Our Practice

The iMoreno Group’s Immigration Practice offers comprehensive immigration legal services to individuals and businesses.  We are committed to offering immigration clients effective, efficient, and affordable representation.  The Firm’s immigration counsel, Robert A. Begotka and Carlos A. Moreno, know how the federal government works and how to solve problems.  We have the expertise necessary to identify and implement the best possible solution to your immigration matter.

With The iMoreno Group, you will get personal attention from skilled, experienced attorneys who care about you and understand the importance of your immigration issue.  Two of the Firm’s three Principals immigrated to the United States as children and are naturalized U.S. citizens.  At The iMoreno Group, practicing immigration law is not just our profession—it’s our passion.

Since November 2020, The iMoreno Group has been appointed to serve as Special Counsel to the Commonwealth of Virginia for immigration matters.  Pursuant to this appointment, our immigration attorneys have provided immigration legal services to various Commonwealth of Virginia public universities and state government agencies.  We have successfully handled numerous H-1B petitions, responses to Request for Evidence, and TN visa applications.  We currently handle a number of PERM permanent residency matters on behalf of Virginia public universities.  Our immigration counsel have also provided legal advice and counsel to Virginia entities on a wide variety of other immigration issues on both a fee and pro bono basis.  In addition, we have successfully represented Commonwealth of Virginia employees and their family members in their individual capacities on various immigration matters such as marriage-based petitions and permanent residency applications and applications to obtain and extend H-4 non-immigrant status.

The immigration attorneys at The iMoreno Group offer legal representation on a wide range of immigration matters, including:

• Family-Based Permanent Residence
• Employment-Based Permanent Residency and Temporary Work Visas
• Investment-Based Permanent Residence and Temporary Work Visas
• Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
• Citizenship and Naturalization
• Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions
• Other Immigration Legal Services
• Related Areas of Practice—Criminal Defense & Corporate Transactions and Governance

Family-Based Permanent Residence

Family reunification is a fundamental goal of U.S. immigration policy.  We can assist U.S. citizens who wish to have their spouses, fiancées, parents, children or siblings live with them permanently in the United States.  We also can assist Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders) who wish to sponsor their spouses or unmarried children.  We will guide you through the entire process of getting a green card for your family member, from filing initial petitions to final interviews with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials here in the United States or with Department of State officials at U.S. embassies and consulates overseas.

Employment-Based Residency and Temporary Work Visas

A major goal of U.S. immigration policy is meeting the labor needs of U.S. employers.  Employment-based permanent residency (green card) is available for foreign workers (1) who demonstrate extraordinary ability, are outstanding professors/researchers, or who qualify as a multinational executive/manager; or (2) fill certain positions for which no U.S. worker is able, willing, qualified, and available.

We also can assist employers and foreign workers in obtaining temporary work visas under a variety of visa categories, including:

• E-1 Treaty Trader
• H-1B Specialty Workers
• H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers
• H-2B Temporary or Seasonal Non-Agricultural Workers
• L-1A Multinational Manager or Executive
• L-1B Specialized Knowledge Employee
• O-1 Individuals of Extraordinary Ability
• TN NAFTA Treaty/Mexican or Canadian Professionals
• J-1 Exchange Visitor Programs (Au Pairs, Teachers, Scholars, Foreign Medical School Graduates)

Whether the goal is permanent residency or a temporary work visa, we can help U.S.-based employers and foreign employees navigate the complicated application and certification procedures of employment-based immigration so that employers can hire and retain the employees they need while complying with the law.

Investment-Based Permanent Residence and Temporary Work Visas

A more recent goal of U.S. immigration policy is job creation.  The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program began in 1990, and is intended to stimulate the U.S. economy and create jobs by attracting capital investments from foreign nationals.  The Immigrant Investor Program gives permanent residency (green card) to foreign investors who invest $1,000,000 in a U.S. commercial enterprise, which can be reduced to $500,000 if the commercial enterprise is located in a rural area or a place with high unemployment.  Similarly, foreign investors and their qualified employees may be eligible for an E-2 Treaty Investor nonimmigrant (temporary) visa if they make a “substantial” investment in a U.S. business in which they are actively involved.

The attorneys of The iMoreno Group have the necessary expertise in both immigration and corporate law to represent you effectively when seeking either a green card or nonimmigrant visa based on your investments in the United States.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation provides relief for foreign nationals who are already in the United States and cannot safely return to their country due to armed conflict or natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, drought, or epidemics.  Individuals who receive TPS can stay in the United States legally, obtain employment authorization, and travel abroad with advance government approval.

The immigration attorneys at The iMoreno Group can determine whether you are eligible for TPS and file the necessary forms to obtain this status as well as employment authorization.  If you already have TPS, we can help you comply with all re-registration requirements so that you maintain your status and authorization to work.

Citizenship and Naturalization

The process of applying for and being granted U.S. citizenship is called “naturalization.”  If you have been a lawful permanent resident in the U.S. for five years, you may be eligible for naturalization.  If you have been married to and continuously residing with a U.S. citizen spouse, you may apply for naturalization after three years as a permanent resident.  If you meet the requirements and wish to become a U.S. citizen, we can prepare and file your Application for Naturalization and get you ready for and accompany you to your naturalization interview with USCIS.

We also offer advice and counsel in cases where citizenship is uncertain.  For example, children born in the United States to foreign parents employed by a foreign diplomatic mission may or may not acquire U.S. citizenship at birth.  We can advise as to whether a person is a U.S. citizen, a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), or has some other immigration status.  When a person is not a U.S. citizen, we can advise as to how best to obtain U.S. citizenship, if desired.

Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions

For noncitizens, a criminal conviction can lead not only to fines and jail but deportation and exclusion from the United States.  Even relatively minor criminal convictions can have surprisingly severe immigration consequences.  If you are arrested, you should seek the advice of both criminal defense and immigration counsel.  The attorneys of The iMoreno Group have expertise in both criminal and immigration law.  We can defend you in your criminal case while minimizing the risks to your immigration status.  We also can work with your criminal defense lawyer to protect your immigration status.  Never assume that your criminal defense lawyer understands immigration law, and never plead guilty to any crime without first consulting a qualified immigration attorney!

Other Immigration Legal Services

We also offer advice and assistance with regard to B1/B2 visitor visas, student visas, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), visas for victims of crime (U, T, and VAWA), Waivers of Inadmissibility, and Provisional Waivers.  Among other things, we can help you obtain extensions of stay, changes of status, and Employment Authorization Documents.

Related Areas of Practice—Criminal Defense & Corporate Transactions and Governance

As discussed above, a noncitizen’s criminal conviction can result in deportation or exclusion from the United States.  If you are arrested or face criminal charges, our Firm’s Criminal Defense Practice can defend you in your criminal case while minimizing the risks to your immigration status.

If you are seeking immigration benefits as a foreign investor or entrepreneur, our Firm’s Corporate Transactions and Governance Practice can assist you in establishing and operating a business in the United States.