[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: It's Rick Chavez with Battle Ready. You know, the process of reinventing yourself, you know, throughout your life, you have some challenges. Not really about what the challenges that you face. It's more how do you handle those challenges. Challenges, you know, and through these last couple shows, we've been trying to not only talk through some of the challenges that people face, but also some of the solutions that are about for you. Today we have the privilege of having Ish Vasa. I hope I said that name right. You can correct me if I didn't. Co founder and partner of his law firm, and he does a lot of immigration.
[00:00:50] Speaker C: Welcome.
[00:00:50] Speaker B: If.
[00:00:51] Speaker C: Hey, thanks for having me, Rick.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Hey, so tell me a little about what you do.
[00:00:56] Speaker C: Yeah, sure. So I specialize really in employment based immigration cases. So I do a lot of extraordinary ability cases, national interest waiver cases.
I also work with employers to handle treaty national visas. TNS. I do a lot of L1H 1B cases as well. And then I work with entrepreneurs to do E2 cases. I also handle some family matters.
[00:01:23] Speaker A: Right.
[00:01:24] Speaker C: So if you're married to someone who's a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, I could provide guidance with that. And I do also provide, you know, support on asylum matters as well. So kind of just running the gamut of immigration law.
[00:01:41] Speaker B: Amazing. So, so tell me, how did you get in? You know, the law feels so broad. How did you come into specializing in immigration?
[00:01:51] Speaker C: Yeah, sure, Rick. So I'm an immigrant.
[00:01:53] Speaker A: Right.
[00:01:53] Speaker C: I came from India way back when I was 7 years old, and my dad came in on an L1 visa, and then we adjusted our status to green cards and that I naturalized back in 2011. So I've kind of been on this story myself, and it's an honor to really guide people through that same story.
[00:02:13] Speaker B: So what were some of the challenges you faced, if you can think back, you know, as you were transitioning to getting your green card?
[00:02:22] Speaker C: Yeah. So, I mean, there's always a ton of uncertainty.
[00:02:26] Speaker A: Right.
[00:02:26] Speaker C: Because after visas are handed out, there's a long list of conditions under which they can be pulled or revoked. And visas are really dependent on, you know, the employer, employee relationship also.
[00:02:40] Speaker A: Right.
[00:02:40] Speaker C: So there was always, you know, friction in the home in the sense that if my dad ever lost his position, we would be heading home to India because he was entirely dependent on his position for his visa. So I think really the difficulty there, Ricky, is the uncertainty that families face. And then of course, the inability really to build because of that uncertainty, that paralysis before being able to buy home, buy a nicer vehicle really invest into their lives here in the US.
[00:03:14] Speaker B: So how often do you deal with people with dual citizenships?
[00:03:18] Speaker C: Often.
[00:03:19] Speaker A: Right.
[00:03:19] Speaker C: I mean, we've got a fairly expansive policy, at least up until this point, for dual citizenships here in the U.S. so, I mean, you know, individuals do often naturalize and keep the citizenships of their home country. I think it's a real misnomer to say that, you know, just because you're trying to obtain U.S. citizenship, you know, you would be forced or compelled to give up the citizenship of your home country.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: You know, I actually have a little experience with that. My mother's German, and I was born in Germany, and my dad was in service. However, you know, I was born a little early, so I had dual citizenship and I joined the army way back when and back between my. My first enlistment, my second enlistment. I had to make a choice or I would not be able to stay in the Army. I don't know if that still happens. I mean, we're talking 86, 87, like quite a few years back. Right.
I know that I got a call from my mom because the German army, you know, drafts up to 22, 23, and I was interpreter on check border. So there was a lot of questions going on back then.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Right.
[00:04:26] Speaker B: So how often do you deal with military guys that have, you know, like, have dual citizenship, that have. That make them choices?
[00:04:33] Speaker C: Yeah. So there, I mean, you know, ultimately that requires, I think, more of an allegiance to the U.S. and there, you know, there are more specific roles for servicemen. I do know that if you have a military service history in a foreign country, you should really make sure that you are keeping all of those military records because the US Will ask you about your service. Right. And again, the best policy there is to give candid answers, but it's very important to really substantiate that record so you're able to present that to U.S. authorities.
[00:05:14] Speaker B: Sure. So you said earlier that you work with a lot of employers. So do the employers reach out to you? Do the individuals reach out to you? How does that work?
[00:05:24] Speaker C: Yeah, So, I mean, I like to think of employers or companies as nothing but a set of individuals.
[00:05:29] Speaker A: Right.
[00:05:29] Speaker C: So it's all about forming stronger, positive relationships between, you know, myself and decision makers at these respective companies. Right. So, you know, it's. It's. Maybe someone in HR will reach out to me, maybe someone on a technical team will reach out to me, and then I gain a further understanding of the company or the organization. And my goal there, Rick, is to really, you Know, develop an understanding for the organization's needs and then see, you know, which immigration solutions I can provide to meet those needs.
[00:06:04] Speaker B: And I think we were talking earlier that you're pretty. Pretty active in the Houston area because of oil and gas, right?
[00:06:09] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have, you know, individual and institutional clients in the oil and gas space.
[00:06:15] Speaker B: So how does it work with. So I work for Valerec, which is a Japanese French company. Well, actually, bam usa. We had a lot of expats.
How involved are you with expats?
[00:06:32] Speaker C: Quite a bit. Right. Because individuals are trying to preserve their citizenship or they're trying to preserve their residency.
[00:06:39] Speaker A: Right.
[00:06:39] Speaker C: So there's different rules about. About those aspects of. Of. Of emigrating.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: Right.
[00:06:45] Speaker C: Leaving the United States and then if you want to surrender your citizenship, that's. That's an entire process as well.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: Right.
[00:06:52] Speaker C: So, you know, it's kind of, you know, movement into the US Is one process, and movement out of the US Is another process.
[00:06:59] Speaker B: Yeah, so you said something about surrender, surrender their. Like their foreign documents or their. Or the American. What does that mean?
[00:07:09] Speaker C: Yeah, so that means kind of trying to move on past your citizenship, because for taxation purposes, some individuals may be trying to relinquish their U.S. residency or relinquish their U.S. citizenship. Immigration brings its own challenges as well. In addition to immigration.
[00:07:28] Speaker B: What's one of the. Without really being real specific, one is one of the biggest challenges that you face in the immigration window.
[00:07:36] Speaker C: Yeah. So, I mean, do you mean personally as.
[00:07:39] Speaker A: As.
[00:07:40] Speaker C: As an attorney or.
[00:07:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, so in helping your clients either way, or even as insurance?
[00:07:46] Speaker C: I could do both, Rick. I think for me individually, you know, it's really maintaining that objective distance from my clients and to best serve them.
[00:07:56] Speaker A: Right.
[00:07:57] Speaker C: Because immigration is an emotional process. Right. People are bringing their families here. You know, they're building lives here. They have friends here.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:05] Speaker C: And things are uncertain. So they're very invested in their processes.
[00:08:09] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:10] Speaker C: And it is. It is truly an honor to be able to guide them through that process. But sometimes, you know, there are uncertainties and there are curveballs that are thrown, and it's really about, you know, as the professional guiding these individuals, kind of keeping my cool and keeping a logical perspective on what's going on, to provide the best guidance I can.
[00:08:31] Speaker B: You said keeping your cool. What would fire you up?
[00:08:36] Speaker C: What would fire me up? Yeah, I think. I think an arbitrary decision from USCIS or an immigration court would probably fire me up just because, you know, you place a lot of time and personal investment into your client's cases. And then sometimes, you know, when they render a decision that's arbitrary, it doesn't make any sense. I think that could be really frustrating, of course, for the clients, but then also for, for attorney professionals as well.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: Sure. So, and you say, and I think you said earlier you've been doing it a little over six years now.
[00:09:10] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I've been in the immigration space for a bit more than six years. I was a government prosecutor before that time.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: And so what made you, you know, we talk about, in the show, it talks about reinventing. So, so I mean, you're still an attorney, but you're seguing from one, one area to another. What made you change what you made you make that change?
[00:09:32] Speaker C: Yeah, so I mean, I just, I felt like I would be serving clients better kind of using, using my talents more in terms of, you know, taking on more riding heavy positions versus just being in court all the time. So that's why I made the transition from, from, from prosecution over to, you know, mainly employment based immigration law where I do a lot of drafting. You know, sometimes I find myself missing port, which is also interesting.
[00:10:02] Speaker A: Right.
[00:10:03] Speaker C: But so it's, it's, it's, it was, it was kind of a hard toggle, but I think, I think that's really what, what, what guided my decision making. I also, you know, like the opportunity to be able to serve immigrants.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: Right.
[00:10:17] Speaker C: Just having been one myself, I just felt a personal connection to the work and that was another motivator.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: You know, that's. Excuse me. You know, one of the things is how long did you think about it or weigh the pros and cons of the transition? And what was the final thing that made you step over the line, if there was any.
[00:10:39] Speaker C: Yeah, so I mean, I think I, I, I, I received an offer and then I sat on that for, for, for about two weeks. And really what kind of pushed me over the line was just having like an increased set of responsibilities.
[00:10:54] Speaker A: Right.
[00:10:55] Speaker C: And, and, and, and direct client facing work.
[00:10:59] Speaker A: Right.
[00:10:59] Speaker C: Which is really what I, what I, what I wanted to do. I think if you're part of like, you know, a large government organization, you are given a certain amount of responsibility and a certain amount of discretion. But I think if you're, if you're directly serving clients, then you just have, you kind of have more of the, the run of the play and more of a room for growth there.
[00:11:21] Speaker B: That's beautiful. So as we're getting ready to transition into a commercial, you know, it's been really good talking. We'll be right back In a minute, everybody, to talk a little bit more. What it is.
[00:11:43] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: Welcome back. This is Ricky Chavez with Battle Ready. It's a process of reinventing yourself. And today I was speaking with Isht Vasta. He's an immigration attorney based out of Miami and he does a lot of employee based immigration, if I say that right. And welcome back, Isht.
[00:12:04] Speaker C: Hey, thanks for having me.
[00:12:06] Speaker B: You know, earlier we talked a little bit about some of the things you do and how you work with your clients and how you kind of transition from criminal law to now immigration side. Let's talk, let's step back a little bit. Back when, you know, leaving high school, you know, you're, you're from India. You came in earlier in, in your, in your world and, and you transitioned through high school and then you went to college. How did you decide to become a lawyer? What, where was that?
[00:12:32] Speaker C: Yeah, I think that. So I, I was part of the international baccalaureate or the IB program in high school. And you know, I just read tons of books and I, I did a bunch of writing. I initially entered college as a business major, right. Thinking that I wanted to, you know, do more accounting work. And then I just ended up liking writing so much that I just said, okay, you know, I'm just going to hone this craft here and then kind of place it for use in the professional world. So I just think my interest in law just grew out of an interest.
[00:13:04] Speaker B: In writing and so graduated, you know, when you graduate, what'd you graduate school from?
[00:13:12] Speaker C: I graduated high school, Coral Reef Senior High here in Miami. And then I graduated undergrad, University of Florida. I went to law school up in Boston and graduated from there, Boston College.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: Oh, really? So big, big change. How did you decide Boston from Miami?
[00:13:29] Speaker C: Honestly, I got a good scholarship offer from the university and I went there and I really liked it. I just like their smaller class sizes and, and, you know, I just like the college atmosphere there. So I just decided to give it a shot.
[00:13:43] Speaker B: Okay, and once you graduated, did you stay up there to go back to Miami?
[00:13:49] Speaker C: No, I actually came right back to Miami and started at the state attorney's office here. Boston's a really cool city, but it's very. And for a Florida guy who's used to Sun 12 months out of the year, it's honestly the gray that will just knock you out because, I mean, you know, to anyone, you know, whether it's you or anyone in the audience that has spent a lot of time up north, it's about gray about four months out of the year.
[00:14:13] Speaker A: Right.
[00:14:13] Speaker C: Which is. Which is heart to stomach.
[00:14:15] Speaker B: No, for sure, for sure. I actually retired out of Woburn, Massachusetts, which is one of the areas up there. Right.
[00:14:21] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: But I was, I wasn't smart enough to go up there. I just actually, I commuted from Houston, so every other week I'd commute up there, stay a couple weeks, and come back. So I was. It was brutal. But so now you're back in Miami. You're in the courts dealing with, with criminal law at the Attorney General.
[00:14:41] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: And so the transition, you know, you said you got an offer earlier and then. And you like to write that. Every time you say that, it kind of gives me a little shivers. I'm not a writer at all. I don't ever write another word, ever. I'll be happy with that. You know, I, I. In my, in my career field, I have a transaction coordinator. She does all of it. Thank God. Okay, but so you got some offers and then what?
[00:15:07] Speaker C: Yeah, so I start in the courts. And, you know, it's, it's an interesting space to operate in as a prosecutor because you do have discretion, you know, over your cases, and it's kind of nice in the sense that you kind of proceed forward with a case based on your own discretion and your own judgment.
[00:15:25] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:26] Speaker C: So it was really interesting to not only pursue the cases that I really thought deserve to be pursued, but also kind of work with defense counsel to reach settlements or plea offers to give individuals a chance to rehabilitate themselves and to restore areas of communities at times that they came from, stemming from their offenses.
And then after that point, just coming back into more of the writing space. I think the joy of, of being a writer is really to be able to communicate effectively and, and to really advocate for your client.
[00:16:10] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:11] Speaker C: Or for someone that you're trying to support, but in a way that's, that's. That's nuanced and kind of is. Is written to meet certain requirements, to propel things along.
[00:16:23] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:23] Speaker C: So I think, I think making writing persuasive and compelling is what, you know, is, Is. Is very important to me.
[00:16:32] Speaker B: So I like painting the picture. Is that what you're saying?
[00:16:34] Speaker C: Exactly. But with words.
[00:16:36] Speaker B: But with words, yeah. Okay, sure. So you, You. So tell me, so how would somebody find you? How would you know what is the person that, that is out there that's looking for some guidance? What would that person be looking like?
[00:16:52] Speaker C: I mean, yeah, sure. So I think, you know, I am Fairly active on LinkedIn for professionals that are in legal services or finance or if your clientele is highly in the professional area. I think LinkedIn is a great marketing tool because it allows you to write again.
[00:17:11] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:11] Speaker C: So I get to do even more, but now for a marketing purpose. So I have found clients through LinkedIn who've liked some of my content because I'm able to convey my value and I'm able to convey at least topics that I'm, I'm interested in or, you know, that I would like to delve deeper into, but also just referral networks.
[00:17:31] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:32] Speaker C: The clients that I've had the honor of serving before through good work, have also referred me, you know, to, to their friends, to their family members, to their colleagues. And that's always a real neat treat.
[00:17:44] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:45] Speaker C: Is to, is to, is to get referrals from, from former and current clients. And then, you know, this, the, the, the, the best way I guess is to kind of go out there and communicate your message.
[00:17:58] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:58] Speaker C: I've had some success with LinkedIn. I'm, I'm open to now experimenting with other formats.
[00:18:04] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:05] Speaker C: So it's really about trying to find that, that, that format that you're more most comfortable with and then just expressing yourself past that point. Google.
[00:18:15] Speaker B: Google Business page.
[00:18:17] Speaker C: Yeah, So I do have a Google Business page as well for Extraordinary Immigration plc, which is my firm.
[00:18:23] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:23] Speaker C: And then, you know, having a great website I think is a requirement in this day and age. And I've got a website
[email protected] and then the general firm email through which anyone can contact me is info infoimmigration.com.
[00:18:42] Speaker B: And so you just have somebody that, they'll come out there, they'll reach out to you and you'll set up like an interview with them. Is that how you do it?
[00:18:50] Speaker C: A consultation, Ricky? That's right. So just to get an understanding of their need.
[00:18:55] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:56] Speaker C: It's always, the immigration solution always follows the need that's articulated. It's never the other way around.
[00:19:03] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:03] Speaker C: So it's really trying to understand what the individual wants in relation to, you know, approaching the United States and then to offer them the best solution based on need.
[00:19:14] Speaker B: And when you're dealing with the employer, do employers reach out to you in and like for their employees or do the employees reach out to you directly?
[00:19:24] Speaker C: No, employers, employers will generally reach out to me.
[00:19:27] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:27] Speaker C: So H1 or maybe a supervisor or colleague that's in a managerial position over the respective employee that they're trying to either bring over to the United States or maybe that professional is already here and they're trying to keep them there.
[00:19:42] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:42] Speaker C: So it's usually super or an HR professional that would reach out to me and then of course I do like to bring that employee in as well. But you know, in those cases it's really the business that's the sponsor and the employee that's the beneficiary. So it's a relationship with both parties.
[00:19:59] Speaker B: And you said earlier, I think, and if I heard this correctly, so you do a lot of writing, so you have to tell their story to the US I'm going to say on what's the importance or the benefit of bringing this person over, is that correct?
[00:20:15] Speaker C: Yeah, that's the general gist of it, Ricky.
[00:20:17] Speaker A: Right.
[00:20:18] Speaker C: But that, you know, their, their importance or the value of their work, that is, that is presented differently depending on which exact visa type you know, the professional is trying to pursue.
[00:20:30] Speaker B: Okay, yeah, no, sorry. So that's like. Yeah, for sure. It's just like you want to. So I'm in real estate. You want to buy a house now, what kind of house? Right, exactly. You want to, you want to become a citizen or whatever area, part of what, what you're doing and then you go specifically to that and why it's important for them.
[00:20:48] Speaker C: Right, exactly. And sometimes, sometimes individuals will work. Companies would approach me and say, hey listen, you know, we really want to pursue X type of visa. And I'll say, hey listen, Y type of visa would probably be the best, given your needs. Right. So it's almost like in real estate, if someone comes over to you, you know, let's just say they're retired and they're older and they want a huge mansion, you may say, hey listen, it might be in your best interest to get a high rise condo instead, you know, and just given, given, given your needs. Yeah.
[00:21:21] Speaker B: And that's why you're the subject matter expert.
[00:21:23] Speaker C: Right.
[00:21:23] Speaker B: It's, I think one of the things we, we talk about and we joke about it with a lot of the people that have been on the show is you don't know what you don't know. So as, as the subject matter expertise you take in when you do the consultation, you take in the information, Right. You review it and then you come up back with them with some sort of a solution.
[00:21:44] Speaker A: Absolutely. Right.
[00:21:45] Speaker C: Because I mean, different, different professionals. Right. So in real estate you have your own flowchart. In immigration law, we have our own flowchart. So that's really the benefit there, you know, as an individual that deals with this flowchart day in, day out.
[00:21:58] Speaker A: Right.
[00:21:58] Speaker C: And the ability to work with that Professional to really get an understanding of kind of where you fall in that specific flowchart and then, and then the ability to execute forward from there.
[00:22:09] Speaker B: So quick question with that in mind. So have you ever had an experience with an individual that in their mind? Because you know, today everybody has a degree in Google, right? They, everybody, they just know everything. They come to you and there's wholly wanting to do one thing and based on your experience and the knowledge, the actual knowledge, you guided them a different way. And then at the end they realized finally, oh wow, I was not going the right direction.
[00:22:40] Speaker C: Yeah, that happens often, Ricky. You know, and then a lot of the times I'll have current clients who are working with me in a very level headed way. It's measured, you know, I have a great relationship with them and then they'll call me and say, hey, ish, I read this on Reddit or you know, like this came up on my Facebook feed or you know, my friend on Instagram told me this and I say, no, no, guys, listen, you know, we're doing well, right? Like you, you have to trust my judgment and my guidance on this. This is not the time. Because you know, the Internet, as you just said, Ricky, is a volume of knowledge, right? And sometimes that knowledge is contrary, contra indicatory to what the individual really needs.
[00:23:19] Speaker A: Right.
[00:23:19] Speaker C: So, you know, it could be problematic.
[00:23:22] Speaker B: Yeah, totally understand that. Because you know, here again we talked real estate earlier, right? So we have an individual calls you, hey, I just got Pre qualified for $400,000. Let's go find a house, right? Then I'm like, okay, that's awesome. But can you tell me what you feel is a acceptable monthly payment? Something that's okay to you? Well, it's 2,000, you know, that you're not going to find you have a lot of money to put down? No. Well, those don't work out then, right? That's where all your knowledge comes in. Right.
Well, I mean, and so, so tell me some of the feedback after you push somebody or guided somebody better than push, guided somebody down the path that you thought best suited them. And then they realized, oh my gosh, how do they feel after that?
[00:24:14] Speaker C: Well, I would hope that they feel in a positive way because I've placed them there in a position.
[00:24:21] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:21] Speaker C: If it's a company, then the way that that employee is placed is conducive to the company's operations. If it's an individual client, the way that that person is placed after engaging with me, they're placed in a position to better pursue their Economic goals or their family goals.
[00:24:40] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:40] Speaker C: So, you know, it's all about position and placement. And then when that individual looks back based on, like, the status that you've given that you worked with them to gain, or, you know, if it's lawful permanent residency, if they work with you to gain that residency.
[00:24:55] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:56] Speaker C: Then, then, then they see how that newer position based on, compared to where they were before is more conducive to their needs.
[00:25:05] Speaker B: No, it's. It seems like you have to do your, your due diligence based on their conversation with you to really put a plan together for them.
[00:25:14] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. And this is, this is certainly a field where you need to sit, plan and strategize prior to acting.
[00:25:24] Speaker B: With everything going, is there a lot of changes right now going on with that? Or, I mean, you know, tell me how that happens.
[00:25:30] Speaker C: Tremendous changes. Right. I mean, the executive branch has a lot of power over immigration. It traditionally always has. So with this new administration, there are a lot of changes.
And the flowchart that I was referencing, sometimes that can change biweekly. So if it's challenging for immigration attorneys to keep up with the changes, I can't imagine how difficult it would be for a layperson to try to keep up with those same changes and then make actionable choices based on those changes.
I think the value of councils, you know, greater now than ever before in this space.
[00:26:09] Speaker B: I appreciate you bringing that to us. We're getting ready to go into a commercial. Everybody will see you when we're right, when we come right back.
Hey, guys, welcome back to Battle Ready, the process of reinventing yourself. Over the last couple segments, we've been talking with Ishvasta, an immigration attorney out of Miami that does an amazing job of consulting and educating people on how to transition to become US Citizens or whatever kind of visa that is necessary. We're going to talk a little bit about national interest waivers in this next segment. Ishwe, welcome to the show.
[00:26:59] Speaker C: Hey, thanks for having me, Ricky.
[00:27:01] Speaker B: And so you were telling me earlier about national interest waivers and, and how you go about phrasing that.
[00:27:09] Speaker C: Yeah, sure. So natural interest waivers are one specific avenue for professionals to seek lawful permanent residency here in the United States. And this avenue really, you know, focuses on the professional themselves and the defined endeavor.
[00:27:26] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:26] Speaker C: A professional endeavor that they, that they seek to pursue here in the United States and about working with that professional to show how that endeavor is in the national interest of the United States.
[00:27:38] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:38] Speaker C: So just using the oil and gas industry as an example, simply because I do have Experience working with a lot of oil and gas industry clients. I mean, often, you know, there is talk about the importance of increasing oil and gas production or making oil and gas more sustainable, sustainable, you know, more efficient. So it's really about, you know, getting to that technical core of what they do and making those arguments and those explanations.
[00:28:06] Speaker B: Okay, so is there any. So we talked oil and gas. Is there any kind of position specific that are in a higher need in the US Than maybe others?
[00:28:17] Speaker C: So it's not really about filling labor shortages. It's more about aligning the person's work to national interest here in the United States.
[00:28:26] Speaker A: Right.
[00:28:27] Speaker C: So effectively, you know, really any professional in the oil and gas ecosystem or the wider energy ecosystem. Right. Because there has been a drive to increase renewable energy production, you know, over the last 10 years as well. These cases generally play well because there is this like heightened energy demand.
[00:28:45] Speaker A: Right.
[00:28:45] Speaker C: But then there's also other areas that work really well for national interest waivers, for example, health, technology.
[00:28:51] Speaker A: Right.
[00:28:51] Speaker C: As you can imagine, or you know, immunizations, other, other, other things where there is a need, right. For more professionals. Because there's such a need amongst Americans, you know, for their, for their services.
[00:29:08] Speaker B: So, so do we, do the individuals maybe reach out to you when they're still in college or Right. When they're getting ready to graduate or is there kind of, what's kind of a chain of events? Yeah, that would help a person.
[00:29:22] Speaker C: So a lot of the times people reach out to me when they're almost ready to start the case.
[00:29:27] Speaker A: Right.
[00:29:28] Speaker C: And they're already a senior executive in X field with, you know, 12, 20, 25 years of experience. Right. Sometimes I do, I do, you know, I do receive reach outs from younger professionals. And then those are more informational consultations where I can maybe, you know, work with them to say, hey, listen, these, you know, kind of pursuing these fields or these areas would be the most conducive for a national interest waiver right? Now that doesn't compel or force someone to work in that direction, but you know, it provides them with, with, with some guidance on those points if this is a visa type that they're interested in pursuing in the future.
[00:30:07] Speaker B: Okay, so, so you see, you deal with the more experienced people, they'll come call you and then maybe they've been an expat back and forth and now it's time for them to want to stay in the U.S. is that how that works?
[00:30:21] Speaker C: Yeah, sometimes, Ricky, sometimes it's professionals. It's their first transfer here to the U.S. and there's something that they really like about the U.S. for example, parents of special needs children, because the treatment here for that is just so much remarkably better than where they lived elsewhere.
[00:30:44] Speaker A: Right.
[00:30:44] Speaker C: Or perhaps they really like the lifestyle here.
[00:30:46] Speaker A: Right.
[00:30:46] Speaker C: I mean, I think a large home in Texas, you know, with, with a nice backyard goes a long way, which is, which is certainly a rare asset in other parts of the world.
[00:30:55] Speaker A: Right.
[00:30:56] Speaker C: So I mean, the reasons differ, but you know, these individuals are really thinking of making the United States their long.
[00:31:02] Speaker B: Term home, their permanent residence. Okay, right. And so what kind of time frame does that usually take? I mean, is it.
What kind of time frame they got.
[00:31:12] Speaker C: To be ready for anywhere right now? I would say anywhere between two and a half to four years.
Those time frames can extend even further out. All of these visas are really governed by this USCIS Visa Bulletin.
[00:31:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:31:29] Speaker C: Or sorry, Department of State Visa Bulletin, that's released month over month.
[00:31:33] Speaker A: Right.
[00:31:34] Speaker C: So I mean, you know, sometimes visa processing moves by more quickly, sometimes it moves glacially.
[00:31:40] Speaker A: Right.
[00:31:40] Speaker C: And I, we have seen glacial movement unfortunately, you know, over the past year, year and a half.
[00:31:47] Speaker B: So is it, is it approached differently by state or.
[00:31:51] Speaker C: Not really, no, it's not approached differently by state, Ricky. Immigration is federal, so it's kind of, you know, all of the United States is covered under one big block.
[00:32:02] Speaker B: And so with that in mind. So is there more activity by state then?
[00:32:09] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, some states, I guess, would, would, would bring over, you know, more immigrants than others. Right. So California, New York, Texas, Florida, these are big immigrant states.
[00:32:21] Speaker A: Right.
[00:32:22] Speaker C: Versus, you know, say smaller states like Wyoming wouldn't be receiving as many immigrants. So that, that does difference by state. That's correct.
[00:32:33] Speaker B: So that being said, I mean, would it be an advantage to go to one of the smaller states to do, to do this or. Not really.
[00:32:41] Speaker C: Not really. Because you're still going to, I would say, you know, either the Texas or the Nebraska service center for these EB2NIWS that we've been discussing or these EB1A extraordinary ability cases. Right. So it doesn't really bring additional value to, to be, to be situated in a different state. Now that being said.
[00:33:02] Speaker A: Right.
[00:33:03] Speaker C: If there's a specific need. Right. So if you're helping rural communities, right. Which I mean, there's tons of rural communities in Wyoming that are in need of services. If you're offering services to rural communities, underserved communities.
[00:33:16] Speaker A: Right.
[00:33:16] Speaker C: In, in more low population states, that kind of argument will work really well for, for national interest rates cases.
[00:33:25] Speaker B: All right, so, and I think earlier we also talked about that you help entrepreneurs. Yeah, yeah, so let's talk a little bit about that. And, and how would they go about, you know, the transition?
[00:33:39] Speaker C: Yeah, so it all depends on, on where the entrepreneur is positioned. Right. A popular avenue for Entrepreneurs is the E2 treaty investor visa. Now, those are limited for individuals who are nationals of treaty countries. Right. There's an E2 treaty basically that the United States has with, with with numerous countries around the world.
[00:34:02] Speaker A: Right.
[00:34:03] Speaker C: So if they are a treaty national and they can put up a substantial investment into a US Business and they go through the process of forming that business and really making it actionable.
[00:34:15] Speaker A: Right.
[00:34:15] Speaker C: So that they're able to, you know, come in and begin working on that business from day one. Right. Then that is a good path for, for, for those professionals, you know, worldwide.
[00:34:28] Speaker B: Is there any like entrepreneur type job or organization that, that the US is really, you know, looking at specific or I mean, get a little bit better.
[00:34:42] Speaker C: Entrepreneurship does play well into national interest waiver and extraordinary ability cases. But you know, those are longer term green card options.
[00:34:51] Speaker A: Right.
[00:34:51] Speaker C: So a lot of like working with immigration council, you know, requires dividing time horizons.
[00:34:58] Speaker A: Right.
[00:34:59] Speaker C: So these are my short, medium term immigration needs and goals. These are my longer term immigration needs and goals.
[00:35:04] Speaker A: Right.
[00:35:05] Speaker C: And then just working with council to secure both. Right, Your short and medium term needs as well as your long term needs.
[00:35:12] Speaker B: So in your initial consultation, or is it maybe the second consultation, you kind of frame out a timeline for them and what does that look like?
[00:35:21] Speaker C: Yeah, so I mean, I do present, you know, prospective clients with a specific timeline based on the items that we've discussed. But again, those timelines are not set in stone because, you know, there's so many macro variables that are changing all around based on how that visa bulletin is moving.
[00:35:39] Speaker A: Right.
[00:35:39] Speaker C: Which I was referencing earlier. And then for clients located abroad, based on how those individual consulates are doing.
[00:35:46] Speaker A: Right.
[00:35:47] Speaker C: So you know, the consulate in Mexico could be moving much, much more quickly than, than the consulate in Colombia.
[00:35:54] Speaker A: Right.
[00:35:54] Speaker C: And that's. Those are very difficult to be able to estimate and get clarity on, unfortunately.
[00:36:00] Speaker B: Is tell us again how to get a hold of you.
[00:36:02] Speaker C: Yeah, sure. So the best way to reach me is to email me at info info at EO immigration. That's all one word, EO immigration.
And then my website is EOimmigration.com and then you can just click Schedule consultation to reach out to me.
Perfect.
[00:36:21] Speaker B: We're getting ready to go back into a commercial and bring this back on for the final area. It's been great Talking. We'll see you in a minute.
Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Battle Ready. Thanks for joining us again. We've been talking for the past hour with Ish Vasta, an immigration attorney out of Miami, sharing so much great information on how an individual can meet with him, have a consultation and him guide him through the process based on what their needs are. It's welcome. Welcome back to the show.
[00:37:09] Speaker C: Hey, thanks again for having me, Rick.
[00:37:11] Speaker B: And you know, in one of our, in our break earlier, you mentioned, you know, of how employers would benefit knowing the process and how to go about hiring people. Let's talk about that.
[00:37:23] Speaker C: Yeah, sure. So employers, Rick, have specific needs, right? Sometimes they need tradespeople, sometimes they need specialized workers.
You know, sometimes they need highly specialized workers in the equipment or technologies that those professionals are specialized in. And then each of these goals kind of has an immigration solution type to it, right? So it's really about reaching out to immigration council, trying to articulate your need well, and then working with council to fill that need.
[00:37:58] Speaker A: Right.
[00:37:58] Speaker C: When it comes to deciding which, which visa type to pursue or which avenue to pursue for, for, for bringing workers here into the United States.
[00:38:10] Speaker B: So if an individual is, or a company is, is getting ready to, you know, attempt that, what is, so what kind of outline would you tell them? How would they go about starting it? I mean, what would they do?
[00:38:24] Speaker C: Well, the first thing that I would say is forecast. Well, right. Because these visa types take time. I've been approached by employers and they'll say, oh, we're ready to add X number of workers this March. Right. And I'll say, guys, it's, it's too tight. It's too tight of a time window.
[00:38:41] Speaker A: Right.
[00:38:41] Speaker C: So for your foreign workers, right. Because for any business, you know, it's hard to forecast needs.
[00:38:47] Speaker A: Right.
[00:38:48] Speaker C: But really want to forecast as well as you can as far in advance for the needs that you will have.
[00:38:55] Speaker A: Right.
[00:38:55] Speaker C: And then to be able to execute on that. So I would say give yourselves like, you know, two if possible, two, a two and a half year time window to really forecast, you know, bringing those foreign workers into, into the US Business and then, you know, working with council to kind of lay down the roadmap that way there's no surprises for you. There's no surprises for council and of course there's no surprises for that worker.
[00:39:24] Speaker A: Right.
[00:39:25] Speaker C: And ultimately, because transitioning workers into the United States can be difficult, you're also trying to minimize the friction of that process. And I think by forecasting that far in advance, you're able to Minimize that friction overall.
[00:39:38] Speaker B: So what is some of the biggest challenge with forecasting? Maybe, maybe one of the biggest challenges, speed bumps that they, that they encounter. And I think I'm going to ask you this. You know, is cost ever a big, a big deal to the employers?
[00:39:50] Speaker C: Yeah, of course. Because, I mean, you know, there are legal fees involved and there's government filing fees for these processes. Sometimes there's relocation costs.
[00:39:59] Speaker A: Right.
[00:39:59] Speaker C: Which, which, you know, employers bear over employees. So those are all considerations.
[00:40:05] Speaker A: Right.
[00:40:05] Speaker C: But if an individual is abroad and they're so highly specialized that there really is no substitute here in the U.S. right, then that's really where they would start looking at immigration counsel to fill those needs.
[00:40:18] Speaker B: Okay. And so let's say they're partially the way through it, and then maybe there's some change in the need or change in the status of the individual they're trying to help or pursue. What, some suggestions with that or is there none?
[00:40:33] Speaker C: Yeah. So, I mean, usually it's never something beyond which like, you know, council can't pivot.
[00:40:40] Speaker A: Right.
[00:40:40] Speaker C: Because even if there's changing conditions on the ground and sometimes there's changes in the law.
[00:40:45] Speaker A: Right.
[00:40:46] Speaker C: But that's why you want to forecast as far out as you can so that you anticipate those changes as you move further down.
[00:40:52] Speaker A: Right.
[00:40:53] Speaker C: It's, it's, it's like, you know, you want to, I think as council, you want to work with your clients across all hundred of those yards, right. You don't want to just kind of come in there when, when, when, when, you know, everyone's already in the red zone, right. To try to up the pieces.
[00:41:11] Speaker B: So is there any. Okay, so I don't want to say shortcut, but I'm going to ask is there a shortcut? So is there a way to get somebody here, work at the same time?
[00:41:22] Speaker C: That's, that's a, A fair question, Ricky. I mean, I know that a lot of your audiences in Houston, you know, for Mexican and Canadian nationals, right, there is the treaty national visa. Now, that's by no means a shortcut, but there's no year allotment, right, on that visa type like the H1B. And there's no requirement for the professional to have worked for a U.S. subsidiary or parent or affiliated company for one full year prior to immigration, like there is for the L1, right? So that's one where, where, where individuals can act more quickly based on. Based on their needs.
[00:42:00] Speaker A: Right.
[00:42:00] Speaker C: If someone is already operating E2 business here. So say you're an immigrant, you came here, you're already operating an E2 business and now you need to bring on E2 employees. And they're also, you know, from the same country that you're from. You're able to bring on those employees through the E2 employee process. And there's no one year bar like there is for the L1 or you know, there's no, there's no lottery wait, like there is for the H1B for that type either.
[00:42:25] Speaker A: Right.
[00:42:26] Speaker C: So you're, you're trying to, I think if timing is your goal, you're trying to see if you're eligible.
[00:42:33] Speaker A: Right.
[00:42:33] Speaker C: To move around those bureaucratic hurdles.
[00:42:35] Speaker A: Right.
[00:42:36] Speaker C: That the H and the L present. But you know, those are limited to individuals. For example, you know, Mexican, Canadian nationals when it comes to tn, specifically the treaty national visa.
[00:42:47] Speaker A: Right.
[00:42:47] Speaker C: Which stems from the USMCA agreement. Or, you know, it is, it is limited to E2 country nationals because, you know, those stem from, from the treaty between the US and those. And those E2 countries.
[00:43:01] Speaker B: So is there any country that you've been working with a lot more often than other right now or not really?
[00:43:08] Speaker C: Well, a lot of my clients are Latino because I am based here in Miami, so I have a lot of clients out there in Houston as well, so all across Latam.
And it's, you know, it's always interesting to see country conditions develop there as well and to kind of work with clients in terms of shifting their needs and their lives really from these countries across Latam into the United States.
[00:43:38] Speaker B: I know that you were mentioning earlier that you work with a lot of oil and gas here in Houston, and I've been here now probably around 20 years and this thing has just continued to grow in such a melting pot. I almost don't think there's a country that's not, you know, have somebody identify with them in the Houston proper. It's like 65 miles from one area to the other. Right. And just amazing.
Do you ever get a chance to come this way?
[00:44:06] Speaker C: Yeah, I actually was in a wedding in Houston about two years ago. And you're right, it is a huge city and it does get hot in August, as we also found out, so.
[00:44:18] Speaker B: Right.
[00:44:19] Speaker C: You know, that's something coming from a Miami person. Right. So it's, it's even hotter out there. But yeah, I mean, I was just impressed by the amount of like, industrial work that we saw in and around Houston. I mean, you know, it's truly a large and bustling city. You know, it's. And it is. Yeah, it seemed like it would take like an hour to an hour and a half to just get from one location to another. And there wasn't even any traffic, which was just, you know, astounding. Just the size of the city is impressive.
[00:44:47] Speaker B: No, they, you know that I think we talked earlier. You know, Houston's an hour from Houston, right. No matter where you're going. And, and you know, that's why when, when I used to work up north, they're like, oh man, it's going to take you 20 minutes to get them like, okay, that's no big deal. They're like, what? That's, that's like killer, right? They're like, no, I don't want to do that. I'm like, you down here, you need to get you an audiobook in some self learning something going make the travel around the city.
[00:45:13] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:45:14] Speaker B: So tell me some what else is kind of out there in the immigration world that's been hot and heavy lately?
[00:45:22] Speaker C: Well, you know, there are a lot of policy changes that are coming out from the Trump administration. A lot of those policy changes are then getting challenged in court. So it's very messy and it's very politically active right now. It's kind of a quote, quote, hot space. So, you know, it's very important for individuals who may be impacted to really keep a close eye on the news. Right. Which I mean, I completely understand is anxiety provoking and difficult at times. But you know, it's important to be informed.
[00:45:51] Speaker A: Right.
[00:45:52] Speaker C: And that, that may also really highlight, you know, the importance of having value, you know, like strong immigration counsel in your corner because, you know, immigration counsel, of course, you know, as a fiduciary, responsibility to all of their clients, are looking at all of these changes. And the immigration law community, just immigration lawyers as a community, it's a really great community to be a part of because we're constantly apprising each other of changes and developments just because there's so many and they sometimes are monumental. So it's just a very active space right now with tons of moving pieces.
[00:46:29] Speaker B: Okay, so again, tell us how to get Holy.
[00:46:32] Speaker C: Yeah, sure, Ricky. So the best way to reach me is to email
[email protected] if someone wants to reach me. They could also just go to my website, EOimmigration.com and then just click schedule a consultation. Fill out a pretty quick form and I'm happy to address questions and schedule a consultation with them.
[00:46:52] Speaker B: Perfect. Is there anything else you want to close with and share with the audience?
[00:46:57] Speaker C: Yeah, the barbecue is really good in Houston.
[00:47:00] Speaker B: There it is right. But, hey, you know, Miami has some good food, too. You know, a lot of the Cuban and Haitian food. Man. Had a great time down there.
[00:47:08] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:47:10] Speaker B: Well, listen, I've totally enjoyed having you on the show today. Everybody else, thanks so much for joining us today with Ishvasta out of Miami with immigration law. Reach out to him if you have any questions, and we'll see you next time. Have a great day.
[00:47:27] Speaker C: This has been a NOW Media Networks feature presentation. All rights reserved.
