We offer strategic, comprehensive counsel on a broad spectrum of immigration issues.
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP’s Immigration practice counsels clients on the full range of immigration issues. We complement our experience in business-related immigration matters by coordinating and consulting with colleagues in our Labor and Employment, Corporate, Health Law, International, and Tax practices to address each client’s unique immigration needs.
We regularly help clients comply with immigration-related regulations applicable to all employers—from employment eligibility verification and record-keeping requirements to compliance with anti-discrimination provisions. Many of our clients call on us to draft corporate policies that comply with existing laws without sacrificing administrative ease and efficiency.
We also facilitate coordination with government agencies—including the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)—on a wide range of issues that include visa processing, labor certifications, and employment eligibility verification. Clients rely on us for assistance in developing strategies for nonimmigrant visa processing, as well as for obtaining permanent residency for international workers and their families, including help with DOL and PERM certification processes. Outbound immigration is an integral part of our practice, as our global client base frequently calls on us for assistance in obtaining temporary and permanent visas to other countries.
Additionally, we assist international workers in their interactions with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and with U.S. Department of State officers at consular posts around the world. We regularly advise these workers on how to successfully navigate the complex electronic visa application form and appointment process and conduct successful personal interviews with consular officers. With immigration law in constant flux, regular client communication is a top priority, and we consistently update our clients with crucial information on new statutes, regulations and government guidance memoranda, fee increases, visa allocation cut-offs, and other impending deadlines.
Our Clients
- Individual entrepreneurs
- Family-owned businesses
- Tier-1 automotive suppliers
- International chemical manufacturers
- International tire manufacturers
- Religious-based community centers
- Hospitals, physicians, and other medical- and dental-related companies
Our Services
- Immigration compliance, including employment eligibility verification, recordkeeping requirements, and anti-discrimination provisions
- Coordinating with the USCIS, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of State, and the DOL in addressing visa processing, labor certifications employment eligibility verification and recordkeeping requirements, anti-discrimination provisions, and recordkeeping issues
- Advice on whether any regulated information is “deemed to be exported” to a nonimmigrant worker
- Compliance with International Traffic in Arms regulations
- Drafting compliant corporate policies
- Self- and government-initiated I-9 audits
- Coordinating visa processing, labor certifications, and employment eligibility verification
- Obtaining a full range of nonimmigrant visas for our clients’ non-resident workers, including:
- B-1 business visas, including the B-1 in lieu of H-1B and B-1 in lieu of H-3 visas
- E-1 and E-2 treaty trader and investor visas for both multinational corporations and individual investors seeking to open new businesses in the U.S.
- E-3 visas for citizens of Australia seeking to work in a specialty occupation
- H-1B professional worker visas in a wide variety of industries, including the health care field
- J-1 exchange visitor trainee and intern visas, including drafting individualized training plans and sponsorship packages
- Obtaining waivers of the J-1 visa two-year home residency requirement for non-U.S. citizen physicians who are graduates of U.S. medical schools and others subject to the home residency requirement
- L-1A and B, intra-company transferee visas, including establishment of new offices and “blanket L” visas
- O-1 visas for international workers with extraordinary ability
- R-1 visas for religious workers
- TN visas for citizens of Canada and Mexico who work in a variety of occupations
- Obtaining permanent residence for international workers and their family members, including filing permanent residency applications within the U.S. and at U.S. consulates abroad
- Navigating the complex foreign labor certification program overseen by the DOL
- Electronic PERM certification
- Obtaining immigrant visas for workers in a range of classifications, including multinational managers and executives, outstanding professors or researchers, and individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement
- Obtaining visas to other countries, with an emphasis on temporary and permanent visas to Canada, China, Mexico, Germany, and the United Kingdom
- Advice and consultation regarding travel and interactions with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry throughout the U.S. and consular posts located all over the world
- Regular updates regarding new statutes, regulations and government guidance memoranda, fee increases, visa allocation cut-offs, and other impending deadlines