Immigration and Compliance in 2013: What You Need To Know

John Fay is an attorney and technologist with a deep applied knowledge of business immigration, I-9 compliance and E-Verify rules and procedures. During his career, John has advised corporations, educational institutions, and individuals on a variety of U.S. immigration and I-9 issues. At the same time, John has also been uniquely involved in information technology, having designed several immigration and I-9 management software applications.

John is a frequent speaker on I-9 and E-Verify compliance topics, presenting at various employment and immigration conferences throughout the U.S. During the past three years, John has served as a panelist on nearly 60 live and virtual presentations on I-9 and E-Verify topics. He is also a prolific writer on I-9 and E-Verify compliance and is responsible for establishing the LawLogix Compliance Blog and Knowledge Base (https://www.electronici9.com).

As Vice President and General Counsel at LawLogix, John is responsible for interfacing with members of the Department of Homeland Security to ensure regulatory compliance, and overseeing product design and functionality. John was recently awarded the 2013 Corporate Counsel of the Year in the private company category by the Arizona Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Sarah M. M. Duckham is a Senior Attorney with Trow & Rahal. She has been practicing immigration law for over twelve years, with a focus on business immigration law. Sarah’s expertise focuses primarily on working with employers to obtain temporary work visas and green cards for employees, and she is a leader within the firm on matters concerning labor certification/PERM. She is also well versed in family immigration law matters, visas for entrepreneurs and investors, and citizenship and naturalization. Additionally, Sarah manages Trow & Rahal’s Compliance Practice, including counseling employers on I-9 and other compliance issues and providing guidance on immigration policies. She is a regular speaker on I-9 compliance good practices. Sarah is recognized by The International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers 2013. Sarah graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore, Maryland in 1991, where she graduated with honors and was awarded the Order of the Coif.

Eric Ledbetter specializes in complex business immigration matters for companies of all sizes, advising on a range of workplace issues such as I-9 and E-Verify compliance and avoidance of discrimination claims based on national origin and citizenship status. He represents investors, doctors, scientists, researchers, engineers, business executives, entertainers, and high-knowledge workers. He has broad experience with H, L, O, TN, B, E and other types of non-immigrant visa status, as well as Conrad 30, No Objection, and Interested Government Agency J-1 waivers, and permanent residency based on PERM labor certification, EB-1 Outstanding Research, Extraordinary Ability, and Multinational Management.

Pamela (Pam) Nieto’s practice is focused on handling business immigration matters. Ms. Nieto has extensive experience helping clients meet their business immigration needs, whether a company desires to transfer an employee from an office abroad, needs to hire a foreign national to fill a vacant position or is interested in obtaining a work visa in connection with opening an office or starting a new venture in the United States. She handles the full range of temporary (nonimmigrant) visa matters, including H-1Bs (specialty occupation), L-1s (intracompany transfer), including Blanket Ls for very large operations, E-1s (treaty trader), E-2s (treaty investor), TNs (Treaty NAFTA), O-1s (extraordinary ability), among others. She also handles the full range of permanent (“green card” or “immigrant”) visa matters, including permanent labor certifications (PERM), multinational manager petitions, EB-5 investor petitions, extraordinary ability petitions, etc. Ms. Nieto works with clients in arranging for J-1 (exchange visitor) visas, as well as in securing J-1 waivers of the two-year home residency requirement. She provides assistance in setting up compliance programs for and performing audits on I-9 Employment Verification programs and H-1B Labor Condition Application/Public Access File programs. She also works with clients to assess and address export control certification requirements related to hiring foreign nationals. Ms. Nieto counsels clients in connection with programs such as E-Verify and IMAGE, as well as in connection with preparing for inspections and site visits. She is also assists in the due diligence review process by assessing the impact a proposed action, such as a merger or acquisition, might have on existing foreign national employees’ authorization to continue their employment.