In this episode, Shai and Roderick spread the holiday joy by discussing how Santa Claus could legally touch down on U.S. soil once a year to deliver presents by way of chimneys. The visa principles they will explore include the R-1 Nonimmigrant Religious Worker Visa and permissible Business Visitor Visa activities. Plus, our co-hosts discuss their favorite holiday movies of all time.

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Show Notes

Welcome to The Hasta La Visa, Baby podcast, a deep-dive into the relationship between U.S. immigration law and fictitious characters from some of your favorite television shows and movies. Hosted by Gibney Immigration group attorneys Shai Dayan and Roderick Potts, each episode focuses on a particular character from a well-known show or film and guides listeners through an in-depth and entertaining exploration into the possible U.S. visa status that the featured character may have held while in the U.S. Listeners will learn about key immigration considerations through the prism of the fun and fictitious worlds presented in television and film.

While most episodes focus on a character from one show or movie, the character for today’s special holiday episode cannot be limited to any one show, movie, or even commercial.  He’s one of the most well-known fictional characters, a man of legend and international fame: Santa Claus!  Shai and Roderick kick off the conversation by talking about who Santa Claus is and what traditions surround his mythical Christmas Eve visits, before turning to consider Santa’s immigration status.  While any analysis of Santa’s visa status has to be taken with a grain of salt, the fact remains that he would need a visa to legally do what he does.

Shai and Roderick first discuss the option of the R-1 Religious Worker Visa, which is a temporary visa enabling eligible workers to work in the US for a bona fide, non-profit religious organization.

Ultimately, though, Shai and Roderick conclude that this visa would not be a good fit for Santa. Their alternative idea is the B-1 Business Visitor Visa.  While Santa’s work isn’t what anyone would consider a traditional business, and he would most likely run into problems with customs because of his gifts and reindeer, Shai and Roderick think that this visa would work for Santa!  After commenting on their favorite holiday movies, they transition to their hypothetical consultation with Santa.  The consultation, they explain, would focus on general immigration principles.  Santa must understand his need for a visa appointment and the ability to demonstrate his plans to depart the US, the importance of visiting a checkpoint upon arrival to the US, and even the need to make sure his reindeer are inoculated.  The episode ends with takeaways about Santa Claus and the magic his operation requires, thoughts on how Santa would think about Hanukkah, and a sneak peak at what episodes are to come in 2022!

Links:

Learn more about Shai Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.
Please subscribe, rate, share with friends, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

In this episode, Shai and Roderick finally get made by discussing what kind of visa a Mafia enforcer from Italy named Furio could have had during his integral run on the HBO all-time classic drama, The Sopranos. The immigration principles they will explore include the H-3 trainee visa classification. Plus, our co-hosts chat about their favorite organized crime focused television shows and movies.

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Show Notes

Welcome to The Hasta La Visa, Baby podcast, a deep-dive into the relationship between U.S. immigration law and fictitious characters from some of your favorite television shows and movies. Hosted by Gibney Immigration group attorneys Shai Dayan and Roderick Potts, each episode focuses on a particular character from a well-known show or film and guides listeners through an in-depth and entertaining exploration into the possible U.S. visa status that the featured character may have held while in the U.S. Listeners will learn about key immigration considerations through the prism of the fun and fictitious worlds presented in television and film.

Today, Shai and Roderick discuss what is arguably one of the greatest shows ever: The Sopranos! The show debuted in 1999 and ran for 6 seasons on HBO, and it is an Italian-American crime drama that focused on a northern New Jersey mafia family led by Tony Soprano. After sharing interesting facts about this powerhouse of original content, Shai and Roderick transition to the character of focus for the episode. This character is an Italian national named Furio, a business contact of Tony’s family who comes to the US to work for Tony’s crew under the guise of employment at Artie’s restaurant. Tony specifically asks Artie to work out immigration details for Furio, so we know that, while Tony doesn’t care about much, he cares something about immigration!

As far as visas are concerned, Shai and Roderick expect that a training visa would have been the best fit for Furio, and they zero in on the H3 training visa as a contender. The visa allows a trainee in a field of endeavor other than graduate medical training who cannot receive the requisite training in his/her own country to be invited by a sponsoring individual or organization to receive training in the US for up to 2 years.

Furio could have qualified for the visa, Shai and Roderick think, but he may have faced trouble because of his criminal involvement and expertise in cheese-making. Shai and Roderick plan their hypothetical consultation to be a meeting between them and Artie, because the sponsor is as important to consult with as is the individual! Shai and Roderick would focus on making sure Artie understood the seriousness of sponsoring someone and that he had an actual training program set up for Furio. The episode wraps up with final takeaways and a hint about next month’s episode on Santa Claus!

Links:

Learn more about the show featured in this episode: The Sopranos.
Learn more about the H-3 Nonimmigrant Trainee visa.
Learn more about Shai Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.
Please subscribe, rate, share with friends, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

In this episode, the visa principles they will explore include the E-3 classification and what the impact of getting fired may have on one’s U.S. visa status. Plus, our co-hosts discuss some strikingly similar qualities between Armond and a former episode’s character of focus.

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SHOW NOTES

Today, Shai and Roderick focus on the newest show featured thus far on the podcast: The White Lotus!  The show premiered on HBO in July of 2021 as a six-episode mini-series incorporating elements of both comedy and drama (and is has since been renewed for a second season).  The show centers on a luxury resort in Hawaii and the interactions among various guests and staff members.

After summarizing the show and discussing interesting facts about it, Shai and Roderick narrow their focus to the character of Armond.  Armond is the manager of the resort, and is sort of an antihero or tragic character.  He develops a troubled relationship with a guest named Shane, eventually spirals into substance abuse and other problematic behavior, and is finally (spoiler alert!) killed at the hands of Shane.

Armond’s accent also gives him away as an Australian national; thus, his life and work in the US involve issues of immigration law.  There is actually a class of visa specifically meant for Australian citizens: the E-3 Specialty Occupation Visa for, as the name implies, people seeking employment in specialty roles.  It requires both a bachelor’s degree relevant to the field of work and company sponsorship, and E-3 status is valid for 2-year increments.

Shai and Roderick explain why they believe Armond held an E-3 visa, and overview a hypothetical consultation for Armond at the point when he began to think he would be fired.  If fired, he would have had a 60-day grace period to find a new sponsor, change his visa status, or leave the US.  The episode also features not only takeaways on frustrating characters and the new season to come, but connections back to the character featured in the first episode of the podcast – Mr. Hector!

Links:

Learn more about the E-3 Specialty Occupation Visa.
Learn more about the show featured in this episode: The White Lotus
Learn more about Shai Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.
Please subscribe, rate, share with friends, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

In this episode, Shai and Roderick order in at Central Perk coffee shop to figure out what type of U.S. visa status Paolo, Rachel’s love interest in season 1 and season 2 of the all-time classic sitcom, Friends, could have possibly had. In addition to analyzing Paolo’s leather jackets, tight sweaters, and obnoxiously long hair, the Immigration principles they will cover include the E-1 Treaty Trader visa and Single Intent and Dual Intent visa status. Plus, Shai and Roderick debate Friends vs. Seinfeld. And, a very special guest…

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Show Notes

Welcome to The Hasta La Visa, Baby podcast, a deep-dive into the relationship between U.S. immigration law and fictitious characters from some of your favorite television shows and movies. Hosted by Gibney Immigration group attorneys Shai Dayan and Roderick Potts, each episode focuses on a particular character from a well-known show or film and guides listeners through an in-depth and entertaining exploration into the possible U.S. visa status that the featured character may have held while in the U.S. Listeners will learn about key immigration considerations through the prism of the fun and fictitious worlds presented in television and film.

For this episode, Shai and Roderick focus on one of the most popular sitcoms ever made: Friends. After running through the premise of the show and a few fun facts about it, they shift their attention to the character Paolo, a love interest of Rachel’s on the show. Paolo is from Italy and speaks very little English.

It is Shai and Roderick’s view that Paolo held an E-1 Treaty Trader Visa, which allows nationals or organizations from countries with which the U.S. maintains a treaty of commerce to come to the U.S. in order to trade goods. The trade must be sufficient to ensure a continuous flow of international trade items between the U.S. and the treaty country.

It’s possible that Paolo could have been involved in trade activities where he didn’t need to speak much English, such as an Italian leather, wine or cheese company. To apply for this visa, one must apply directly at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad and appear for an interview with a consulate officer, providing documentation of the business and trade. The initial entry is for two years, with the opportunity to extend for additional two year periods.

Before diving into a hypothetical consultation with Paolo, Shai and Roderick explain the difference between single and dual intent visas. Because Paolo held a single intent status as an E-1 Treaty Trader, it would be more difficult for him to be sponsored for a green card. Thus, Shai and Roderick would encourage him to explore visa opportunities with dual intent status.

In the next segment of the podcast, our hosts welcome special guest and Friends fan Joanna DiBenedetto to share her takeaways from the show! The topics they discuss range from whether Paolo is actually that good looking, how the characters spend so much time together, the inconsistency of their hangout spots with their age, their lack of New York accents and what in the world a crap weasel is.

Links:

Learn more about the show featured in this episode: Friends.
Learn more about Shai Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.
Please subscribe, rate, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

In this episode, Shai and Roderick hang out with the gang from the television comedy, That ’70s Show. They focus on Point Place, Wisconsin’s favorite foreign exchange student, Fez, played by Wilmer Valderama. In addition to exploring Fez’s obsession with candy, the immigration principles they will cover include: F-1 Student Visas, the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, and the Marriage Based Green Card sponsorship process. Plus, Shai and Roderick reminisce about their favorite high school jobs.

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Show Notes

Welcome to this episode of Hasta La Visa, Baby – a podcast that takes a deep dive into US immigration law and its relation to fictitious characters in television and film!  Host Shai Dayan is an immigration attorney with Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, and he is based in Los Angeles, CA.  He is joined for this episode – as for all other episodes! – by his New York-based friend and colleague, Gibney Anthony & Flaherty immigration attorney Roderick Potts.  Together, Shai and Roderick demystify immigration law by focusing each episode on a particular work featuring a foreign national living in the US.  They discuss the show or movie, zeroing in on this character to speculate on his/her visa status and possible problems associated with living in the US, and to summarize a hypothetical law consultation with the character.  The only rule: each episode assumes the character lives in a modern-day US!

For this episode, Shai and Roderick focus on the comedy from the late 90’s and early 2000’s: That ’70s Show. After summarizing the premise of the show and running through a few fun facts about it, they shift their attention to the character known as Fes, who is a foreign exchange student whose country of origin is never revealed. His name, Fes, stands for “foreign exchange student”, and eventually marries his friend Eric’s sister so he may apply for a green card. His visa status is addressed on the show multiple times and his accent is exaggerated so audiences can’t determine his own country.

The first visa Fes qualifies for is the F-1 student visa, which allows a foreign national to enter the U.S. to study at an approved institution. These students can’t stay permanently in the U.S. The J-1 exchange visitor program is another visa Fes would have qualified for. This allows high school students to travel to the U.S. to study at an accredited public or private high school and live with either an accredited host family or boarding school. Based on the fact that we know Fes lives with a host family, he almost definitely has a J-1 visa.

Once a couple is legally married, the citizen spouse files an immigrant petition on behalf of the non-citizen spouse, who meanwhile can file a green card application. The couple must prove a marriage is legitimate, financial stability reports and that the non-citizen spouse entered the U.S. legally. Immigration officers commonly feel that the co-mingling of finances is a telling sign of a good faith marriage. It appears on the show that Fes and Laurie were only married so that Fes could get a green card.

Based on this, Shai and Roderick would have no grounds to represent him and would urge him to file for a green card. Then, they run through the severe consequences Fes would receive. The episode wraps up with a few final takeaways from the show on everything from how the characters have so much leisure time and how the confusing love triangle of every character.

Links:

Learn more about the F-1 student visa.
Learn more about the show featured in this episode: That 70’s Show.
Learn more about Shai Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.
Please subscribe, rate, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

In this episode, Shai and Roderick dive deep into 1984’s The Karate Kid. They specifically focus on how the character of Mr. Myagi allegedly immigrated from Japan to the U.S. during the 1940s. The Immigration and Nationality principles they will explore include Japanese U.S. Immigration history, the Immigration Act of 1924, the Immigration and Nationality Acts of 1952 and 1965, and Japanese internment camps during World War II. Plus, Shai and Roderick debate whether or not The Karate Kid movie sequels, re-make, and the television show spin-off, Cobra Kai, are any good.

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Show Notes

Welcome to this episode of Hasta La Visa, Baby – a podcast that takes a deep dive into US immigration law and its relation to fictitious characters in television and film!  Host Shai Dyan is an immigration attorney with Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, and he is based in Los Angeles, CA.  He is joined for this episode – as for all other episodes! – by his New York-based friend and colleague, Gibney Anthony & FLaherty immigration attorney Roderick Potts.  Together, Shai and Roderick demystify immigration law by focusing each episode on a particular work featuring a foreign national living in the US.  They discuss the show or movie, zeroing in on this character to speculate on his/her visa status and possible problems associated with living in the US, and to summarize a hypothetical law consultation with the character.  Usually, each episode assumes the character lives in a modern-day US, though today’s episode is an exception.

For this first episode, Shai and Roderick focus on The Karate Kid. After summarizing the movie and running through a few fun facts about it, they shift their attention to Mr. Myagi. Though he was born in Japan in 1925, Mr. Myagi moved to the U.S. as a teenager. He fought in Europe in World War II and became a decorated American war hero. When we meet him in the film in the 80’s, he works as a maintenance man and becomes a father figure and karate trainer to Daniel. To properly have an immigration discussion about Mr. Myagi, we must first go back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1860’s, Japanese nationals began moving to the U.S. only to face harsh working conditions and a hostile perception. The Immigration Act of 1924 was then passed, imposing severe restrictions on immigration from any non-Western European country, ceasing legal Asian immigration until 1952. It is extremely implausible that Mr. Myagi could have legally moved to the U.S. in the 40’s as he claimed. Thus, it is Shay and Roderick’s view that Mr. Myagi entered the country under false premise or illegally without inspection.

Rather than imagining a hypothetical consultation with Mr. Myagi, Shai and Roderick dedicate the second segment of the episode to discussing a topic of great importance for Mr. Myagi and Japanese Americans during World War 11: internment camps. In 1942, President Rosevelt issued a policy that all people of Japanese descent were to be taken from their normal lives and sent to be incarcerated in isolated camps with prison conditions. It took over 30 years for that authority to be formally removed from the military.

As many people don’t know about the severity of these camps, Shai and Roderick take the opportunity to bring awareness to this dark period in America’s history. The episode wraps up with a few final conclusions of the movie from Daniel’s innocence to Mr. Myagi’s drinking habits.

Links

Learn more about the movie featured in this episode: The Karate Kid.
Learn more about Shai Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.
Please subscribe, rate, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

In this episode, Shai and Roderick talk lost episodes and answer listener questions. The Immigration principles they will explore in this episode include Intracompany Transferee Visas, Extraordinary Ability Visas, ESTA travelers, Green Card sponsorship, and Investor Visas, among other Immigration concepts. Plus, our co-hosts dig up salvageable audio regarding what made the 90s so great and all-time classic high school movies.

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Show Notes

Welcome to this episode of Hasta La Visa, Baby – a podcast that takes a deep dive into US immigration law and its relation to fictitious characters in television and film!  Host Shai Dion is an immigration attorney with Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, and he is based in Los Angeles, CA.  He is joined for this episode – as for all other episodes! – by his New York-based friend and colleague, Gibney Anthony & Flaherty immigration attorney Roderick Potts.  Together, Shai and Roderick demystify immigration law by focusing each episode on a particular work featuring a foreign national living in the US.  They discuss the show or movie, zeroing in on this character to speculate on his/her visa status and possible problems associated with living in the US, and to summarize a hypothetical law consultation with the character.  The only rule: each episode assumes the character lives in a modern-day US!

For this episode, Shai and Roderick have their very first mailbag episode in lieu of the feedback received lately by listeners. Before getting into the fan mail, they share the salvageable material remnants of the previous lost episode in which they reveal what made the 90s so great. Then, they choose one email corresponding to each of the five episodes of the podcast, and dive into discussing them.

• The first question, corresponding with the Home Alone episode, regarding Mr. Hector’s marriage status and the probability of him holding an L1B visa.
• The next question is in regards to Talladega Nights and what would happen if Jean Girard switched Nascar teams. As the O-1 talent Visa is specific to the team someone is part of, Jean would have to have his new team file a new petition for him if he were to switch.
• Then, they take a question corresponding to the Die Hard episode, in which a listener’s wonder if Hans would be tried in the U.S. or in Germany if he were caught by officials. If the authorities who captured him wanted to try him themselves, they would have every right to do so, though they could also choose to extradite him back to Germany.
• In the question corresponding to I Love Lucy, a listener wants to know what would happen if Ricky and Lucy were divorced before Ricky applied for a visa. If he could prove that the marriage was legitimate, he may still be eligible for a 10 year green card and eventually citizenship.
• Finally, they answer a question regarding Austin Powers, in which a listener wonders what kind of business qualifies for an E-2 visa and how much money is required to invest. While they are unsure exactly how much money companies are required to invest, Shai and Roderick share that it varies on a case-by-case basis and can range widely according to the industry.

As the episode wraps up, Shai and Roderick encourage listeners to continue sending in their questions before revealing their favorite high school movies.

Links:

Learn more about Shai Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.
Please subscribe, rate, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

© Copyright 2000- 2023, Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP. All Rights Reserved. Attorney Advertising.

In this episode, Shai and Roderick get “shagadelic” with the Austin Powers trilogy. Our co-hosts investigate how Dr. Evil, a Belgian criminal mastermind, and Austin Powers’ arch nemesis, found himself running a world-famous coffee company in Seattle, Washington. The Immigration principles they will explore in this episode include: E-2 Treaty Investor Visas and the EB-5 Green Card program. Plus, Shai and Roderick talk the art of making the perfect parody movie.

Listen to the Episode

Show Notes

Welcome to The Hasta La Visa, Baby podcast, a deep-dive into the relationship between U.S. immigration law and fictitious characters from some of your favorite television shows and movies. Hosted by Gibney Immigration group attorneys Shai Dayan and Roderick Potts, each episode focuses on a particular character from a well-known show or film and guides listeners through an in-depth and entertaining exploration into the possible U.S. visa status that the featured character may have held while in the U.S. Listeners will learn about key immigration considerations through the prism of the fun and fictitious worlds presented in television and film.

For this episode, Shai and Roderick focus on the parody movie trilogy Austin Powers. After summarizing the movie and running through a few fun facts about it, they shift their attention to Dr. Evil, a Belgian criminal mastermind and the main antagonist of the Austin power franchise. His goal is to secure world domination through extortions of terror, though his plans are typically foiled by Mr. Powers. In the second movie, it is revealed that Dr. Evil’s headquarters are located inside of the space needle in Seattle and that his business was an early investor in Starbucks.

Based on this fact, Shai and Roderick’s view is that Dr. Evil may possess an E-2 Treaty Investor Visa, which allows foreigners to invest a substantial amount of money in a U.S. business, then come to the U.S. to run that business. It isn’t a visa intended for someone to remain permanently in the U.S. Holders of E-2 visas must maintain the intention of eventually returning home.

After taking the opportunity to run through their favorite parody movies, Shai and Roderick imagine a hypothetical consultation with Dr. Evil at a Belgian beer garden in order to make him feel most at home. In this hypothetical meeting, Dr. Evil is coming to Shai and Roderick to determine how he could stay in the U.S. permanently. They would recommend the EB-5 Investor Visa Program, which enables a foreign national to invest a minimum amount in a U.S. commercial enterprise, leading to a green card. It also requires an investor to create at least 10 jobs for U.S. citizens. If he could create tenuous jobs and prove where his money is coming from, Dr. Evil may have a good EB-5 Investor case which would lead to the obtainment of a green card. The episode wraps up with a few final takeaways from the movie on everything from why evil characters have cats and if Austin Powers would make it in the Me Too era.

Links:

Learn more about the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa.
Learn more about the movie featured in this episode: Austin Powers.
Learn more about Shai Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.

© Copyright 2000- 2023, Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP. All Rights Reserved. Attorney Advertising.

In this episode, Shai and Roderick revisit the 1950’s television show classic, I Love Lucy. Through exploring the iconic characters of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, our co-hosts will engage in an entertaining Immigration 101. The Immigration principles they will cover in this episode include: U.S. Citizenship, Visas, and Green Cards. Plus, Shai and Roderick give their takes on classic television and talk the greatest shows of all time.

Listen to the Episode:

Show Notes

Welcome to The Hasta La Visa, Baby podcast, a deep-dive into the relationship between U.S. immigration law and fictitious characters from some of your favorite television shows and movies. Hosted by Gibney Immigration group attorneys Shai Dayan and Roderick Potts, each episode focuses on a particular character from a well-known show or film and guides listeners through an in-depth and entertaining exploration into the possible U.S. visa status that the featured character may have held while in the U.S. Listeners will learn about key immigration considerations through the prism of the fun and fictitious worlds presented in television and film.

For this episode, Shay and Roderick provided a crash course on some basic immigration concepts through the lens of iconic characters from the 1950s classic television show I Love Lucy. After summarizing the premise of the show and the impact it had on the future of all of television, Shay and Roderick run through some interesting facts about the show. Then, they focus their attention on the characters of Lucy and Ricardo. Lucy is a homemaker in her early 30’s who is always trying to become famous and make it into Ricardo’s nightclub act, though she doesn’t have much real talent. Ricardo, aka “Ricky”, is a Cuban-born struggling orchestra leader who eventually ends up owning a nightclub in New York City.

Shai and Roderick first unpack what being a U.S. citizen is all about. Methods of obtaining citizenship include being born on U.S. soil, parents passing down citizenship and naturalization.

Regardless of how a person’s citizenship is determined, there are rights, duties and benefits which come along with it. They also explain the purpose of visas and all of the different types out there.

Ricky likely secured his stay in the U.S. with some form of employment-based visa, on the bottom tier of U.S. immigration status. The middle tier is someone who holds a green card, which lawfully allows a non-citizen to live and work in the U.S. While a green card doesn’t grant all the freedoms of citizenship, it does have more freedoms than one would have with only a visa. Ricky could have received a green card through family sponsorship via his marriage with Lucy, who is an American citizen. He is a prime example of the American dream, beginning only with a visa and working his way up to full citizenship. Seeing as I Love Lucy is widely considered the greatest show of all time, Shay and Roderick wrap up the episode by naming the shows they consider the greatest shows of all time.

Links:

Learn more about the movie featured in this episode: I Love Lucy.
Learn more about Shay Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.
Please subscribe, rate, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

© Copyright 2000- 2023, Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP. All Rights Reserved. Attorney Advertising.

In this episode, Shai and Roderick celebrate the 1988 action movie phenomenon, Die Hard. Our co-hosts will try to solve what kind of visa a very well-dressed German radical would have needed in order to enter the U.S. to cause havoc during a company holiday party being held in a Los Angeles skyscraper on Christmas Eve.

The visa principles they will explore in this episode include: the Visa Waiver Program and Entry without Inspection. Plus, are Die Hard, Ghostbusters, and Family Matters all set in the same fictitious universe?

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Show Notes

After summarizing the film’s plot and the influence it had on action movies moving forward, Shai and Roderick shift their attention to the German criminal mastermind character Hans Gruber. Hans was a member of a west German radical group, but was expelled due to his violent and extreme behavior. He is highly educated and intelligent, speaks perfect English, has a knack for high fashion and holds a very high opinion of himself. He has no issues with killing anyone who may be in his way.

Shai and Roderick’s view is that Hans most likely was given permission to stay in the U.S. through the Visa Waiver Program, which enables most nationals of participating countries to stay in the U.S. for up to 90 days without needing a visa under the premise of tourist activity or specific business and visitor activities.

It is conceivable that he and his crew used fake passports and identities to apply. It is also possible that Hans was able to enter by entry without inspection, otherwise known as illegal entry. Both of these methods hold very serious consequences.
In a hypothetical consultation with Hans, Shai and Roderick would advise him not to follow through with the acts he has planned and to voluntarily depart the U.S. as soon as possible, before he is caught by the authorities. If he did this, the best case is that he would be barred from returning to the U.S. for 3 years, though there is no guarantee he would ever be allowed to return. If he chooses to remain in the U.S. with his illegal status, he will likely be captured, detained, placed into court proceedings and permanently barred from returning to the U.S.

The episode wraps up with a few final takeaways from the movie on everything from love story theories to the aftermath of Holly and John’s actions and where John would have lived in NYC!

Links

Learn more about the Visa Waiver Program.
Learn more about the movie featured in this episode: Die Hard.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.
Please subscribe, rate, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

© Copyright 2000- 2023, Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP. All Rights Reserved. Attorney Advertising.