Sarasota Immigration Attorney P. Christopher Jaensch
Sarasota is very attractive to international home-buyers. Foreigners visit during the winter, decide they want to stay, and begin the process of finding a way to do so legally and purchase a home. Many times, Sarasota real-estate agents are the first professional point of contact for these immigrants. While very knowledgeable about the Sarasota real estate market, they are not always equipped to inform their clients on the finer points of immigration law.
We want Sarasota to continue to be an attractive location for immigration. Immigrants bring a richness of diversity and entrepreneurial spirit that keeps this area vibrant. For examples read about how Nayda Cattin is opening our skies, or how Chris Coutelle is expanding our palettes. We want our local real estate agents to be well-informed about immigration law. That way, not only can they be more likely to succeed in procuring a home for an international prospect, but the area can benefit from a continual influx of diverse investors and job-creators.
Informing Sarasota Real Estate Agents
On October 18th, 2012, Sarasota Immigration Attorney Chris Jaensch spoke at the International 301 seminar. The Sarasota Association of Realtors (SAR) organized it with around 40 realtors from across the region attending. During this seminar, which was SAR’s last educational seminar of the year, attendees split in to groups to listen to individual panelists present case studies. Chris’s case study followed a hypothetical family from Australia. The “father” is a successful businessman and the “daughter” is an excellent tennis player. The family is looking for ways to move to the Sarasota-Bradenton area but still maintain ties to Australia. As it turns out, there are quite a few options in immigration law for doing so.
Please enjoy a video recording of Chris speaking at the seminar below.
We hope that this information helps local real estate agents as they continue to entice international home-buyers to call the Sarasota-Bradenton area home.
To see more, check out another video explaining how a real-estate based investment strategy can help an immigrant qualify for an E2 investor visa.
ILW.COM is pleased to announce the launch of the EB-5 iPhone App in Apple’s iTunes store. The EB-5 App is a convenient way of remaining on the top of EB-5 news all the time, for immigration law professionals, regional centers and immigrants interested in EB-5 issues. The App brings you the latest news from USCIS, scholarly articles by distinguished practitioners, latest news headlines from Google, a list of regional centers, EB-5 events and books, and even Chinese language headlines on EB-5 issues. We encourage all those interested in the EB-5 field to download this free App on their iPhones. If you have ideas on how to improve the App or wish to place your ad on the new EB5 App please write to webmaster@ilw.com
Here is a modified transcription of the first part of Chris’ talk to the Sarasota Association of Realtors. Enjoy the video below!
When thinking of the immigration process we like to picture the Mississippi River. On one bank you are in your country of origin, in the other you are a citizen of the United States. Immigration Law is all the stepping stones in between the two banks.
There are two main categories of foreign nationals living in the United States. Temporary Residents and Permanent Residents or people with Green Cards. Students, athletes, visitors and investors are all considered temporary residents.
The most common temporary residents are Visitors. Traditionally foreign nationals have to get a visa to come to the US as a visitor. The US government has tried to make it easier for citizens of certain countries to enter here as visitors by establishing the Visa Waiver Program, sometimes called ESTA. People from 36 countries – mostly European, some in Asia – can come to the US without a visa and stay for 90 days. Canada is not part of the Visa Waiver Program believe it or not! They have their own category.
Say you want to stay for longer than 90 days at a time. A B-1/B-2 visitor visa would allow you to stay in the States for 6 months at a time. How many times can you use a B-1/B-2 visa during a year? The truth is, there is no clear answer. The government has left it vague on purpose. The simple rule of thumb is to spend as much time out of the US as you do in it. When making plans to enter the US look back at how much time you spent here during the last calendar year, if more than 6 months, you might not be seen as a visitor any longer and be denied entry. Always come with a round-trip ticket, utility bill, or proof of residence in home country. This should help you get through customs without problems.
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