Legal insights
General educational material from Jake Kim Law Firm. These articles are not legal advice and may not reflect later changes in the law.
For Korean-American families: the impulse to retreat to Korea during marital conflict or divorce can quietly damage your custody position, and, if you hold a green card, your immigration status. What to weigh before you go.
Read article →For Korean business-owner families on an E-2 visa: it renews forever but never becomes a green card, and your children age out at 21 with no Child Status Protection Act coverage. What the E-2 does not do, and the real paths to permanent residence.
Read article →For Korean-American families: money or property from family in Korea is generally not taxed, but receiving more than $100,000 triggers IRS Form 3520, and missing it can mean a penalty of up to 25% of the gift, plus a possible FBAR and Form 8938 cascade.
Read article →For noncitizens in New Jersey and New York: how an order of protection can reach your immigration status, why violating one is a deportation ground, and how New Jersey's permanent restraining orders differ sharply from New York's time-limited ones.
Read article →A general comparison for the Korean-American community: the Korean divorce instincts that do not translate to a U.S. court, from no-fault divorce and fault not moving the money, to consolation money, alimony, child-support guidelines, and the judicial discretion that drives every case.
Read article →Many Korean-American parents do not realize their U.S.-born son is also a Korean citizen from birth, or that a deadline around his 18th birthday decides whether he can renounce Korean nationality or is treated as owing military service. What every family with sons should know.
Read article →For noncitizens in New York and New Jersey: how a criminal charge can threaten a green card or visa, why the felony-or-misdemeanor label does not control, what a crime involving moral turpitude and an aggravated felony mean, and why Padilla v. Kentucky made this a constitutional issue.
Read article →What to do when a spouse steps back from your marriage-based green card: timelines, the good-faith marriage standard, I-751 waivers, VAWA, and other paths through employment or the military.
Read article →Real families who let the kids keep the house while the parents rotate — what birdnesting looks like, what it honestly costs, and how it gets built in New York and New Jersey.
Read article →Unsafe, unhappy, or just overwhelmed? A practical framework: what divorce actually changes financially, what it means for the children, and the one rule to follow before deciding anything.
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