Privacy Policy
LAST MODIFIED/EFFECTIVE DATE: July 24, 2024
PRIVACY POLICY
Introduction
This Privacy Notice informs you about the privacy practices of Goldstein Immigration Lawyers, PC ("Us", "GIL", "Our", “We”). It outlines the types of personal information we collect, how we use that information, with whom it may be shared, and the measures we take to ensure its security. We do not sell your data or accept paid advertisements that track or collect data from our content users.
By using or visiting jgoldlaw.com, or any content, websites, or information controlled by GIL, including submitting, accessing, and viewing content on our site, subdomains, digital and print collections, audio recordings, blogs, social media accounts, and other resources, you agree to these terms and conditions ("Terms of Use") and the terms of third-party sites/hosts used by GIL (collectively, "Agreement"). If you do not agree to these terms, our privacy policy, or the Community Guidelines, please do not use our content.
PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU
GIL collects certain personal information about you and, if required, your family members and employer for the purposes of providing immigration consulting and legal services. We will not be able to provide the services requested if we are not provided with all relevant personal information. Below are set forth the purposes for which personal information is used and examples of the types of information that may be required. If, through the course of our representation, you, your employer, and/or family member request additional services, such as visa extensions, or permanent residency applications, we may be required to collect additional types of personal information to provide the requested services.
The data controllers (or any equivalent term) of your personal information are Goldstein Immigration lawyers and the GIL office providing the services to you, as well as your employer (current or potential) and/or family member, where applicable.
CLIENT SERVICES
To deliver client services, including legal and immigration consulting services requested by you, your employer, or your family member, GIL collects and processes personal information such as:
- Name
- Address
- Telephone number
- Date of birth
- Marital status
- Passport number
- Employment history
- Educational background
- Tax status
- Job title and function
- Expatriate status
We also collect personal documents when necessary, such as:
- Passport copies
- Marriage certificates
- Educational documents
- CVs
- Visa copies
- Birth certificates
- Driver's licenses
We gather personal information from various sources, including:
- Our online portals
- Forms and questionnaires you complete
- Information you provide directly, whether by email or in conversation with our lawyers and staff
- Third-party sources such as former employers, educational institutions, relocation companies, your current or prospective employer, and family members
- This information is used to provide immigration consulting and legal services, including analyzing, completing, and processing immigration, visa, and related filings to relevant government agencies, and offering legal and consultative advice on eligibility for immigration benefits.
In cases such as visa extensions, permanent residency, and employment-related changes, our services often require follow-up. The information previously collected is used to provide these additional related services.
We also use your personal information when there is a legitimate interest that does not override your data protection rights, as required by law. This includes:
- Managing and administering clients' global mobility programs (e.g., visa expiration tracking and immigration compliance)
- Providing access to online case-management tools
- Analyzing immigration trends (e.g., visa processing times and government approval rates)
When engaged by you, your employer or a family member, we process your personal information to fulfill our contract with them for client services.
In addition to our services, we process personal information to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including record-keeping requirements. For example, we process information under “know your customer” regulations, anti-money laundering laws, anti-bribery laws, and professional regulations.
PRE-EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION
Certain countries require verification of new employees’ employment eligibility at the time of hire. For example, under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (“IRCA”) in the United States, GIL collects and processes personal information such as:
- Name
- Email address
- Home address
- Military service
- Citizenship status
INFORMATION REQUESTS
If you request information about our services directly, we may ask you to provide contact information so that we may respond to your request.
OTHER USES OF INFORMATION
Where it is in our legitimate interests and not outweighed by your data protection rights, we use personal information we collect and process for:
- Client and GIL administration
Compliance audits - Adherence to GIL policies and procedures
- Ensuring the security and integrity of our services
- Ensuring the effective operation of our IT systems
We will never sell your personal information, in accordance with relevant data privacy laws and professional responsibility requirements. Your personal information is only shared with third parties where needed to provide the requested services. For more details, please see the section on "Information We Share."
SENSITIVE PERSONAL INFORMATION
IMMIGRATION SERVICES
Governments worldwide require the collection and processing of various personal information from foreign nationals seeking entry and immigration benefits, such as employment authorization or residency status. This information is needed for border protection, health, sovereignty, national security, and local employment market regulation.
Certain categories of personal information are considered “sensitive” and are subject to stricter data protection. These categories may include:
- Race or ethnic origin
- Political opinions
- Religious or philosophical beliefs
- Trade union membership
- Sex life or sexual orientation
- Physical or mental health condition
- Data relating to offenses and/or criminal convictions
- Personal information of minors
- Biometric data, like fingerprints, used for unique identification
In the course of our services, GIL collects sensitive personal information when required to comply with U.S. legal obligations. Additionally, GIL may need to inquire about sensitive information to provide legal or consultative advice regarding your eligibility for travel or immigration benefits. For instance, we may need to ask about previous criminal convictions, political affiliations, or other personal matters if local immigration laws require such data for preparing applications or petitions on your behalf or evaluating potential entry barriers.
In some instances, EU member state laws require us to process sensitive personal information as permitted by the GDPR. In other cases, we will seek your explicit consent to process this data.
LEGAL SERVICES
In the course of our client services, we may represent you, your employer, and/or your family member in legal matters that require us to collect and use sensitive personal information about you. For example, if we represent you in an immigration case, we will gather information about the case and any related immigration history. In some employment representations, such as disputes involving alleged discrimination, information about medical conditions, race, religion, and/or sexual orientation may be relevant.
When we process sensitive personal information during these and similar client services, we do so to help you, your employer, and/or your family member establish, exercise, or defend legal claims or to assist in fulfilling the rights and obligations under applicable employment or social security laws.
LEGAL BASIS
Goldstein Immigration Lawyers relies on one or more of the following legal bases when processing your personal information and sensitive personal information:
- Consent to the processing of your personal information for the purposes of providing immigration consulting and legal services;
- Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party (for the provision of private client services); and/or
- Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which GIL is subject to i.e., the government requirements regarding immigration services.
INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We collect and process the following personal information when you inquire about our services, sign up for newsletters and/or client alerts, or provide your information to our representatives at conferences and events:
- Contact information: We collect contact data including your first name, last name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and similar contact information that you provide to us.
- Preferences: We process information about your preferences and interests related to GIL services. This includes the immigration alerts you subscribe to, the types of GIL services you are interested in, and your communication preferences.
- Assessment Information: When you provide us with information about your personal circumstances, we will collect and process online assessments of your potential eligibility for specific visas. This may include general details such as employment history, professional experience, education, age, marital status, income bracket, property ownership, and investments.
Additionally, we receive information about prospective clients from other sources, including referrals from existing clients, events, and third-party referral agencies/attorneys with whom we collaborate.
PURPOSES
We use personal information for the following purposes:
- To provide you with information on services that may be relevant to you, to update you on legal developments that could affect you, and to explore potential business opportunities with you.
- To conduct online assessments for specific visas, with your consent.
- To contact you by email, telephone, SMS, or post in accordance with your preferences and applicable law. You have the right to withdraw consent for future marketing communications at any time.
- Where necessary for our legitimate interests, provided these interests do not override your data protection rights. This includes understanding our clients' and potential clients' preferences and analyzing their engagement with our services.
INFORMATION WE COLLECT BY AUTOMATED MEANS
We use cookies and related technologies on our websites and other web-based interfaces, such as jgoldlaw.com and the Typeform questionnaire. These technologies help us understand how many users visit our sites and which pages they access, allowing us to tailor our web services to our visitors.
When AI is used as part of the services we provide, human review will be included to ensure your data subject rights are respected. If an AI model third-party provider is used, they will act as GIL’s data processors, with relevant contractual provisions in place to ensure the security of your personal information and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Goldstein Immigration Lawyers conducts data protection impact assessments in accordance with data privacy laws and AI legislation.
COOKIES
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer or device when you visit certain websites to help collect data. We use necessary cookies to enable the functionality of our website. We do not set optional cookies.
LOG FILES, USAGE DATA AND IP ADDRESSES
Log files are web server files automatically created when an Internet user visits a website. These files contain information such as domain name or IP address, URL, HTTP response code, and the date and duration of your visit. An IP address is an identifier that electronic devices use to identify and communicate with each other on the Internet. When you visit our website, our servers log your IP address. This information, combined with other data, helps us understand which features interest our visitors and the regions they are from.
INFORMATION WE SHARE
We will not sell, share, transfer, rent, use, or distribute your information for purposes other than those disclosed here unless required by law or authorized by you, your employer, and/or your family member. We share the information you provide among our subsidiaries, affiliates, and your current or prospective employer, or a third party as instructed by your employer, as appropriate or necessary in connection with the services (such as your employer’s relocation provider), or to protect the interests of any person, where permitted by applicable law. When our services are retained by your employer on your behalf, we share your personal information as instructed by your employer, for tax purposes, to assist you in obtaining relocation services, and for any other purpose required to provide the services as permitted by applicable law.
As part of the immigration consulting and legal services we provide, GIL discloses personal information to government agencies, your former, current, or prospective employer and its related entities, and/or your family members. To obtain immigration benefits on your, your employer’s, and/or your family member’s behalf, we will disclose personal information to government agencies and immigration authorities.
We also share information with certain service providers we have retained in connection with the services we provide, such as translators, education evaluation services, couriers, or other necessary entities. We take steps to require that these service providers protect the information in accordance with this Privacy Notice. These service providers are authorized to use the information only as necessary to perform services on our behalf or to comply with law or legal process. If we become aware that a service provider processes your personal information in a manner contrary to this Privacy Notice, we will take reasonable steps to prevent or stop the processing.
Additionally, we will disclose information about you:
- If required by law or legal process
- To law enforcement authorities or other government officials
- To prevent physical harm or financial loss in connection with investigations of suspected or actual illegal activity
- To protect the vital interests of any person
By using our services, you consent to the collection, processing, retention, and use of your IP address for a limited period. This consent is necessary for managing and maintaining the site, as well as for providing you with services and content.
When you engage legal services from GIL and submit payment, you provide informed and explicit consent for the collection, processing, and retention of personally identifying Payment Information for legal, accounting, and auditing purposes. Payment Information may include:
- Check/bank details
- Credit or debit card numbers
- Expiration dates
- CVV codes
- Cheque payment information
- Billing/payment account addresses
This information is used within our office and shared with payment processors/providers to:
- Facilitate payment processing
- Prevent fraud
- Conduct investigations
Handle disputes such as chargebacks or refunds associated with credit or debit card transactions.
Payment Information also encompasses the name and address provided to GIL.
We retain the right to communicate with our clients, potential clients, and former clients through correspondence and emails regarding updates about our attorneys, site policies, and other matters pertaining to the management and integrity of our Office.
HOW WE PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
We strive to ensure that any personal information we hold about you is accurate, complete, current, and reliable, based on data provided by you, your employer, and/or family member for the purpose of providing immigration consulting and legal services. We aim to collect only the personal information that is necessary, relevant, and not excessive for these purposes.
To safeguard your personal information, we maintain appropriate administrative, technical, organizational, and physical safeguards against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.
Our employees are educated on and adhere to standards of conduct that uphold the protection of personal information.
We require third parties assisting in the provision of our services to comply with all applicable privacy and data protection laws. They are prohibited from using your information for purposes other than those related to the services they have been engaged to provide.
We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the services requested by you, your employer, and/or family members, for our own administrative and internal purposes, and as mandated by law or agreed upon with our clients.
YOUR CHOICES AND RIGHTS
As outlined above, GIL may collect certain information about you in the course of providing immigration consulting and legal services. If your employer and/or family member subsequently informs us, or if you directly instruct us, that you wish to opt out of providing personal information, we will respect your decision. If sensitive personal information is required for a new purpose, we will only use your information if you actively consent to this processing through communication with your employer, family member, or directly with us, as applicable, when necessary to fulfill the requested service or as mandated by applicable laws. The same procedure applies if we disclose personal information to third parties who are expected to process it for their own purposes.
We also assist our clients in providing you, or directly provide you where appropriate, with access to your personal information. This includes the ability to review and correct inaccuracies, delete unnecessary personal information, and obtain a copy of your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format. Where applicable, we make reasonable efforts to support your employer and/or family member in responding to requests for access, correction, deletion, or restriction of processing of your personal information, or to respond directly to such requests within a reasonable timeframe as required by law. If you, your employer, and/or family member inform us in writing that you wish to opt out of future processing of personal information, we will honor your request.
To safeguard your privacy and information security, GIL and our staff take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access to information. If our processing relies solely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. You may also object to processing based solely on our legitimate interests. In such cases, we must demonstrate compelling business interests that do not override your individual rights before continuing further processing. To exercise these rights, please contact your employer, family member, or us directly, as applicable. If you have unresolved concerns, where permitted under local law, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority in your place of residence, employment, or where you believe data protection laws have been breached.
Please be aware that to facilitate your rights, Goldstein Immigration Lawyers may request a copy of a government-issued identification document to verify your identity. This process aligns with our obligations under data protection laws and serves to protect the personal information we hold. We use this information solely for identity verification purposes and delete it after responding to your request.
HOW LONG DO WE RETAIN YOUR INFORMATION
Goldstein Immigration Lawyers has a seven-year post-case closure retention policy, unless there is a regulatory or legal reason not to do so, or where a different time period needs to be observed due to local, state, and/or country requirements.
UPDATES TO OUR PRIVACY NOTICE
This Privacy Notice may be updated periodically without prior notice to you to reflect changes in our information practices. We will post a notice on our applicable websites or materials to advise of any significant changes to our Privacy Notice and indicate in the notice when it was most recently updated. In certain countries, additional or different procedures not inconsistent with this Privacy Notice may apply as necessary to satisfy local, state, and/or country legal requirements.
HOW TO CONTACT US
The controller for your personal information is Goldstein Immigration Lawyers. If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Notice directed at any of the data controllers listed above, please contact our data protection team by email at dataprivacy@jgoldlaw.com. You also may write to us at:
Attn: Data Privacy
Goldstein Immigration Lawyers, PC
611 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 317
Los Angeles, 90017
California, USA