Direct U.S. Immigration is a modern immigration company disrupting the field of immigration to make it more accessible. We are a team of immigration attorneys, consultants, and specialists who have served over 150 nationalities. We provide white glove service where our goal is to simplify the process for you and ensure quality and timeliness.
Privacy Statement
Our goal is to provide you with the type of information that may be helpful to your case. If you receive a marketing e-mail from Direct U.S. Immigration, your e-mail address is either listed with us as someone who has expressly shared that address for the purpose of receiving information in the future (you have subscribed to the communication), or you have an existing relationship with us.
We will not share, sell, give, or rent your personal information without your permission or unless ordered by a court of law.
The information you submit to us is available only to employees who manage this information for the purposes of sending you marketing e-mail communications and to contracted service providers for the purposes of providing services related to our communications with you.
We use security measures to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of your information.
Each of our marketing e-mails includes an automated way for you to unsubscribe from that particular communication or from all marketing e-mails sent by Direct U.S. Immigration.
Please note that if you reply to a Direct U.S. Immigration address in one of our marketing e-mails, the communication you send to us will not create a lawyer-client relationship with us.
Privacy Policy
Effective Date: November 2, 2021
Direct U.S. Immigration (“we”, “our”, “us”) is a U.S. based consulting firm that serves clients in the U.S., European Union (EU), and in other countries around the world. We respect your privacy concerns and value the relationship we have with you. Our Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and disclose the personal information of individuals who visit our sites, use our online services, or receive legal services from our contracted attorneys, and details the rights and choices you have with regard to your personal information. “Personal information” generally means information that enables you to be identified or recognized. “Personal data” is a category of personal information, defined by the General Data Protection Regulation and only applicable to visitors or clients based in the EU.
Information Collection
You may browse our website without providing any personal information. However, we may collect personal information from you if you submit a job application, sign up to receive emails from us, or otherwise contact us directly. In addition, as a function of normal logging, we automatically collect information about your access to our website, such as your IP address or the type of browser you are using, the search terms you use on our website, the specific web pages you visit on our website, and the duration of your visits.
In the course of providing services to our clients, we may collect several categories of personal information including: contact details; employment details; financial details; and IT systems information. We also collect sensitive data, such as data regarding health, race, and national origin.
We sometimes obtain your personal information from third parties, such as your employer, or third parties we work closely with, including referral sources.
Information Use and Sharing
Any personal information that you provide will be used solely to respond to your inquiry. We will not contact you about other matters, unless you specifically request it, nor will we rent or sell your personal information.
We generally do not share your personal information outside our firm. However, we may store your personal information with third party service providers, such as case management software providers, system maintenance and back-up providers. If you are our client, we may also share your information with third parties in accordance with our engagement terms. Any such third parties will be under an obligation to maintain the confidentiality of your personal information.
We may use the personal information we collect about you, either by itself or aggregated with other information, in a variety of ways, such as to analyze website traffic, which allows us to improve the design and content of our website.
We may disclose personal information about you as required by law, or if we believe that such action is necessary to: (a) fulfill a government request; (b) conform with the requirements of the law or legal process; or (c) to protect or defend our legal rights or property, our website, or other users. In addition, we may disclose personal information in the event of a sale or transfer of our business for the purpose of evaluating and/or performing the proposed transaction.
Links to Third-Party Sites
Our website may link to or contain links to other third-party websites that we do not control or maintain. We are not responsible for the privacy practices employed by any third-party website.
Cookies and Web Beacons
We use “cookies” and “web beacons” to obtain certain types of information when your web browser accesses our website. “Cookies” are small files that we transfer to your computer’s hard drive or to your web browser memory so we can remember who you are in order to provide convenience and other features to you, such as recognizing you as a frequent user of our website. “Web beacons” are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and may be used to track the online movements of users, when an email has been opened, and to provide other information. We use cookies and web beacons to personalize your interaction on our website and to collect anonymous, aggregated information to assist us in understanding how users use our website.
You are not required to accept cookies. However, some parts of our website will not function properly or be available to you if you refuse to accept a cookie or choose to disable the acceptance of cookies.
Google Analytics. In addition to using cookies and related technologies as described above, we use Google Analytics to help us understand how our customers use our website. You can opt-out of Google Analytics at any time.
Google Adwords. We also use third party vendor re-marketing tracking cookies, including the Google Adwords tracking cookie. This means we may show ads to you across the internet. As always, we respect your privacy and are not collecting any identifiable information through the use of Google’s or any other third-party remarketing system. If you don’t want to see our ads, you can opt-out of interest-based advertising.
Our Commitment to Security
We have implemented security measures we consider reasonable and appropriate to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. However, we cannot and do not guarantee or warrant the security of any information you disclose or transmit to us online and we are not responsible for the theft, destruction, or inadvertent disclosure of your personal information.
Your California Privacy Rights
California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits our visitors who are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. Because we do not disclose your personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes, we are exempt from the requirement to respond to such requests.
Visitors Located in the EU
If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, the following sections apply with respect to any personal data we collect through the use of our website.
Legal Basis for Processing
As part of our client onboarding procedures, we process your personal data to verify your identity and to perform conflict of interest searches. The legal basis of this processing is performance of a contract for our services to which you are a party.
We process your personal data to provide you with consulting services based on your consent.
We use your personal data to send you immigration updates and news by email, or to otherwise contact you about our services we think may interest you. The legal basis for this activity is a legitimate interest – to develop and grow our business and services and promote Direct U.S. Immigration.
Data Privacy Rights
You have the following rights concerning your personal data that we process and maintain. You may exercise these rights at any time by contacting us at inquiry@directusimmigration.com:
* Right of access – you have the right to request a copy of the data that we maintain about you;
* Right of rectification – you have a right to correct any inaccuracy or incompletion in the data we maintain about you;
* Right to be forgotten – in certain circumstances, you can request that we delete the data we maintain about you;
* Right to restriction of processing – where certain conditions apply, you may have the right to restrict our processing of your personal data;
* Right of portability – you have the right to have the data we maintain about you transferred to another organization; and
* Right to object – you have the right to object to certain types of processing, such as direct marketing.
Please note that we will not be able to delete data that we require to maintain our business purpose or that is otherwise required to perform or facilitate your contract with us. When appropriate, any data privacy requests you submit to us will be forwarded to the parties with whom we shared your personal data.
When you provide us with certain types of sensitive data, we request your consent to use the data for certain described purposes. When you give us your consent, you are giving us permission to process your personal data specifically for the purpose identified in the consent request. If we ask you for additional personal data, we will obtain your consent to our proposed use of that data if required. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at inquiry@directusimmigration.com. We may require that you verify your identity by a process we will communicate to you at the time of your request.
Transfers of Personal Data
This is a United States-based website and is subject to United States law. Your personal data may be transferred to, stored, and processed in a country other than the one in which it was collected, including the United States. When we transfer your data, we do so in compliance with applicable data protection laws, including transferring data subject to the terms of an agreement that incorporates the standard contractual clauses adopted by the European Commission.
Revisions to our Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to revise this policy or any part of it from time to time. We will post a new or revised policy to our website, and suggest you review our Privacy Policy periodically. The current effective date for our Privacy Policy is always listed at the top of the policy.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at inquiry@directusimmigration.com.
EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Policy
Effective Date: November 2021
Direct U.S. Immigration (“we”, “our” or “us”) complies with the US-EU Privacy Shield Framework as set forth by the US Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from Individual Customers in the European Union member countries. Direct U.S. Immigration has certified that it adheres to the Privacy Shield Privacy Principles of notice, choice, accountability for onward transfer, security, data integrity and purpose limitation, access, recourse, enforcement, and liability. If there is any conflict between the policies in this Privacy Shield Policy and the Privacy Shield Privacy Principles, the Privacy Shield Privacy Principles shall govern.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has jurisdiction over Direct U.S. Immigration’s compliance with the Privacy Shield.
Scope
This Policy applies to the processing of Individual Customer Personal Data that Direct U.S. Immigration receives in the United States concerning Individual Customers who reside in the European Union.
This Policy does not cover data from which individual persons cannot be identified or situations in which pseudonyms are used.
Privacy Shield Principles
Notice:
Direct U.S. Immigration notifies Data Subjects covered by this Privacy Shield Policy about its data practices regarding Personal Data received by Direct U.S. Immigration in the U.S. from European Union member countries in reliance on the respective Privacy Shield framework, including the types of Personal Data it collects about them, the purposes for which it collects and uses such Personal Data, the types of third parties to which it discloses such Personal Data and the purposes for which it does so, the rights of Data Subjects to access their Personal Data, the choices and means that Direct U.S. Immigration offers for limiting its use and disclosure of such Personal Data, how Direct U.S. Immigration’s obligations under the Privacy Shield are enforced, and how Data Subjects can contact Direct U.S. Immigration with any inquiries or complaints.
Choice:
If Personal Data covered by this Privacy Shield Policy is to be used for a new purpose that is materially different from that for which the Personal Data was originally collected or subsequently authorized, or is to be disclosed to a not previously approved third party, Direct U.S. Immigration will provide Data Subjects with an opportunity to choose whether to have their Personal Data so used or disclosed. Requests to opt out of such uses or disclosures of Personal Data should be sent to inquiry@directusimmigration.com.
Accountability for Onward Transfer
The Privacy Shield Policy and the Privacy Policy describes how Direct U.S. Immigration shares Personal Data.
In the context of an onward transfer, Direct U.S. Immigration has responsibility for the processing of personal information it receives under the Privacy Shield and subsequently transfers to a third party acting as an agent on its behalf. Direct U.S. Immigration shall remain liable under the Principles if its agent processes such personal information in a manner inconsistent with the Principles, unless Direct U.S. Immigration proves that it is not responsible for the event giving rise to the damage.
Except as permitted or required by applicable law and in accordance with Direct U.S. Immigration’s role as a controller or processor, Direct U.S. Immigration provides EU clients with an opportunity to opt out of sharing their Personal Data with third-party controllers. Direct U.S. Immigration requires third-party controllers to whom it discloses the Personal Data of EU clients to contractually agree to (a) only process the Personal Data for limited and specified purposes consistent with the consent provided by the relevant client, (b) provide the same level of protection for Personal Data as is required by the Privacy Shield Principles, and (c) notify Direct U.S. Immigration and cease processing Personal Data (or take other reasonable and appropriate remedial steps) if the third-party controller determines that it cannot meet its obligation to provide the same level of protection for Personal Data as is required by the Privacy Shield Principles.
Direct U.S. Immigration may disclose Personal Data to trusted third parties as indicated in the Privacy Policy without offering an opportunity to opt out. Direct U.S. Immigration requires that its agents and service providers that have access to Personal Data within the scope of this Privacy Shield Policy provide the same level of protection as required by the Privacy Shield Principles. We ensure that our agents process Personal Data received under the Privacy Shield in a manner consistent with our obligations under the Privacy Shield Principles.
We may also need to disclose Personal Data in response to lawful requests by public authorities, for law enforcement or national security reasons, or when such action is necessary to comply with a judicial proceeding or court order, or when otherwise required by law. We do not offer an opportunity to opt out from this category of disclosure.
Security:
Direct U.S. Immigration takes reasonable and appropriate measures to protect Personal Data covered by this Privacy Shield Policy from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction, taking into due account the risks involved in the processing and the nature of the Personal Data.
Data Integrity and Purpose Limitation:
Direct U.S. Immigration limits the collection of Personal Data covered by this Privacy Shield Policy to information that is relevant for the purposes of processing. Direct U.S. Immigration does not process such Personal Data in a way that is incompatible with the purposes for which it has been collected or subsequently authorized by the Data Subject.
Direct U.S. Immigration takes reasonable steps to ensure that such Personal Data is reliable for its intended use, is accurate, complete, and current. Direct U.S. Immigration takes reasonable and appropriate measures to comply with the requirement under the Privacy Shield to retain Personal Data in identifiable form only for as long as it serves a purpose of processing, which includes Direct U.S. Immigration’s obligations to comply with professional standards, Direct U.S. Immigration’s business purposes and unless a longer retention period is permitted by law, and it adheres to the Privacy Shield Principles for as long as it retains such Personal Data.
Access:
Data Subjects whose Personal Data is covered by this Privacy Shield Policy have the right to access such Personal Data and to correct, amend, or delete such Personal Data if it is inaccurate or has been processed in violation of the Privacy Shield Principles (except when the burden or expense of providing access, correction, amendment, or deletion would be disproportionate to the risks to the Data Subject’s privacy, or where the rights of persons other than the Data Subject would be violated). Requests for access, correction, amendment, or deletion should be sent to inquiry@directusimmigration.com.
Recourse, Enforcement, and Liability:
Direct U.S. Immigration’s participation in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework is subject to investigation and enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission.
In compliance with the Privacy Shield Principles, Direct U.S. Immigration commits to resolve complaints about your privacy and our collection or use of your Personal Data. Data Subjects with inquiries or complaints regarding this Privacy Shield Policy should first contact Direct U.S. Immigration at inquiry@directusimmigration.com.
If you have questions or concerns that are not satisfied through this process, you may bring your concern to the United States Council for International Business EU Data Protection Authorities (USCIB EU DPA).
In addition, you have the possibility, under certain conditions, to invoke binding arbitration for complaints regarding Privacy Shield compliance not resolved by any of the other Privacy Shield mechanisms.