Manifest Law Reviews & Success Stories
The immigration journey was challenging — until they found Manifest Law,
a new kind of immigration law firm.
TN visa in February 2024
American citizenship for a child with a difficult case
Visa type: US PASSPORT
Client: 21 y.o. girl who had been thrown out of her family home at the age of 12 since she did not want to follow her family radical religious beliefs
Background: She came with no information and no knowledge of the law and had never worked with lawyers. She knew her mother had been born in the USA and heard through family that the mother had lived there till age of 23 where she met her father and married and moved to the UK
Handling attorney: Daliah Sklar
Attorney's work: We had no evidence - we had no birth certificate, no US passport, no documents - we had nothing. We began to do detective work, discovered the school that the mother went to, the university and ordered photos from the graduation books, we ordered a marriage certificate, found newspaper clippings and requested an exceptional review of the case based on these documents. The US embassy reviewed the petition and approved her US citizenship and her US passport!
Result: US PASSPORT APPROVED
Talent visas for Latin Grammy-nominated band
Visa type: O1B
Who: 5 Paraguayan members of Latin Grammy-nominated band
Background: Clients had previously held P visas as a group and wanted the individual flexibility with longer validity period of the O1. All band members had similar press and awards evidence
Handling attorney: Ari Farkas
My work: We prepared full packages, collected sufficient evidence for all band members and filed the 5 O1B visas
Result: ALL 5 O1B VISAS APPROVED
L1 Visa for Medical Entrepreneur from Switzerland
Visa type: L1
Client: Swiss Entrepreneur who was setting up a new office in the US
Background: An entrepreneur from Switzerland wanted to set up a new company in the US for a novel medical product.
Handling attorney: Rebecca Lenetsky
Attorney's work: Responded to an extensive Request for Evidence from USCIS, demonstrating the company’s potential for success, the founder’s important role, and the likelihood of contributions to the US. The visa was approved, and the entrepreneur’s business was able to succeed, eventually being acquired by a major international medical company
Result: L1 VISA APPROVED
Who: Entrepreneur seeking an E-2 Renewal for a Struggling Business
Background: An Entrepreneur seeking to renew his E-2 visa was given poor advice and did not provide updated materials to the consular officer - generating a refusal requesting a formal application to renew his company’s registration. At issue was the fact that the business suffered significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ultimately never made any profit nor hired employees in the five years the E-2 was valid for
Handling attorney: Nicole Gunara
My work: I developed a nuanced strategy where we would argue that the business was being pivoted towards a different industry - requiring the consulate to not treat this application as a renewal but as a new E-2 enterprise; despite maintaining the same name and information. I advised the Client to inject new capital into the business in the low five figures and developed a new business plan showing five years of projections based on the new direction of the business. I then provided significant evidence showing the negative impact COVID-19 had on the ability for his business to grow according to his initial application in order to convince the officer to overlook the five years of negative revenue
Result: Direct approval at interview
A start-up seeking to file L-1A for it's CEO
Who: AI start-up
Background: The client, an AI start-up, sought to expand its operations by opening a new office in the U.S. The company had been incorporated in March 2021 and, in May 2022, filed an L-1A visa petition for its CEO to transfer to the U.S. to lead this new office. However, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a Request for Evidence (RFE) raising concerns that the petition did not qualify as a “new office” L-1A visa since it had been filed more than one year after the company's incorporation. We represented the client in responding to the RFE.
Handling attorney: Aditi Ranade
My work: We worked with the client to show that, although the company was incorporated in March 2021, it began operations only after securing funding in June 2021, within the required one-year "new office" timeframe. We emphasized that the start of operations, not the incorporation date, determined this designation. USCIS accepted our argument, approved the L-1A visa, and the CEO successfully relocated to lead the U.S. expansion.
Result: L1A Approved
E-2 for Italian National Businessperson
Who: Italian National Businessperson
Background: The client received a denial with prior counsel for a seemingly strong E-2 case. The client owned a busy organic and vegan ice cream shop in Los Angeles, California
My work: Typically, brick-and-mortar food establishments are considered strong E-2 applications. Yet, upon the review of prior counsel's work, I was able to remove excessive information that hid the strong investment and business potential of the E-2 enterprise. The client went into his reapplication interview with in-depth prep and knowledge of potential questioning. He received an immediate approval at one of the more notably difficult consulates (Rome)
Result: E-2 Approved
O1 visa, December 2023
O1 visa for a Venezuelan lawyer
Visa type: O1 VISA
Who: Transactional lawyer from Venezuela
Background: The client was needed in the US to handle important deals for his employer, but did not have other viable visa options. Its not very common for lawyers to receive O1 visas, but in this case we thought that was the best strategy for a client. This was particularly unique due to the difficulties faced by professionals in the troubled Venezuelan system
Handling attorney: Simon Craven
My work: After carefully analyzing and eliminating alternative options, we suggested applying for an O-1 visa. This is not a visa category typically used for attorneys, but due to our careful crafting of the case, we won a case for a client
Result: O1 VISA APPROVED
EB1 Visa for a Head of Small Jewelry Company from Thailand
Visa type: EB1
Who: The President of a Thai jewelry company
Background: He was applying as an international manager to lead his US company, but was facing challenges with his application due to leading a small organization.
Handling attorney: Rebecca Lenetsky
My work: After significant pushback from the US government, we presented a strong case showing how he qualifies as an International Manager for EB1C classification. He and his family all received their green cards
Result: EB1 visa approved
E2 visa for a real estate investor
Visa type: E2 INVESTOR VISA
Client: Israeli real estate investor investing in US real estate project
Background: Client had invested $2.5 Million dollars into a real estate project in the US - his US attorney submitted a case, waited 4 months and at the consular processing interview the case was refused for lack of E2 basic requirements. Client came to me to help him fix this situation
Handling attorney: Daliah Sklar
Attorney's work: My team rewrote the 1st petition and pieced the puzzle back in a completely different manner - we put together a genuine active business within weeks, we prepared a good strict business plan, and hired 2 US employees. We resubmitted the case and prepared the client for the interview. Client has successfully obtained a visa
Result: E2 VISA APPROVED
L1 visa for an Israeli Entrepreneur
Visa type: L1 COMPANY TRANSFER VISA
Client: A 35 y.o. Entrepreneur with an ice cream parlor chain
Background: He came to us after his lawyers had submitted three E2 visas and each time he was refused. We were quite shocked that he was refused and reviewed the case. He has strong merits, but strategically something was going wrong
Handling attorney: Daliah Sklar
Attorney's work: We took a different approach and applied for an L1 visa instead. We received a long Request for Further Evidence from USCIS, but have prepared thoroughly and have successfully replied to
Result: L1 VISA APPROVED
Inventor with extraordinary ability in Science and Business
Who: Iranian inventor
Background: Our client, an Iranian inventor with a groundbreaking innovation in clean energy, aspired to immigrate to the United States. He envisioned securing permanent residency through an EB-1A petition, a category designed for individuals with extraordinary abilities. While his invention held significant promise in the field of clean energy, it was still in the early stages of gaining sustained national and international recognition. Given the evolving nature of his invention's acclaim, a petition based solely on his invention would likely have faced denial.
Handling attorney: Aditi Ranade
My work: After evaluating his credentials, we developed a strategy highlighting his business leadership. As President of an organization supporting inventors, he led his team to success at international conferences, earning numerous awards. His leadership and ability to foster global innovation demonstrated his extraordinary business acumen, leading to the approval of his petition.
Result: EB-1A Approved
EB2 for Mongolian National Businessperson
Who: South Korean Research Fellow
Background: The client is a Mongolian national who ran a phone accessory importing business. The client did not fit into the typical NIW applicant profile. Yet, he had years of high net revenue tax returns and several US employees
My work: I shaped the NIW application to focus on the taxable revenue my client brought into the US and the domestic job creation his business generated. We created a business plan that focused on how his business was a shining example of US entrepreneurship and ingenuity. My client received an approval with no RFE
Result: EB2 NIW Approved
