrant visa. Usually there are 4 requirements for adjusting status:
- The alien is presently in the U.S. lawfully
- The alien entered the U.S. lawfully
- The alien has followed all the terms of his/her visa
- The alien meets the qualifications to receive a green card
In rare situations, illegal aliens may still be able to adjust status.
Post conviction relief of a criminal conviction
A California criminal conviction, even for certain minor offenses, can have disastrous immigration consequences for people who are not U.S. citizens.
Under the federal US Immigration and Nationality Act, a conviction can result in deportation and/or inadmissibility into the US. Immigration cases are subject to federal law under the jurisdiction of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
If you are an non-US citizen with a California conviction for an inadmissible or deportable crime on your record, you may have options for relief.
With the help of our experienced Orange County criminal defense lawyers and immigration attorneys at law, you may be able to receive some form of post-conviction relief that will make your conviction disappear for immigration law purposes.
This is especially likely if you were convicted or pled guilty because of ineffective legal counsel or because you were not properly informed of the possible immigration consequences of a plea or conviction.
Some examples how our Los Angeles and Orange County immigration lawyers obtain post-conviction relief of a criminal conviction:
- A motion to overturn the conviction based on ineffective legal counsel.
- A motion requesting re-sentencing to avoid a conviction for an inadmissible or deportable crime.
- A motion to withdraw a guilty or no-contest plea because the court did not properly advise you of the immigration consequences of the plea.
- A motion to withdraw a plea for other reasons.
- Modifying your felony conviction to a misdemeanor.
- A “habeas corpus petition.”
Attorney Nicole Enyart recently handled a complex case for me. She and her office did an excellent job. We were hoping for a plea reduction to dry reckless on a Santa Barbara DUI charge. Ms Enyart got the charges dismissed entirely with no fines. I can highly recommend her and her firm to anyone looking for an excellent criminal defense attorney.”
WILLIAM
Pre-immigration planning & services
US immigration and tax laws are complex and can require careful consideration for foreigners planning a move to or investment in the US. This is especially true for high net worth clients that wish to understand US tax laws. The firm often provides or coordinates pre-immigration services for clients considering US investment or immigration:
US tax review
A review of US tax law as it pertains to the client’s circumstances is especially important for high net worth clients. Tax considerations can affect immigration plans, investment structures, residency goals, estate planning and the choice of visas to pursue.
Banking relations
Establishing US banking accounts can be very difficult for non resident aliens. The firm has relationships that can facilitate establishing US banking accounts before moving to the US or receiving US tax id numbers.
Estate planning
Moving to the US can trigger estate tax consequences. High net worth clients often setup off shore trusts prior to moving to the US to take advantage of estate tax savings. A pre-immigration estate review can help optimize the clients immigration and estate plans.
Asset protection
High net worth clients often consider asset protection in the structure and domicile of their assets to protect them from lawsuits such as divorce or other claims. An asset protection review can be useful to optimize structures and immigration strategies.
Immigration consultation
If you would like to schedule an immigration lawyer consultation to review your case and provide advice, please visit the page below. We offer immigration consultations to clients worldwide.
Our experienced immigration attorneys are fluent in English, French, Spanish & Amharic.
Immigration services for other languages
Avocat Immigration USA | Look who got busted | Abogados de Inmigracion
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Last updated January 1, 2021