Biography
Catharine Yen is an attorney in the real estate and land use practice of Jackson Walker’s Houston office with particular experience in foreign investment and immigration matters. Catharine represents foreign nationals and immigrant investors in all aspects of the EB-5 process to facilitate cross-border and business immigration transactions dealing with regional centers and direct investments. In her practice, Catharine corresponds with and counsels individual investors, regional centers, agents, securities attorneys, economists, and business plan writers to help her individual investor clients and regional center clients accomplish their goals.
Catharine’s knowledge of the EB-5 visa program, process, and timeline has allowed her to file hundreds of approved I-526 and I-829 petitions. She also regularly prepares and files I-924 Regional Center Applications.
Prior to joining Jackson Walker, Catharine managed the entire immigration department of an international full-service law firm. She is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.
Additional Languages
Mandarin
Education
B.A., Rice University
J.D., University of Houston Law Center
Bar Admissions
Texas, 2011
California, 2014
Foreign Investment & Immigration
- Preparation and filing of employment-based visas (EB-5 and L-1), family-based visas, and U.S. naturalization cases
- Preparation and filing of EB-5 immigrant investment petitions, including I-526 petitions, I-829 petitions, and I-924 Regional Center Applications & amendments
- Advisement on business plans, economic reports, and securities offering documents to ensure compliance with U.S. immigration laws
- Petitions to acquire work-authorization for foreign national professional employees
- Immigration compliance in accordance with USCIS, Customs & Border Protection, and the Department of State
- “Texas Rising Star,” Super Lawyers – Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters, 2019-2020
- Rising Star in Southern California, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2018
- Top 25 EB-5 Immigration Attorney, EB5 Investors Magazine, 2017
- Co-Author, “House of Gold: Documenting Property-Related Source of Funds for Vietnamese Investors,” EB5 Investors Magazine (July 2018).
- Co-Author, “Permissible and Impermissible Guarantees in EB-5,” EB5 Investors Magazine (November 2016)
- Co-Author, “Evaluating an EB-5 Investor from a Regional Center’s Perspective,” American Bar Association Section of International Law, Immigration & Naturalization Committee Newsletter (November 2014)
- Co-Author, “Immigrant Investor Visas: Emergent Trends Around the World,” American Bar Association International Law News Journal (Fall 2014)
- Co-Author, “A Report on Source of Funds: Perils of the Administrative Fee,” EB5 Investors Magazine (Spring 2014)
- Co-Author, “My Regional Center is Approved! Now What?” EB5 Investors Blog (January 8, 2014)
- Co-Author, “Evolving Escrow: Navigating Delayed USCIS processing times,” EB5 Investors Magazine (Winter 2014)
- Co-Author, “Recent Revocations and Enforcement May Change the EB-5 Landscape,” IIUSA (June 2013)
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Member
- Asian American Bar Association of Houston, Member
- Co-Chair of Social Committee, 2019