罗伯特·戴维恩 Robert Divine
罗伯特·戴维恩先生曾经担任美国移民局代理局长，2004年7月到2006年11月，Divine先生被美国总统亲自任命为美国移民局首席律师。他是Baker Donelson 国际移民公司的股东之一，负责公司的全球移民业务，专注于商业移民和商业诉讼。他在以商业为基础的各种类型的临时和永久移民方面有着丰富的服务经验，服务过来自全球的众多客户，服务对象包括职业移民(H-1B, TN, E-3),个人和跨国公司经理（L-1)、商人和投资人（ E-1/E-2, EB-5)、医务人员、宗教人士和有劳工证，国家利益豁免以及特殊技能的外国人。罗伯特·戴维恩先生还是Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, P.C国际移民公司的负责人，该公司在美国20个城市拥有办事处，并有超过650名的律师和公共政策顾问。罗伯特·戴维恩出版过《移民实践》一书，全书共1600页，详尽地介绍美国移民法律各方面的实践案例，目前已经到第十五版（请见www.jurispub.com)。他还发表过17篇专业性文章，荣获过7项EB-5行业大奖。从1986年起开始从事移民法律并曾担任美国移民律师协会多个委员会的主席，他连续五年担任EB-5区域中心的行业协会—美国投资移民行业协会（IIUSA)的副主席。在他的领导下，Baker Donelson 律师事务所为EB-5区域中心、开发商和投资人提供了广泛的法律服务，包括移民、证券、商业、房地产、税务、国际化、政府调查和诉讼等法律需求。
Mr. Divine has extensive experience serving clients throughout the world in the arrangement of all types of business-based temporary and permanent immigration status, including specialty occupations (H-1B, TN, E-3), individual and blanket international transferee programs (L-1), traders and investors (E-1/E-2, EB-5), medical workers, religious workers, labor certification, national interest waivers and extraordinary ability aliens.
Mr. Divine is active in the Firm's Government Enforcement and Investigations team and has represented and assisted employers and other parties in some of the largest immigration enforcement investigations and prosecutions as well as private RICO actions. He provides strategic advice and training for employers in their immigration compliance efforts. Mr. Divine also has litigated significant business matters, including contract, commercial, product liability, antitrust, ERISA benefits and business torts (including RICO, misrepresentation, Consumer Protection Act).
By presidential appointment, Mr. Divine served in Washington, D.C., from July 2004 until November 2006 as Chief Counsel of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the world's largest immigration services agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. From July 2005 until July 2006, he served as Acting Director and then Acting Deputy Director of USCIS, spearheading the USCIS Transformation Program, testifying in Congress about the E-Verify system, enhancing operational security, and increasing transparency of rules and procedures. In early 2004 he served as an expert retained to assist the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in its congressionally mandated study on the expedited removal process. He has testified as an expert on immigration law for courts in the United States and abroad.
Mr. Divine represents many business developers in creating, managing and using "Regional Centers" that can create indirect jobs toward the 10 new U.S. jobs whose creation can give rise to EB-5 permanent residence for investment in the developers' projects. He is the elected Vice President of the national industry association of "EB-5" Regional Centers, Association to Invest in USA (IIUSA). He represents developers similarly using other parties' Regional Centers. He coordinates this work with attorneys supporting securities law compliance in offerings to investors, with economists identifying "targeted employment areas" and projecting indirect job creation, with licensed securities brokers coordinating offerings, and with attorneys obtaining U.S. Government (OFAC) licenses to serve investors from restricted countries. He also represents individual investors in obtaining conditional permanent residence and in removing conditions from permanent residence.
