Eugene Chow

About the Lawyer Chow King & Associates specializes in representing business investors in acquiring appropriate visas or permanent residence in the US and Hong Kong, as well as corporate clients wishing to employ or transfer key personnel to these destinations on employment visas. Their clients include a wide variety of individuals and businesses, from persons wishing to immigrate based on family relationships or employment to investors and large, publicly listed multinational companies. The firm has well-established referral relationships with law firms and accounting firms that require international immigration law expertise but do not maintain in-house immigration practices, and it frequently co-counsels cases with other law firms in a cooperative business framework. The firm also handles citizenship and related nationality matters, including counseling and representing individuals in the US expatriation process and assisting individuals in the acquisition of alternative citizenship to facilitate visa-free travel, for tax planning purposes, or as a hedge against negative economic or political developments in their countries of origin. Its comprehensive range of immigration services includes advocacy of complex visa issues involving grounds of statutory ineligibility before US consulates, processing criminal waivers before US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and handling administrative appeals and federal court litigation in immigration cases. Whatever the assignment, the firm is committed to ensuring that each client receives a high standard of personalized, dependable, confidential, and professional services. Eugene Chow is the Principal of Chow King & Associates, a Hong Kong–based firm specializing in U.S., Hong Kong, and international immigration matters. He has extensive experience in all major areas of international immigration, including business and investment immigration, citizenship matters, employment-based immigration, temporary work visas for managers, executives, professionals, and skilled workers, as well as family-based immigration. Over more than four decades in practice, he has guided both corporate and individual clients through complex immigration processes involving multiple jurisdictions, particularly the United States and Hong Kong, and is widely regarded as a leading expert in corporate and international immigration.

Experience

Eugene Chow is the Principal of Chow King & Associates and has practiced law since 1976, focusing his career on U.S., Hong Kong, and international immigration matters. He founded Chow King & Associates in 1988, establishing a boutique practice dedicated to representing international corporate and individual clients in a full spectrum of immigration issues. Over more than 40 years in immigration law, he has developed deep experience in business and investment immigration, citizenship matters (including expatriation and acquisition of alternative citizenship), employment-based immigration, temporary work visas for managers, executives, professionals, and skilled workers, and family-based immigration.

Mr. Chow has been certified as a specialist in immigration and nationality law by the California Board of Legal Specialization since 1989, reflecting his long-standing focus and advanced expertise in this area of practice. His work encompasses both inbound and outbound immigration to and from the United States and Hong Kong, advising multinational companies on the movement of key personnel, and assisting individual clients with permanent residence, non-immigrant visa strategies, and complex consular processing. He has also been active in addressing complex statutory ineligibility issues, criminal-related immigration matters, and litigation aspects of immigration cases before administrative bodies and federal courts.

Specialty

• Business and Investment Immigration: Representing business investors in acquiring appropriate visas or permanent residence in the US and Hong Kong, including structuring immigration strategies for entrepreneurs, investors, and multinational corporations seeking to establish or expand operations in these jurisdictions.
• Citizenship and Nationality Matters: Counseling and representing individuals in the US expatriation process and assisting clients in acquiring alternative citizenship for visa-free travel, tax planning, and risk management in light of economic or political uncertainty in their home countries.
• Employment-Based Immigration: Handling employment visas and permanent residence applications for corporate clients wishing to employ or transfer key managers, executives, and professional staff to the US and Hong Kong, including coordination of global mobility strategies for multinational enterprises.
• Family-Based Immigration: Assisting individuals in family-based immigration processes, including petitions for spouses, children, parents, and other qualifying relatives, as well as related issues that arise in consular processing and adjustment of status.
• Temporary Work Visas: Advocating for temporary work visas for managers, executives, professionals, and skilled workers, and advising employers and individuals on maintaining lawful status, extensions, and changes of status across different visa categories.
• Complex Visa and Consular Issues: Handling complex visa issues involving grounds of statutory ineligibility before US consulates, preparing detailed submissions, and addressing admissibility concerns that affect the issuance or renewal of visas and entry permits.
• Criminal Waivers and Inadmissibility: Processing criminal waivers and related applications before US Citizenship and Immigration Services and other relevant authorities, assisting clients whose immigration status or visa eligibility is affected by prior criminal conduct or allegations.
• Administrative Appeals and Federal Court Litigation: Managing administrative appeals in immigration matters and coordinating federal court litigation where necessary, including challenges to adverse immigration decisions and advocacy in complex, precedent-setting cases.

Education

Eugene Chow holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Penn State University, where he graduated summa cum laude. He obtained his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Boston College Law School, completing his legal studies in 1976. He was admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania in 1976 and in California in 1978. His formal education in the United States, combined with his long-standing certification as a specialist in immigration and nationality law by the California Board of Legal Specialization, provides the foundation for his extensive practice in U.S., Hong Kong, and international immigration law.

• Awards
  • Eugene Chow received a Certificate of Appreciation for 30 years of participation as an Immigration & Nationality Law Certified Specialist in the Legal Specialization Program2.
  • Chow King & Associates was named Global Law Experts 2019 Corporate Immigration Law Firm of the Year in Hong Kong1.
  • Chow King & Associates was named Global Law Experts 2018 Corporate Immigration Law Firm of the Year in Hong Kong1.
  • Chow King & Associates was named Global Business Insight 2018 Corporate Immigration Law Firm of the Year – Hong Kong1.
  • Chow King & Associates was named International Advisory Experts Immigration Lawyer of the Year in Hong Kong 20181.
  • Chow King & Associates was named Global Law Experts 2017 Corporate Immigration Law Firm of the Year in Hong Kong1.
  • Chow King & Associates was a Lawyer International Legal 100 – 2017 Award recipient1.
  • Chow King & Associates was a Lawyers World Country Awards 2014 winner for Immigration Firm of the Year – Hong Kong1.
• Industry Rankings
  • Eugene Chow was named to Who’s Who Legal’s Thought Leaders Global Elite 2022, 2021, and 20202.
  • Eugene Chow was selected as one of the world’s leading practitioners in Who’s Who Legal Thought Leaders: Mainland China & Hong Kong SAR 20241.
  • Eugene Chow was named to Lexology Index: Thought Leader Index Ranking for Corporate Immigration, Hong Kong1.
  • Eugene Chow was listed among the most Highly Regarded Individuals in corporate immigration law in the 2017 Who’s Who Legal: Corporate Immigration guide1.
  • Eugene Chow was named the most Highly Regarded Corporate Immigration Lawyer in Asia Pacific in 20151.
  • Eugene Chow was recognized as the solely recommended immigration law expert and firm in Hong Kong for 2011–2014 by Global Law Experts1.
• Leadership Roles
  • Eugene Chow serves as the principal of Chow King & Associates1.
  • Eugene Chow has been described as the principal of a Hong Kong firm specializing in U.S. and Hong Kong immigration matters3.
  • Eugene Chow has been called globally regarded as one of the top immigration experts on the firm’s website4.
• Major Case Successes
  • No reliable direct mention of a specific major case success for Eugene Chow was found.
• Contributions to Award-Winning Projects
  • Eugene Chow and his firm were nominated for the exclusive Corporate Immigration Law position in Hong Kong by Global Law Experts in 20201.