NON-IMMIGRANT VISA CONSULAR PROCESSING
Attorney Ben D. Huynh, our firm’s managing partner, has developed a thriving non-immigrant Third Country National (TCN) Consular Processing practice and has accompanied hundreds of foreign national employees and dependent family members for their successful visa issuance at the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros, Mexico. Our clients include foreign nationals from Fortune 200 companies such as Motorola Inc., Halliburton and Texas Instruments and employees of smaller U.S. companies.
We offer two types of TCN Consular Processing services:
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The Comprehensive Service Package: This service include our making the consular appointment on the client’s behalf, instructing the client on travel arrangements, completing all necessary forms (DS-156, etc.), providing a comprehensive list of supporting documents, carefully preparing the client for all aspects of the consular appointment, and Ben’s accompanying the client to the U.S. Consulate on the appointment date. Generally, our Legal Fee for this service is $2500 (depending on specific facts) for the employee (including dependent family members). We recommend this package for foreign nationals who have had past problems at a U.S. Consulate abroad or who have had an issue (i.e. failure to maintain proper non-immigrant status such as full-time F-1 Student Status, failure to complete U.S. masters degree, out of work for period of time, minor criminal matter, etc.) or who would rather have an attorney present should an issue arise.
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| (2) |
The Document Review and Appointment Preparation Package: This service include our assisting the client in making the consular appointment, carefully reviewing the client’s forms (DS-156), ensuring that the client has all necessary documents and preparing the client for the interview. Note Ben does not accompany the client to the U.S. Consulate on the appointment date. Our Legal Fee for this service is $250 for the employee (including all dependent family members). We recommend this package for foreign nationals who would like to be thoroughly prepared for their interview, know that they have all requested documentation and know how to handle the often aggressive questioning process of some U.S. consular officers. |
Client Testimonials:
From Mark Lehmann (Owner, Mexico Assistance Services): I have seen several applicants in the past face problems at the U.S. Consulates which could have easily been avoided had they gone through an experienced immigration attorney ensuring they were fully prepared for their interview. I recommend Mr. Huynh's service as the best option to help reduce the number of problems our clients face in the future. Mr. Huynh's documentation review fee is extremely reasonable in comparison to what experiencing a minor or major delay at the U.S. consulate in Mexico would cost.
From: Chirag ********
To: bdhimmigration@yahoo.com
Date: Tuesday, August 24, 2008
Hi Ben, Thank you very much for your Attorney Review. After your review, I was completely confident that My Paperwork was 100% perfect, and I had an in-depth understanding of the entire process. As a result I was fully prepared for the interview. For all the future applicants, PLEASE GET THE ATTORNEY REVIEW done. Especially for the ones who are with Consultants. I saw many people there who were employed by consultants and had incomplete documentation and were very nervous through the whole process. Get your documents and case reviewed by Ben and confidently attend the interview.
From: Arun *****
To: bdhimmigration@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008
Ben, You are awesome…your Help and counseling was amazing. Thanks! Arun
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008
From: Sharad
Hey Ben - Thank you for making the whole visa thing less painful for me...A whole 1 year of painful thinking and frustration disappeared as I sit much relieved today on the plane back to Virginia. I appreciate all your efforts and will recommend you to my friends.
From: Vamsi Y****
Date: 5 Jun 2008
Hello Ben, We just wanted to take this moment and thank you for the excellent guidance, advice and support during this entire application process. Yes, it was very stressful till we contacted you but after your telephonic consultation/conversation/advice for over 2 hours, our confidence was boosted well and we carried it all the way till the end. I cannot remember the number of persons to whom i recommended your service over the last three days. Thank you very much, Sunanda & Vamsi
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 10:21:42 -0500
From: Prem P
Hi Ben - It was a pleasure having you with us during our trip to Matamoros. Without your help and guidance, we would not have had a seamless experience that we had yesterday. You are our attorney for our immigration needs and we will definitely keep you in mind for any future immigration requirements that we might have. I will definitely recommend you to all my friends looking for help.
From: "sreeni g"
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:18:56 -0500
Ben, Yesterday I went Matamoros, I got VISA. Thank you very much for your help/tips. You built my confidence from 0% to 200% in 90 minutes. Again thank you very much and I'll recommend you to my friends.
Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 14:59:32 -0500
From: PRADEEPGEN***@***.edu>
Hi Ben, Thanks a lot for guiding through the process. I was really amazed the way you walked me through. I would have never got such a great response from any attorney other than you. You really did a great job: u da man!
What is Third Country National (TCN) Consular Processing? As a
convenient alternative to the lengthy delays in applying for non-immigrant
visa stamps at the U.S. Consulates in their home countries, many
non-immigrant visa applicants may choose to apply for or renew their visa
stamps at a U.S. Consulate in Mexico or Canada. This process is called TCN
Consular Processing. While individuals must meet all eligibility
requirements in order to qualify, the clear advantage of TCN Processing is
in its processing time (typically same-day processing for a new visa stamp)
and distance (i.e. short trip to Mexico rather than the long flight to
London, Beijing or Mumbai).
Unfortunately, due to the post-9/11 heightened U.S. security clearance
measures, citizens of the “State 7 Countries” are generally not
eligible for Third Country National Processing at a U.S. consulate in Mexico
or Canada and should apply in their home countries. The “State 7 Countries”
are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Cuba and North Korea. The “List of 20+
Countries” includes countries whose citizens, especially males between 16 to
45 years old, may utilize TCN Consular Processing on a case by case basis
and may require extra security checks. These countries are Afghanistan,
Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The extra security
check could take anywhere from 3-4 days to 2-3 weeks.
Also, citizens from the People’s Republic of China and Russia subjected to
the “Technology Alert List (“TAL”) could encounter lengthy security checks
and delays and generally should apply in their home countries. The
Technology Alert List, originally a product of the Cold War targeting
citizens of the Soviet Union and Communist/Warsaw Pact countries, is
designed to protect U.S. technological superiority by preventing the
transfer or loss of sensitive U.S. technology (i.e. nuclear or bio-technical
technology).
It is absolutely critical that the TCN applicant be completely prepared
for his or her consular interview in Mexico or Canada and have all the
required documentation. A denial by the U.S. Consulate in Mexico or Canada
could mean that the applicant will likely NOT be able to immediately return
to the United States! Prior to April 1, 2002, “the Contiguous Country Rule”
allowed foreign nationals to travel to U.S. contiguous countries (i.e.
Mexico, Canada) without a valid visa, as long as the individual possessed a
valid I-94 Card and accompanying documentation verifying current lawful
status (i.e. valid I-797 Approval Notice). The U.S. Department of State made
significant revisions to the Contiguous Country Rule effective April 1,
2002. One such change states that any foreign national who applies for a
visa stamp at a U.S. Consulate in Mexico or Canada and the visa is denied or
not issued for ANY reason, the foreign national will NOT benefit from the
Contiguous Country Rule. In other words, the foreign national will NOT be
allowed to re-enter the U.S. and will have to travel directly from Mexico or
Canada to his or her home country’s U.S. Consulate to re-apply for the visa
stamp.
Because of this critical change to the Contiguous Country Rule and the
general level of higher scrutiny at U.S. Consulates in this post-9/11 world,
we highly recommend that foreign nationals applying for visas at U.S.
Consulates in Mexico or Canada be accompanied by an experienced immigration
attorney or at least have an experienced immigration attorney review their
documents prior to their appointment. With his experience, Ben can
ensure that the foreign national is absolutely prepared for the interview,
has completed the application form correctly and is carrying all the proper
documentation for his or her successful visa issuance. As the attorney of
record, Ben would also have access to speak directly with the visa officer
to immediately resolve and clarify any legal or factual issue. Furthermore,
if the visa officer is clearly making a legal mistake, Ben can request that
the Consulate’s Non-Immigrant Visa Chief review the issue to overturn the
visa officer. In the absolute worse case scenario in which the visa is
denied and cannot be overturned, Ben can at least work with the Consulate to
grant the employee another applicable visa in order to return to the U.S. to
adequately prepare for a trip back to his or her home country in order to
re-apply for a new visa.
Note we highly recommend Mexico Assistance Services (www.mexico-assistance.com),
a company which excels at assisting TCN foreign nationals with obtaining the
requisite Mexican Visitors Permit, prepayment of the DS-156 Nonimmigrant
Visa Application Fee (aka “Banamex” Fee) and transportation/van shuttle
services.
Please contact us at (972) 992-8181 or at info@bdhimmigration.com for
additional information.
