Opinion ID: 4558485
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: jimenez’s evidence

Text: Jimenez’s expert in immigration law, Kari Ann Fonte, testified that for purposes of an EB-1C visa petition, a joint venture “qualifying relationship” under 12 Case: 18-10569 Date Filed: 08/25/2020 Page: 13 of 25 immigration regulations exists when the U.S. company and the foreign company each own 50 percent of the joint venture.7 Fonte said that the joint venture could be established orally, by implication, or by written contract, and whether there is a joint venture is determined by the parties’ intent to create a business relationship including a joint venture. The U.S petitioner’s intent would be evidenced by the I- 140 petition itself and accompany documents like the job offer letter to the beneficiary. Fonte said that immigration regulations do not require a written contract to prove the joint venture. However, Fonte admitted it “would be wise to have a document to evidence” a joint venture in the context of the EB-1C program “because immigration processes, cases, are based on documentation.” Fonte agreed that if there was no agreement between the two parties, there was no joint venture and thus no qualifying relationship. Further, if there is no qualifying relationship, then the petitioner does not qualify for the EB-1C visa program. Fonte also testified that “generally, there’s three groups of documents that are submitted” along with the I-140 petition—documents pertaining to (1) the beneficiary, (2) the U.S. business that is the petitioner, and (3) the foreign 7 Fonte explained that the immigration regulations define three types of “qualifying relationships” for EB-1C visa purposes: an affiliate, a subsidiary, and a joint venture. An affiliate is “where the same person or group of persons owns or controls both companies” and a subsidiary is “where one of the companies owns the majority of the other company.” 13 Case: 18-10569 Date Filed: 08/25/2020 Page: 14 of 25 company. However, Fonte contended that “[t]here’s nothing in the regulation that requires specific documents” except for documents to prove the ability to pay and that otherwise the “the statute is silent as to what must be provided in order to establish the legal requirements.”