Immigration

Three Percent

The 75-country immigrant visa ban accounted for three percent of EB-5 visa use. The EB-5 queue moved anyway.  Where the numbers actually came from, and why the largest piece of the transfer arrives in FY2027 regardless of the ruling that struck the ban down.  EB-5 visa number allocation under the … Read more

Vacated Friday. Cancelled Monday.

A federal court struck down the 75-country immigrant visa ban. Three days later the State Department cancelled visa interviews worldwide.  What the ruling actually gives EB-5 clients, and what it does not.  An analysis of Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. v. Rubio and its consequences for EB-5 consular processing, INA … Read more

LexisNexis Practical Guidance

The Definitive Practitioner’s Guide To EB-5 For nearly a decade, Managing Partner Mona Shah has authored and maintained one of the most comprehensive resources on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program available through LexisNexis Practical Guidance. The 2025 edition is now available, providing practitioners with up-to-date guidance on the evolving EB-5 … Read more

From “Extraordinary” to “Housekeeping”

How Two Weeks of Quiet Lobbying Softened the Memo, Why the Walk-Back Is Not Enough, and What the Whole Episode Reveals About America’s Need for Foreign Workers By: Mona Shah, Esq. In the space of two weeks, the United States government moved from announcing that adjustment of status would be … Read more

USCIS’ Memo Is Loud, But for EB-5, INA 245(n) Is Louder

Why PM-602-0199 Cannot Touch the EB-5 Concurrent Filing Right, and Where Real Scrutiny Will Actually Land By: Mona Shah, Esq. The Panic, and the Statute That Answers It In the days since USCIS released Policy Memorandum PM-602-0199, the EB-5 community has reacted as though the in-country green card has been … Read more

A Favor, Not A Right

USCIS Reclassifies Adjustment of Status as “Extraordinary Relief,” and the Timing Tells You Everything By: Mona Shah, Esq. On Thursday, May 21, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services dated Policy Memorandum PM-602-0199, and on Friday, May 22, the Friday before a major US holiday weekend (Memorial Day), the agency pushed … Read more

Lawyers for the Global Elite Aren’t Buying Trump’s Gold Card Visa

Mona Shah Quoted in The Washington Post Managing Partner, Mona Shah, was recently featured in The Washington Post, discussing the hesitancy and uncertainty surrounding President Trump’s Gold Card visa. The article analyses the increasingly cautious response from the immigration industry, with attorneys warning people away from the program designed to … Read more

Nicki Minaj Obtains “Free of Charge” Gold Card

Mona Shah Quoted in IMI on Nicki Minaj’s Gold Card Investment Migration Insider (IMI) recently featured insight from Mona Shah, Managing Partner at Mona Shah and Partners Global, within an article analysing the news that rap singer Nicki Minaj has received a ‘Trump Gold Card’. Mona provides legal insight into … Read more

New State Department Rules Mean Your BMI May Matter More Than You Think! 

Trump’s Latest Immigration Crackdown- Don’t Be Overweight at Your Consulate Interview!! In a move that has left immigration attorneys and applicants alike, scratching their heads, the Trump administration has announced an indefinite pause on immigrant visa processing for nationals from 75 countries, citing concerns that applicants might become dependent on … Read more

Americans Continue Exodus from High-Tax States, Sixth Year Running

Mona Shah Quoted in IMI on US Internal Migration Trends Managing Partner Mona Shah was quoted in Investment Migration Insider (IMI) within an article examining domestic migration within the United States, largely driven through tax policy and quality of life considerations. The article, published on January 6, draws attention to … Read more