Immigration Law

Practice Area

To remain competitive in today’s global marketplace, businesses attract and retain top talent from around the world. While U.S. employers have the opportunity to select the best workers from a pool that extends beyond the domestic workforce, hiring a foreign worker presents many unique legal challenges. Our Immigration Law Practice Group focuses on providing legal support to ensure that companies are able to hire, transfer, and retain the brightest and best non-U.S. talent.

The challenge of immigration compliance has grown exponentially with the U.S. government’s heightened regulatory and enforcement agenda post-9/11. As U.S. immigration law increases in complexity, organizations require skilled immigration counsel to guide them in establishing uniform policies, to maintain compliance with the wide array of regulations governing this field, and to prepare petitions for foreign national employees. Our attorneys facilitate the immigration process and minimize the burden on in-house legal and human resources departments.

Harris Beach offers comprehensive immigration legal services with added value. We pride ourselves on efficiency, cost-effective staffing, affordable rates, being readily available to clients, implementation of the latest communication and legal support technologies, an ability to see the world from the client’s point of view, and a willingness to partner with clients to achieve their goals. We help employers meet their specific needs while minimizing the inconvenience, delays, expense, and potential liability related to immigration issues.

We are not an immigration “mill,” but a full-service law firm offering superior immigration legal services backed by a depth and variety of talent not readily available elsewhere. Through our immigration practice, we assist businesses, organizations, educational institutions, individual professionals, and researchers with a broad range of matters.

Non-Immigrant (Temporary) Visas

We assist clients with obtaining a number of non-immigrant visas that allow foreign nationals to work in the U.S. We have extensive experience helping clients navigate the complex regulatory and procedural maze to secure the following non-immigrant visas: practical training for F-1 students, TN for Canadian and Mexican professionals admitted under NAFTA, H-1B and E-3 for specialty occupations, L for intra-company transfers, E-1/2 for treaty traders/investors, O-1 for extraordinary ability workers, B-1 for business purpose visitors, and P for performers and athletes.

Immigrant Visas

Our Immigration attorneys also have in-depth experience obtaining immigrant visas on behalf of clients seeking permanent U.S. resident status. We routinely process permanent resident petitions in accordance with established guidelines and policies for employment-based visas, family-based visas, and annual diversity visa lotteries. We provide counsel on all facets of the employment-based permanent residence visa process including PERM-based labor certification applications, national interest waivers, multinational executives and managers, outstanding researcher and professors, and extraordinary ability foreign nationals. We prepare J visa waivers and naturalization applications for U.S. citizenship.

Harris Beach Immigration attorneys provide constant monitoring and interpretation of ever-shifting federal and state-level immigration laws affecting employers, and translate that knowledge into practical, proactive advice. We assist clients in complying with electronic employment verification rules and I-9 auditing to ease their burden of examining documents to prove employee identity and employment authorization. When appropriate, we also offer information and seminars to foreign employees regarding maintenance of status and immigration options.

Harris Beach immigration attorneys provide specialized advice in key immigration sub areas including business immigration systems, the health care sector, state licensing of foreign professionals, taxation of foreign nationals, immigration options for students who wish to remain in the U.S., and outbound immigration. We also help organizations in reviewing and organizing their immigration function for maximum efficiency and best practices including review and establishment of written policies for immigration procedures.