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Travel Restrictions to the United States: What is a National Interest Exception and how can it be obtained?

By Canero Lammers Immigration Law Group

As of January 31, 2020, several presidential proclamations were implemented restricting the entry into the U.S. of travelers who were physically present in certain countries within the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the country based on economic and public health considerations related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, in March 2020, the Department of State (“DOS”) suspended routine visa services around the world and on July 14, 2020, DOS announced that US embassies and consulates entered a phased resumption of visa services and shall continue to provide only emergency and mission critical visa services. These Presidential Proclamations continue to be in effect maintaining COVID-related travel bans for the Schengen AreaUnited KingdomIreland, BrazilSouth Africa, and India. All proclamations shall remain in effect until terminated by the President.

On March 2, 2021, the Secretary of State reviewed the National Interest Exception (NIE) guide, confirming that the certain individuals are exempt from the travel ban. It is worth noting that unless otherwise stated, that if a person obtains a NIE, such exception shall be valid for 12 months from the date of approval and for multiple entries if they are used for the purpose under which they were originally granted.

A complete list of individuals who are exempt from the travel ban can be found here.

Sources:

1.- Department of State: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/extension-validity-for-nies-for-china-iran-brazil-south-africa-schengen-uk-ireland-india.html

2.- AILA Doc. No. 20091704 (posted 08/18/21)

 

 

 

Atlanta’s housing market is booming thanks to relocations

By Berkshire Hathaway Home Services

Georgia packed on another 1 million residents between 2010 and 2020, climbing up to 10.7 million people overall. Just 10 states have more than 10 million people, according to the U.S. Census data.
The migration to Georgia is boosting the Peach State’s economy, as metro Atlanta’s booming housing market shows.
  • The median home price increased nearly 16% between Nov. 2019 and Nov. 2020.
  • The number of homes listed for sale dropped 34.9% from January to November 2020.
  • The average days on market fell from 57 days to 36 days in that same timeframe.
  • Rental occupancy jumped to 94.7%.
Atlanta is one of ten U.S. cities classified as an “alpha-world city” among those that are considered the primary nodes in the global economic network.
Several Fortune 500 and national and international companies headquartered within city boundaries have a presence in the Atlanta area including: The Coca-Cola Company, Home Depot, United Parcel Service, Delta Air Lines, and AT&T Mobility which are interested in having a physical business office in the metropolis and that contributed to the growth of the city’s real estate market.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, with more than 1,300 locations throughout the United States, is one of the largest real estate brokerage franchise networks in the country that provide services from first-time homebuyers to high-end residential markets and to middle market communities to commercial real estate. The company, with a strong presence in the Georgia area, boasts among the most professional corporate relocator experts who provide full services to families and companies that are interested in rent or buy properties and realize a successful real estate transaction.
For additional information please contact us at jim.munson@bhhsgeorgia.com

 

Italian Citizenship by Descent

There are several paths to applying for Italian citizenship, however, citizenship by descent remains one of the most popular ways that many Americans with Italian descent have pursued in recent years.

As a general rule, you can apply for citizenship by descent if your ancestor who was born in Italy was never naturalized or was naturalized after his/her child’s birth abroad, and if none of your ascendants in your direct line of descent ever formally renounced their right to Italian citizenship.

Nevertheless, please note that there are a number of exceptions to these rules. If you would like to learn more about these feel free to read more information here.

In order to apply for Italian citizenship, you will need your family’s vital records. These include birth, marriage, death, and divorce certificates (if applicable) and the ancestor’s naturalization records or proof that he/she was never naturalized.

Once all the vital records have been collected they will need to be authenticated with Apostilles and they will then need to be translated into Italian and submitted to the Italian consulate that covers the jurisdiction where you reside.

When the citizenship application is approved, you will be granted Italian citizenship, you will be registered with the AIRE (Registry of Italian Citizens Residing Abroad) and will then be issued an Italian passport.

Despite the process sounding quite daunting, there are several advantages to holding dual citizenship such as the ability to travel, study or work anywhere in the European Union without any time limitation.

Italian citizens can also benefit from high quality, low cost universal health care and higher education.

Finally, you can reside in Italy for an unlimited period of time and enjoy the country’s lifestyle, its fascinating culture, art and history.

 

Translating Business, a book written by Matteo Bortalaso

There is no need to move abroad to find different cultures, nowadays almost all corporations have a global, mixed cultures environment.

There may be a situation where an American company is managed by American executives, but it is owned by a Japanese holding, engineering is directed by a German engineer and purchasing is coordinated by a Korean director (that’s the case of one of my biggest customers for example). It is important to understand the different business cultures of the people.

“An easily understood cheat sheet that helps anyone in need of an uncomplicated guide to international business practices in various cultures”.

As an Italian in USA, I had several experiences where I had to win the trust of the customers, hurt in the past by bad Italian habits. The most significant for me was in 1998.

The customer told me: “I had very bad and frustrating experiences with the Italians in the past, it is impossible to have answers on time, they show up asking for business and then they disappear. You visited us six times in about a year and a half, you always replied to our requests on a timely manner, quoted what we asked, and now you are planning to open a warehouse in US to better serve the market. This is showing reliability and commitment, now I trust you and I am ready to work with you”.

It is vital trying not to impose our own way of working, but adapt to the local mindsets in order to expand internationally. The real challenge is to understand, interpret, and translate between business cultures.

I wrote about adapting to different world cultures and the necessary steps to open and run a subsidiary overseas while doing business internationally in my book TRANSLATING BUSINESS (Amazon)

 

 

Clevertech announces the opening of a new facility

CLEVERTECH, a leading company in the industrial automation market,has recently opened a new North American location in beautiful Fort Myers, Florida. The 29,000 sq ft facility is to better serve our U.S. clients more efficiently and with a larger number of spare parts.

With offices in Europe and Asia, our global presence and network allow us to offer worldwide customer service and certified software and electrical technicians.

In addition to assembling machines for the North American market, our new facility allows us to run FAT (Factory Acceptance Test). In the near future, we hope to manufacture machines for the U.S. and design a showroom with mockup training.

In addition to fifty external technicians who cover the entire U.S., Canada, and South American, our office in Fort Myers has in-house professional managers and technicians and offers impeccable 24/7 customer service to meet any and all support requests, whether commercial or technical and can be at your location within 24 hours.

CLEVERTECH North America’s incredibly knowledgeable staff assists customers with machine sales, system design, design support, testing, installation, and commissioning of systems, after-sales, and spare parts support.

In addition, local technical support provided by American technicians allows the most complex and difficult customer requests to be met and the presence of a spare parts warehouse in North America ensures reduced delivery times for quick turnaround.

Contact us for more information at 239-301-4445 or info.us@clevertech-group.com.

Beghelli Expands its Products Line with the Release of SanificaAria, an Air Sanitzation System that kills Viruses and Bacteria including COVID-19

Miramar, Fla., June 30, 2021 – Beghelli USA, known for their line-up of emergency and commercial and industrial energy savings lighting solutions, recently expanded into the wellness space with the release of SanificaAria.

SanificaAria, the company’s air sanitization system, is Beghelli’s response to COVID-19. Developed at the company’s headquarters in Bologna, Italy, SanificaAria consists of an axial fan intake system that draws contaminated air inside of the closed chamber containing the UV-C source, where the sanitization process takes place.

Proven to kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, including COVID-19, SanificaAria can be used in any indoor enclosed environment. The sanitization system comes in two sizes; SanificaAria 30 is perfect for small, personal spaces, while the SanificaAria 200 is a better solutionfor larger, industrial spaces like hospitals, schools and restaurants. The systems are quiet, produce no ozone, can be used in the presence of people and are the perfect step towards providing a healthier personal environment.

*As an added bonus, Beghelli would like to offer 15% off any SanificaAria purchase with code Italy15.

For more information on SanificaAria, visit sanificaaria.net.

 

 

 

40,000 sq. ft. Georgia facility expansion

By WAM USA

The Italian WAM GROUP, worldwide leader in designing and manufacturing equipment and plant components for bulk solids handling and processing, has been represented in the United States by its own subsidiary since 1985.

WAM USA Inc. is responsible for distribution of the WAM GROUP product range in the U.S. and Canada.

WAM USA Inc. moved in its Georgia Division in 1998 in a fast-developing industrial estate in Lawrenceville near Atlanta, with a large production and warehouse area.

The Georgia plant produces WAM standard screw conveyors and dust collectors in large quantities adapted to the requirements of the U.S. market.

In 2002 WAM USA Inc. opened its Texas Division in Fort Worth.

This facility was selected as a central location to better serve the Southwest, Midwest and West Coast customer base.

In 2021 we couldn’t be more proud to announce the 40,000 sq ft expansion of our Georgia facility, we will be doubling the footprint from its existing approximate 50,000 sq. ft. to approximately 90,000 sq. ft. 

The expansion will include increased space for offices to accommodate the growing workforce, a show room, a new training room and a cafeteria.

The expected completion date is March 31st, 2022.

How is cryptocurrency taxed in the US?

Cryptocurrency can be considered as a form of payment in some cases and an investment in other cases. According to IRS cryptocurrency transactions are taxable like transactions in any other property, therefore they might have to be reported on tax returns.

The IRS treats Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as “property”. Therefore, they are treated like capital gains treatment similar to traditional assets like stocks and bonds.

In some cases, anyway, they are treated as income, so they are subject to income tax.

Some examples:

if cryptocurrency is received through a marketing promotion it is considered: taxable income;

if it’s received as payment for goods or services, it is considered taxable income;

if it’s sold to realize an investment gain, taxes are owed on the gain, as it happens with stocks.

Also, if one cryptocurrency is converted into another, taxes are owed on any gains on the transactions. Taxes are owed only if you realize a profit.

For example, if you buy 100$ in cryptocurrency and sell it at 150$, you have a gain of 150$ and that would be the taxable gain for IRS. If you buy $100 and sell it for $80 you don’t have to pay taxes. You could even utilize the loss to compensate for other investment gains.

The amount of taxes on capital gains also depends on how long you’ve held the cryptocurrency.

If it’s less than one year, the profits are considered short-term capital gains. They would be taxed at the normal income tax rate.

If it’s more than one year, the profits would be considered long-term capital gains, and they would be taxed at another rate, lower, which depends on the annual income you have.

Our offices are at your disposal for more information:

info@italiancpa.com

www.italiancpafirms.com

IRS Tax Credit: Employee Retention Credit (ERC)

by ZOMMA Group

The Employee Retention Credit is a fully refundable tax credit for employers up to $5,000 for each full-time employee that the employers retained between March 13 and Dec. 31, 2020 and up to $28,000 for each retained employee between Jan.1 and Dec. 31, 2021 ($7,000 each quarter). Applications are allowed despite receiving PPP loans, but the ERC can only be claimed for qualified wages not treated as payroll costs in obtaining forgiveness of the PPP loans.

Most employers, including tax exempt organizations, can qualify for the credit. Qualification is determined by one of the following two factors:

  1. A trade or business that was fully or partially suspended or had to reduce business hours due to a government order. The credit applies only for the portion of the quarter the business is suspended, not the entire quarter.
  2. An employer that has a significant decline in gross receipts, by at least 50% of what they earned the same calendar quarter in 2019 (compared to 2020) and by at least 20% for 2021 (always compared to year 2019).

Employers will use Form 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Payroll Tax Return) to immediately claim the credit by reducing payroll taxes sent to the IRS, for the applicable quarters of 2021 in which the qualified wages were paid or will use Form 941-X (Adjusted Return) to retroactively file for year 2020.

It is important to underline that there is no size limitations in the number of the employees, and that if the credits exceed payroll taxes, employers can request a direct refund from the IRS.

ZOMMA Group has established a dedicated team that is continuously monitoring new guidance from SBA, Treasury, Congress, and IRS, to ensure we have the latest information when advising our clients.

To discuss your eligibility for the ERC and/or accurately calculate your potential credit, feel free to contact us: luca.cancellieri@zommagroup.com

 

Prosecco DOC Rosè

by Valdo USA

In 2020 a modification of the disciplinary rules that define the Prosecco DOC appellation was approved, allowing the production of the most popular sparkling wine in the world in a Rosé version. The only two grapes allowed are Glera (85-90%) and Pinot Nero (15-10%) harvested in the Prosecco DOC region which is an area in the North East of Italy encompassing 9 provinces:

Treviso, Venezia, Vicenza, Padova, Belluno in the Veneto region and Pordenone, Udine, Gorizia, Trieste in the Friuli region.

It is mandatory to display the vintage year on the label (Millesimato) and this wine will only be available “Spumante” version (therefore not semi-sparkling, or Frizzante).

In terms of sweetness level, Prosecco DOC Rosé can be made Brut (which means dry, 0-12 grams/liter of Residual Sugar) or Extra Dry (which is more sweet, 12-17 g/l RS)

Wines must follow the Charmat/Martinotti production method, in which the second fermentation that produces bubbles happens in pressurized steel tanks, rather than in individual bottles, as in Champagne.

Prosecco Rosé ages minimum 60 days in tanks to gain more flavor.

Valdo, leader of the Prosecco Spumante market in Italy and Germany, has launched the new Marca Oro Prosecco DOC Rosè Brut in the US market. Glera blends with Pinot Nero giving rise to a fresh and lively sparkling wine with elegant fine bubbles obtained after 90 days Martinotti Method and a refined silky pink colour.

It features a persistent mousse and inviting aromas reminiscent of apple and small red fruits

The flavour is delicate, interwoven with fruity sensations, pleasantly harmonious and with a lingering finish.

With a moderate alcohol of 11%, it is perfect as an aperitif wine and it can also be paired througout the whole meal with white fish and Mediterranean cuisine.

It should be served in a large-stem glass, at a temperature of 4-6°C.

 

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