Our expertise in immigration law, trust-based service approach, and technology-driven vision have led to another milestone achievement. We are honored to receive three distinguished awards at the Stevie Awards, one of America's most prestigious business recognition programs.

At the 23rd Annual American Business Awards, Grape Law secured two Gold Stevie® Awards in the categories of "Achievement in Management" and "Best Entrepreneur - Legal," along with a Silver Stevie® Award for "Achievement in Growth"

The competition saw more than 3,600 nominations evaluated by over 250 professional judges worldwide. These prestigious awards validate Grape Law's innovative approach to legal services, proprietary technological solutions, and remarkable 97% case approval rate in the industry.

### **Continuing to Make a Difference Through Innovation**

Muhammed Üzüm, Founding Attorney of Grape Law, shared: "With our team of over 100 professionals across four continents, we continue making U.S. immigration processes more accessible and efficient. These awards validate our vision of combining legal excellence with technological innovation. We remain committed to transforming our clients' dreams into reality through innovative solutions."

### **Sustainable Success**

Following our recognition among the top 100 best and most promising small and mid-sized firms by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and ranking fifth on the Inc. Regionals list with a 1,178% growth rate, these three prestigious Stevie Awards further demonstrate the global recognition of our sustainable success and innovative approach.

### **About Grape Law**

Grape Law is a New York-based business immigration law firm operating globally, founded on principles of excellence, rapid communication, and innovation. Recently recognized among the top 100 best and most promising small and mid-sized firms in the U.S. by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and ranking fifth on the Inc. Regionals list with a 1,178% growth rate, Grape Law leverages its team of over 100 experienced attorneys and professionals to provide comprehensive immigration law services, including visa, Green Card, and naturalization applications, as well as U.S. business formation, contract drafting, and trademark registration.

### **About the Stevie Awards**

Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at [http://www.StevieAwards.com](http://www.stevieawards.com/). Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2025 Stevie winners are available at [www.StevieAwards.com/ABA](http://www.stevieawards.com/ABA).

Grape Law Is Awarded Prestigious Stevie Awards in Three Different Categories

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Grape Law Earns Three Prestigious U.S. Business Awards

Our expertise in immigration law, trust-based service approach, and technology-driven vision have led us to another milestone achievement. Following our recognition among [[The Top 100 Successful and Most Promising Small and Mid-Sized Firms in the U.S.’ by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ](https://www.grapelaw.com/library/content/grape-law-ranked-among-the-top-100-successful-firms-in-the-u-s) last year, Grape Law has secured the **fifth position** on the **2025 Inc. Regionals: Northeast** list, announced by the prestigious business publication Inc. Business Media, with an extraordinary growth rate of **1,178%**. This achievement reflects not only our remarkable growth figures but also our innovative and excellence-driven approach that prioritizes our clients' and their families' well-being.

### **Ranking 5th Among 951 Distinguished Companies**

Inc. Regionals, an extension of the prestigious "Inc. 5000" list, honors the fastest-growing private companies across regional markets in the U.S. To qualify, companies must meet specific revenue thresholds and maintain independent, private structures. The 2025 ranking required minimum revenues of $100,000 for 2021 and $1 million for 2023. According to the April 2025 announcement, only 154 companies from the Northeast region - encompassing New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island - qualified for the list.

We take immense pride in entering this elite list with our extraordinary growth rate of 1,178% over two years.

### **Contributing to Employment and Regional Economic Growth**

According to Inc. Regionals data, the 951 listed companies created 9,114 new jobs and contributed $6.7 billion to the regional economy between 2021-2023. This demonstrates that growth extends beyond internal efficiency, creating positive impacts on local economies.

> ***"This Success Reflects Our Ecosystem of Trust and Client Satisfaction"***
> 

***- Muhammed Üzüm, Founding Attorney at Grape Law Firm***

Muhammed Üzüm, our founding attorney, emphasized that the core strength behind this achievement lies in our dedicated team and commitment to excellence, saying:

"*With a team of over 100 professionals, we provide comprehensive U.S. business immigration law services. This success reflects the ecosystem of trust and satisfaction we've built. Being recognized on the prestigious Inc. Regionals list will further motivate us to continue serving our clients as a reliable partner through complex processes of the U.S. immigration law, ensuring that their American dreams become true.* 

As Bonny Ghosh, Editor-in-Chief of Inc. Business Media, noted in the press release: "*The companies on this year's Inc. Regionals list are true pioneers driving economic growth in their regions, industries, and beyond. This list not only celebrates their achievements but also showcases extraordinary companies fueling growth and job creation.*"

We will continue to write our success story while providing hopeful beginnings for our clients through solution-oriented, efficient, and sustainable immigration law services. We thank our clients, team members, and partners for their trust throughout this journey. 

See the full list of honorees [here](https://www.notion.so/PR-al-malar-d14c06d0b52142ea9e3834669eaff1c3?pvs=21).

Grape Law has secured the fifth position on the 2025 Inc. Regionals: Northeast list with its exceptional growth rate. 

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Grape Law Ranks 5th Among Fastest-Growing Companies in the U.S. Northeast

# **Grape Law Among the 'Top 100 Successful Small and Mid-Sized Firms in the U.S.'!**

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the most respected institutions in the American business ecosystem, honored America's most successful small and mid-sized firms with 'The 2024 CO-100' list. In a process evaluating over 14,000 firms, companies were assessed based on their business cultures, innovation skills, and their success in overcoming challenges to determine America's top 100 small and mid-sized firms. Grape Law successfully completed the evaluation process and became one of the prestigious firms listed.

Grape Law was included in the list under the 'Growth Accelerators' category due to 'the uniqueness of its strategies in marketing, product innovation, and client services, as well as extraordinary creativity and expertise in its approach to growth.'

### **A Hopeful Start to the Immigration Journey**

Based in New York and with 70 employees & more than a decade of experience, Grape Law's Founder Muhammed Üzüm offers services in many areas of U.S. immigration law, including company formation in the U.S.; visa, Green Card, and citizenship applications. Mr. Üzüm’s words that prove this success is no coincidence:

*"Our determination to do our job in the best way possible, our innovative ideas, our communication methods, and the technology investments associated with it have enabled us to create trust and satisfaction among our clients. It is gratifying to see that this trust and satisfaction we offer is also recognized by official institutions. We will continue to work diligently to ensure that the immigration journey, often seen as a dream and usually faced unprepared against challenges, begins with the hope it deserves."*

According to information released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 'The 2024 CO-100' list includes firms from 16 different sectors. These firms, earning more than 400 million dollars in annual revenue, provide employment to over 5,000 people.

The firms listed in the 'CO-100' will come together on October 8, 2024, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce."

Grape Law Was Among the 'Top 100 Successful Small and Mid-Sized Firms in the U.S.


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Grape Law Ranked Among the "Top 100 Successful Firms in the U.S."

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has revised some of its immigration policies regarding expedited processing, requests for evidence (RFE), notices of intent to deny (NOID), and employment authorization documents (EADs). Recent policy changes aspire to create a more fair and functional process of legal immigration. Now USCIS has prepared well-rounded guidance for when expedited processing may be warranted for benefit requests. 

Furthermore, agency officers will have to issue RFEs and NOIDs instead of directly denying certain benefit requests. And the one-year validity period for initial and renewal EADs is extended to two years for certain noncitizen adjustment-of-status applicants.The new validity period is designed to ease the burden of EADS applications on USCIS and allocate more time and resources for other urgent immigration areas.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has revised some of its immigration policies regarding the expedited processing, requests for evidence (RFE), notices of intent to deny (NOID), and employment authorization documents (EADs). Recent policy changes aspire to create a more fair and functional process of legal immigration. 

USCIS Revises Policies of Expedited Processing

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made an important revision on the policy that required individuals who applied for a change of status to F-1 students to apply to change or extend their current nonimmigrant status.

With this change, <span style="color: #FF504B;">individuals applying for a change to F-1 student will be granted an F-1 status effective immediately following the approval of an applicant’s Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status).</span> This will save both USCIS and applicants time, effort, and money which was spent on multiple applications to change or extend their nonimmigrant status.

Previously, USCIS required applicants to maintain a nonimmigrant status up to 30 days before their student programs’ start date to avoid gaps in the status. Now, change to F-1 student **will be possible to grant before the 30 days period begins, enabling students to avoid the same gaps without applications to change or extend their current nonimmigrant status.**

**However**, USCIS expects applicants who are transitioned to F-1 students before the beginning of 30 days period to not violate their F-1 status by indulging in any employment, including on-campus opportunities.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revised the policy that required individuals who applied for change of status to F-1 students to apply to change or extend their current nonimmigrant status.

F1 Student No Longer Need to Submit Subsequent Application 

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F-1 Student No Longer Need to Submit Subsequent Applications to "Bridge the Gap"

As you might recall, The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) introduced a new **Application for Prevailing Wage Determination Form, ETA 9141**, to be submitted to the DOL for determining prevailing wages back in April 2021. The new Form ETA 9141 had gone into effect beginning May 3, 2021, for prevailing wage determination requests.

The results of requests filed using the new form were expected to be declared in OFLC’s **average processing time of 145 days**. This means that the results are due soon, and you should be watching closely OFLC’s updates regarding this issue. Because Prevailing Wage Determination results are expected soon, we believe that giving a recap on the new Form and the process that follows might be beneficial for persons of interest.  

With the new form ETA 9141, OFLC devised a more detailed and comprehensive roadmap for the determination of prevailing wages by its Certifying Officers (CO). The primary procedural changes revised the way an employer provides primary and alternative requirements for a job position on ETA 9141, and how OFLC evaluates and determines the prevailing wage accordingly to provided requirements.      

Previously, OFLC determined the prevailing wage solely based on the primary requirements provided by the employer.With the New Form ETA 9141, OFLC now reviews both the primary and alternate requirements and determines two separate prevailing wages for each set of requirements.
Furthermore, the higher of the two prevailing wages is made mandatory for employers to use on Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) and Program Electric Review Management (PERM) applications.  

This change implemented by Form ETA 9141 is of great importance since it might entail significant prevailing wage increases. For instance, for the job position Software Developers, Applications in Seattle, Washington, the prevailing wage determined with the new ETA 9141 produced more than a $20.000 increase per year on the prevailing wage determined with the old ETA 9141 Form (**From $140,920 per year to $162,510 per year**). 

Lastly, the new procedural change also applies to LCAs with which the employer determines its own prevailing wage according to the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES). Prevailing wages determined via OES are also subjected to this change. 

The new Form ETA 9141 had gone into effect beginning May 3, 2021, for prevailing wage determination requests.


The New Prevailing Wage Determination Results With the New Form ETA 9141

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The New Prevailing Wage Determination Results with the new Form ETA 9141 Are Expected Soon

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren introduced recently the Act to kickstart the investments of immigrant start-up companies in the U.S. **The LIKE Act**, which stands for <span style="color: #FF504B;">“Let Immigrants Kickstart Employment”</span>, was introduced to fill the gap of a viable visa for individuals who seek to invest in and contribute to the U.S. economy and create jobs for U.S. workers. The LIKE Act also aims to make the U.S. competitive in promoting and developing new technologies and become a start-up hub that will attract top-notch investors and innovators.

In a speech addressing the congress Congresswoman Lofgren said:

“For the world’s best and brightest innovators seeking a home for their companies, America used to be the top destination. Sadly, that has changed. Today, the technology sector in Canada is growing at a faster pace than it is in America, and it is almost entirely because of restrictive U.S. immigration policies that do not benefit our economic interests. Congress can change that. We can make the United States more prosperous by passing bills like the LIKE Act that stimulate the economy, curb brain drain, create jobs for American workers, and restore our country’s standing as the number one choice for the next generation of entrepreneurs worldwide.”

Start-up companies were shown to contribute significantly to the U.S. economy and provide employment for millions of American citizens every year. Compared to mature companies, **start-ups reach employment numbers four times higher than mature companies (11 years old or older)**, and they are the sole source for new employment in the U.S. over the last couple of decades.

**The new proposed start-up nonimmigrant visa**, **“W”**, aspires to foster the transfer of creative and innovative brains from other countries with ease and upgrade the outdated U.S. immigration policies that block the country’s economic growth and technological progress.

To qualify for the planned three-year W visa, an applicant must:

- Possess an ownership interest in a start-up venture that has sufficient investments or received government grants & awards.
- Be in an essential and ongoing position in the management or operations of the venture.
- Have the necessary know-how to considerably contribute to the growth and success of the venture.

If confirmed, the W visa **will be extended after the initial three-year period**. The Bill proposes up to five years of extension for prospect visa holders. And for this, the prospect visa-holders must meet certain growth-related benchmarks, such as job creation and revenue generation.

The Start-Up Bill states that if a start-up venture meets certain additional benchmarks that demonstrate the founder has proven series of business development successes, then **he or she will be considered for green card status if they apply**. The LIKE Act also allows start-up initiatives to petition for workers in executive or managerial positions as well as their close relatives (spouse and children) to receive nonimmigrant visas.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren introduced recently the Act to kickstart the investments of immigrant start-up companies in the U.S. The LIKE Act, which stands for “Let Immigrants Kickstart Employment”, was introduced to fill the gap of a viable visa for individuals who seek to invest in and contribute to the U.S. economy and create jobs for U.S. workers. The LIKE Act also aims to make the U.S. competitive in promoting and developing new technologies and become a start-up hub that will attract top-notch investors and innovators.

The New Start-Up Visa Bill Introduced in the Congress

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The New Start-Up Visa Bill Introduced In the Congress Envisages Bolstering the US Economy

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