Your Journey Starts Here...

            Ava is a successful businesswoman. She owns a small, but rapidly growing, food processing company in Africa that makes a very popular product in the United States.

            Ben’s is a regional grocery store chain operating along the east coast in the United States. The owner Ben has expressed interest in selling Ava’s product in his stores. Ben wants to invite Ava to visit the U.S., but has no idea where to start. There are about 185 different types of visa in the U.S. Ave and Ben are eager to know which the right one is for Ave to come. (Immigration Law Matters)

            Six months later, Ave lands at JFK international airport in New York City, for the first time. She is super excited. Ave loves this country, and she has long been fascinating about her own version of the American Dream.

            Ben tastes a sampling Ave brings with her from Africa, and immediately, he knows this is the right product he has been hoping to sale for years. Ava and Ben begin to discuss about how to get the products to the U.S., but they are completely lost. What kind of contract do they need? What’s the payment terms? Who is responsible for the shipping cost? Who is going to bear the risk of loss before the products safely arrive at Ben’s stores? Do they need insurance? What’s the tax implication? And how potential disputes are going to be resolved? Ave and Ben has a ton of questions. (International Trade Law Matters)

            A couple of years of successful operation under this buy-sale model, Ave and Ben realize they must open a food processing plant locally in order to maximize their profit margin. They have been paying a lot of money on expedited shipping so that the product is still fresh when it reaches the consumers. By building a local plant, the cost that they will be saving from shipping is going to be significant. Again, they are acing another set of questions. As a foreigner, can Ave own a part of the company? Is there any specific regulatory requirements for foreign persons to invest in the U.S.? How can Ave transfer her portion of the capital contribution from Africa to the U.S.? What’s foreign direct investment, and how does it work? How is foreign direct investment different from other types, such as foreign portfolio investment and foreign institutional investment? Which is a better option between merger and building a new company from scratch? Ave and Ben hear about the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), but is the proposed transactions subjected to CFIUS review? (Foreign Investment Law Matters)

            A few months after the local plant begins operation, Ave and Ben both realize that although Ben is a very accomplished businessperson, the production of the new plant needs the unique set of skill and experience that Ave has. Ave has to come to work in the plant, if not permanently, as least for the first few years. Ave starts to research the law on this topic, only to find that the U.S. immigration law is as complex as the international trade and investment laws. Can foreign person be employed in the U.S.? What is the work permit, and how to get one? What is a L1 transfer visa and how is it different from a H1B visa? Although Ave is not quite sure if she wants to leave her parents behind and come to the U.S. to pursue her American dream, there is one thing Ave is certain about. She wants to preserve the possibility, so what type of visa allow its holder to have dual intent (non-immigration and immigration)? And if she doesn’t apply for an employment-based visa, can she become a lawful permanent resident if she finds the love of her life in the U.S.? And is it possible for Ave to bring her parents to this country? (Immigration Law Matters)

            Ave finds herself more confused after some google research. Luckily, at LJC Law, we are a firm that practices exclusively in exactly ALL areas of laws that Ave and Ben need. We are practicing, and only practicing, three closely related international laws: International trade, Foreign investment, and immigration. Our unique vision of the international law practice has positioned us in a better place to understand the needs and best interests of our quite diverse client base. We are looking forward to assisting both business and private clients in starting their new journey in the U.S.