Immigration Law
The Immigration Practice represents both domestic and international companies on the work authorization issues of foreign national employees. The Immigration Practice compliments the firm’s full range of labor and employment legal services. Fennemore Craig’s commitment to immigration legal services reflects the growing demands from employers for result-oriented assistance in recruiting highly qualified workers worldwide for specialized fields, such as health care and the tech sector.Immigration Practice attorney Nancy-Jo Merritt, assisted by a team of experienced paralegals, aids U.S. businesses in obtaining and maintaining the appropriate immigration status for foreign professionals and highly skilled workers. She also counsels multi-national clients in the international relocation of employees to such diverse locations as Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and Pacific Rim countries, as well as the United States. She also assists employers who want to provide sponsorship for foreign workers who wish to obtain lawful permanent resident status, or a "green card."
The Immigration Practice counsels employers on compliance with federal law requiring verification of employee eligibility to work in the United States and advises employers regarding audits and documentation requests from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service), the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration, and the new Bureau of Immigration and Custom Enforcement. Development of internal policies for management of the myriad issues facing employers with foreign national employees in their workforce is also a focus.
Business and Professional Visas
Business travel now frequently encompasses global destinations. Fennemore Craig's Immigration Practice assists companies with securing necessary visas for business travel around the world. Timely processing of visa requests is facilitated by a state-of the art web-based, secure portal site available to clients round-the-clock, putting necessary forms immediately within reach and positioning them for immediate submittal.
Citizenship Matters for Foreign Executives and Professionals
Citizenship applications, changes, and processing for foreign executives and professionals are handled routinely by the Immigration Practice in support of business clients both in the United States and abroad.
Corporate Compliance and Policy Development
The impact of federal legislation oriented toward tightened national security, as well as state and federal legislation addressing the status of immigrants seeking work in the United States, has complicated corporate compliance. The firm offers the experience and knowledge needed to help business ensure that employment-eligibility verification responsibilities are met and that business clients comply with the regulations of federal agencies, which include the newly organized Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, now part of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the Department of Labor, the Department of State and the Social Security Administration. In addition, the firm helps clients respond to government inspections and search warrants.
Immigration Visas and Permanent Resident Processing, Labor Certificates
The Fennemore Craig Immigration Practice has expertise in United States, Mexican and Canadian immigration matters, which include lawful permanent resident status or "green cards," the I-9 process, alien labor certifications, L-1 visas, H-1B visas, Canadian permanent residence, TN status, and Canadian employment authorizations.
Fennemore Craig Immigration Portal Tracking
Fennemore Craig's Client Portal enables Immigration Practice clients to access documents and necessary visa forms anytime through a secure pass-code system. In turn, clients can upload completed forms for prompt attention by the firm, saving valuable time. Clients can have their workers at locations all over the world upload completed applications to the portal site during their normal work-day, which immediately places the completed application in front of the client's human resource administrators and the firm attorneys for processing. In addition, clients can track the progress of labor certifications, employment authorizations, and visas round-the-clock from any web-connected computer.
Immigration Tracker
Additional Information
Immigration FAQ
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