videocamera2

E-2 VISA CASE STUDY – WILL LYTE

CLIENT:

Will Lyte

BUSINESS:

Camera Operation

TIMELINE:

6 Weeks

OUTCOME:

Approved

Background

In April of 2017, Path Law Group was approached by Mr. Will Lyte for advice on how to secure an E-2 visa in order to open a business in the United States. Will had grown a very successful camera operating company in the United Kingdom, and had established a strong reputation for himself within the industry. As a result, he wanted to expand his business into the U.S. under the name of Lyte Camera Facilities LLC. However, as national of the United Kingdom, Will needed the appropriate visa so that he could achieve his dream of working in Los Angeles.

Like most entrepreneurs, Mr. Lyte was intent on focusing his energy on his business – not on the intricacies of immigration law. Thus, it was our goal to secure an E-2 visa for our client as smoothly and quickly as possible.  

Legal Strategy

We executed the following plan designed to:

Establish the client has invested substantially in his company: Will’s case brought up a unique problem for us to solve. An important part of petitioning for an E-2 visa is proving that the applicant has invested significant money into the business venture. Will’s case was unique because the majority of his investment was in the form of camera and film equipment he had invested in over the years in the U.K. Apart from his equipment, Will had not made many other significant investments towards his business, aside from essentials like a lease for his workspace, marketing costs, etc. Path Law Group was able to work around this by crafting a support letter that argued the equipment itself was the investment — all of which was critically important to running his future business. By proving Lyte Camera Facilities LLC was fully operational because of the investment in equipment that Will made over time, we were able to claim a total investment of over $60,000 — by all definitions, a substantial investment.

Establish that the client’s company is in a position to grow: We had to prove to the consulate that Lyte Camera Facilities LLC. was on track to expand after issuance of Will’s E-2 visa. Path Law group drafted a letter emphasizing the growing the need for camera operators and production services in today’s television and film industry. With a specialty in first AC and the Steadicam, we argued that Lyte Camera Facilities would offer services that are continuously in demand. Beyond that, we put together a tentative outline for growth on Will’s behalf. By end of year one, Mr. Lyte planned to hire another camera technician, with another projected hire soon after.

Results

After just a few weeks, we were able secure Will’s E-2 visa. Today, Will is based in LA, working on various feature films, commercials, television shows, music videos and documentaries.

To see some of  Lyte Camera Facilities’ work, feel free to check out: www.lytecamera.com.

Now here’s Will, in his own words:

“All I can say is thank God for all the help and support Path Law has given me. Without their hard work, I doubt I’d be in the position I am now.

Both Ashkan and Jessica worked beyond my expectations. From answering all my questions and guiding me through the whole process, I have nothing but the upmost respect and appreciation for everything they have done for me. I truly believe they bent over backwards to help me. They were constantly working back and forth with me, often responding to emails past office hours and providing a level of professionalism that I was blown away by.”