Only a licensed attorney-at-law or certain pre-approved “accredited representatives” are authorized and qualified to assist you with your immigration case or “green card” application. Unlike unlicensed consultants, immigration lawyers have completed extensive education and training before being licensed to represent clients. You can check whether an immigration lawyer is in good standing and licensed by contacting your state Bar Association or state Supreme Court. You can also check to see if the immigration lawyer has been suspended or expelled from practice before the immigration court (EOIR), the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), or the immigration service (USCIS).

It is against the law for notaries public to provide immigration advice – filling out forms or applications is something only a properly licensed immigration lawyer or accredited representative should do – because knowing which form to use, when, and why are all crucial decisions requiring the exercise of knowledge of the law. Lawyers from another country who are not licensed in theUnited Stateslikewise are not authorized by law to provide immigration services within theUnited States. Those who do so are committing the crime of the unlicensed practice of law.

Who are “Notarios”?

Notarios are not lawyers. They also are not valid accredited representatives approved by theU.S. government. Often, individuals deceptively use the term “notario publico” to advertise their services in the Hispanic community; in many Latin countries, “notario publico” denotes a government position of great skill and trust. This is not true of the title “Notary Public” as used in theUnited States. In theUS a Notary Public requires no education or training and merely serves as a witness, to document signatures.

While many legitimate community and religious organizations provide immigration-related services, non-lawyers who advertise as legal “consultants” or “notarios publicos” are not authorized or qualified to help with immigration law-related matters.

These notarios often take advantage of people from their own ethnic community. Some attempt to provide legal service, but are not competent. Still others will take your money without ever intending to file your application or help you in any way. Don’t let them harm you and your family!

For legal advice and more information, please contact the Law Offices of Kravitz & Guerra, P.A. at (+1) 305-372-0222

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Clients should expect to receive the best service and the best solutions for their concerns. We focus on providing the best service possible to our clients. We have years of experience and we recruit the best people so we can offer our clients nothing but the best advice. Our team consists of professionals who have years of experience and nuanced understanding of their respective areas of expertise.

How do you keep your practice up to date with constantly changing world?

In order to keep up with the changing world I emphasize on furthering my education, participating in classes and seminars to increase my knowledge and stay up to date. I focus on my clients needs, since those are constantly changing, we have to stay on top of our game and adapt with them. We spend significant time and resources researching new laws, innovating our practice and reinventing ways to do business. We understand that if you are standing still, you are really falling behind.

What do you see as your practice’s greatest success in 2012? How will you push past this in the coming year?

Our greatest successes were offering all of our client’s great service and get them results. We listen to our clients and explain to them what is going on and what they are being charged for. Our clients will always know what they are paying for and can clearly see the value of our services. We want to keep this up for the coming year, furthermore we will continue to work hard, innovate and continue to improve our organization. To put it in Genilde’s words: “We will focus on performance, not entitlement.” Hard work got us to where we are today and will enable us to keep growing. We will continue to adapt to better serve our clients needs and better understand their cultural differences. Since we have a large international client base and have employees from different parts of the world, we have a better cultural understanding then most other companies. We can relate to our clients and will provide them with our best service possible.

What do you consider your ultimate specialty, and what about this sets you apart from the rest of the field?

Our specialty is serving the international community and their needs. We assist them with the legal aspects of global needs such as immigration, real estate, taxation, and cultural differences. We have a lot of experience on the international level and recruit the best and the brightest professionals from all over the world in order to better serve our international clientele. We understand the global village.

What are the most important questions a client should ask themselves before contacting you?

The most important question they should ask themselves would be: “Do I want the best service and the best solution to my matter?” If the answer is yes, contacting us is the right move. We take the time to talk to our clients, either in person, by phone or even Skype; we listen to our clients, explain their options and work towards a favorable solution. Another question to ask would be: “Who is the best lawyer out there that can help me with my issues?” Kravitz & Guerra Law Offices is the best; we have worked with both national as well as international clients and our lawyers have years of experience. Another important question is: “what exactly do I need/ want?” Time is valuable, be respectful of the lawyers’ time, know what you want to accomplish and be organized so we can start working on resolving your issue right away and get you to where you want to be.

View Interview on Haute Lawyer Network

Lifetime Abroad, Surprise at Home
The United States is one of only a handful of countries that requires its citizens to pay taxes on income, gains and assets no matter where they live. Expatriates or those with dual citizenship are especially vulnerable to getting a surprise visit from the IRS.

“After lifetimes abroad, many in this group believe that because exemptions left them owing no U.S. income tax, they had no obligation to file returns,” according to Genilde Guerra, a lawyer with the Law Offices of Kravitz & Guerra in Miami. “Many have been tripped up by a requirement that they still declare their foreign bank and financial accounts.”

“As a U.S. citizen, you are subject to the U.S. estate taxes, gift taxes, and generation-skipping transfer taxes on the transfer (as a gift or upon death) of any of your worldwide assets,” Guerra says. “U.S. citizenship may mean individuals owe taxes both to their home countries and to the United States on the same assets.”

Declare vs. Pay

While there can be severe tax consequences in the United States if you fail to declare your “worldwide income” to the IRS, many people need only do just that – declare the income – and may not necessarily pay taxes to the United States.

If you suspect you are an “accidental” American, says Guerra, consulting with a tax lawyer and an accountant is certainly the first order of business.

“Each situation is unique,” Guerra explains. “There are a lot of exceptions in the U.S. tax codes,” such as “exemptions and deductions which might be a benefit.” In addition, whether and how much you owe the United States could depend on treaties with the other country where you are located.

In general, people who live abroad are excluded from U.S. tax liability if they make $9,350 or less in a year or if they make $95,100 or more and only visit the United States for 35 days out of the year – but those amounts change every year, Guerra points out.

Pay Up or Take Off

In addition, if you renounce your U.S. citizenship, you don’t have to pay taxes here.

And Guerra says that’s happening more often than you might think. “The United States is going through a tax transition,” she says. Congress has only made small changes so far; however, those changes have caused more people to renounce their citizenship.

For instance, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, passed to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff at the beginning of 2013, reportedly sharply increased taxes on dividends and capital gains for U.S. citizens with incomes over $400,000 – a select group, to be sure, but also one that likely includes people who don’t know they’re U.S. citizens – or may not want to be anymore.

One rather public example of that problem is Brazilian-born Eduardo Saverin, co-founder and primary financier of Facebook, who was also a U.S. citizen – until 2011, when he reportedly renounced his citizenship before Facebook went public in 2012. Saverin’s reasons were tax-related, but he still ended up owing tax on his pre-IPO holdings in Facebook.

Some lawmakers didn’t take well to Saverin’s highly publicized move, and several senators even proposed legislation designed to discourage such attempts to dodge U.S. taxes. The “Expatriation Prevention by Abolishing Tax-Related Incentives for Offshore Tenancy” Act (S. 3205) would reimpose taxes on ex-pats like Saverin and bar them from coming back so long as they refused to pay their full tax liability.

For more information please contact Genilde Guerra call (+1) 305-372-0222 or email Genilde at attorney@kravitzlaw.com Law Offices of Kravitz & Guerra, P.A.

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Renouncing Citizenship to avoid Taxes by Genilde Guerra for Lawyers.com

The main factors surrounding the decision to go offshore include:

• Legal tax advantages
• Hold an investment portfolio
• Avoidance of forced heirship
• Asset protection
• Personal Privacy
• Financial Privacy
• Avoid unnecessary probate
• Less regulation

Tax is the driving force behind offshore activity. Due to offshore solutions investors are able to conduct investment activities in a profitable fashion. Often, taxes levied by an investor s home country are critical to the profitability of any given investment. Using offshore domiciled special purpose vehicles, an investor may reduce this burden allowing the investor to achieve greater profitability overall. It does not mean that the investor does not pay tax back home, or is evading his moral duty to his country of residence.

Other pertinent factors relate to the avoidance of forced heirship, which limit the discretion of the testator to distribute assets under a will or codicil on death. Equally, higher levels of banking privacy in offshore centers offer clients peace of mind in the event of death or unforeseen circumstance.

Another reason to consider offshore investment is lower levels of regulation compared to onshore investment. These appeals to seasoned investors, who are well placed to assess risk and may feel limited by the restrictions placed on onshore trading. Hedge funds have illustrated the benefits of investment freedom very clearly: they initially almost all chose offshore bases, mostly for regulatory reasons.

If you want to protect your assets and your future, setting up an offshore company is easy and can be setup in as little as 24 hours. For more information on offshore company setup, consult Attorney Genilde Guerra, an expert lawyer from The Law Offices of Kravitz & Guerra or visit offshorecompanyexpert or call (+1) 305-856-5689