- Brentwood, TN and Marina Del Rey, CA
Our business clients turn to us for immigration counsel because their focus is on finding the right people, not mastering the complexities of U.S. immigration law. Whether they need an engineer, physician, professor, or specialized team, their priority is identifying the talent best suited to the job. When that talent is a foreign national, we provide the immigration guidance necessary to make the employment possible.
We work with companies ranging from small businesses to large, multinational corporations and Fortune 500 companies. The industries we serve include manufacturers, automotive suppliers, hospitals and health care systems, universities hiring professors and researchers, technology companies, nonprofits, religious organizations, hospitality companies, landscaping and agricultural companies, and many others. Because immigration law is under the federal laws, we represent employers anywhere in the country from our offices in Middle Tennessee and Southern California.
Our services cover every nonimmigrant worker visa status and nearly every employment-based permanent residence classification. This includes H-1B petitions for specialty occupation workers, including cap registration and cap-exempt filings, L-1 transfers for managers, executives, and employees with specialized knowledge, and TN status for Canadian and Mexican professionals. Our services also include O-1 petitions for individuals with extraordinary ability and P-1 petitions for internationally recognized entertainment groups and professional athletes. We work with E-2 treaty investors and less common cases such as E-3 visa applications for Australians and H-1B1 visa applications for citizens of Chile. Our services include both the filing of petitions and the visa application process, where an individual often must apply for a visa in their home country before entering the U.S.
Our employment-based permanent residence practice includes PERM labor certification, EB-1 and EB-2 petitions, national interest waivers, and petitions for religious workers.
In addition to filing employment-based petitions, we help employers with their I-9 and workforce compliance. Every U.S. employer must verify work authorization. Enforcement has grown sharper, and there are penalties for I-9 errors. We assist employers with auditing their I-9 files proactively.
We start with the employer’s goal. For employers who want to keep an employee for the long term, we’ll map the temporary visa status and the permanent residence path together at the start. Then we gather the necessary information, prepare the case, and conduct a thorough review, including two separate attorney reviews. After filing, we track the case to ensure it has been properly receipted and that USCIS processes the case timely. If the government issues a request for evidence or a notice of intent to deny, we work with our clients to build the strongest possible response.
Some firms base their decision to take a case on the size of the company. We recognize that small businesses often have less capacity to handle immigration matters, which makes good counsel even more important. The stakes for that owner and that worker’s family are no smaller than they are for a Fortune 500 company.
The questions employers and employees ask us most often.
We start with a conversation about the company, the role and the person. The right visa depends on the nature of the organization and the job duties, degree requirements, salary, and the employee's own history. We'll tell you which options fit, what each one costs, and how long each takes before you commit to anything.
A visa gives temporary permission to be here and work, usually tied to a specific employer and a set period. A green card, formally called lawful permanent residence, allows an individual to reside and work in the U.S., and begins the path towards naturalization. Most employment cases start with the visa and move to permanent residence later, which is why we plan both from the beginning.
It depends on whether the position is cap-subject and on current processing times, which shift. Cap-subject cases follow a fixed annual calendar: registration in spring, filings after selection, and an earliest start date of October 1. Cap-exempt employers, including many universities and nonprofit research organizations, can file year-round. We'll give you the current timeline for your situation in the consultation.
Maybe not, but call today rather than next week. Options narrow as the date gets closer, and some of them depend on filing before a specific deadline rather than after it.
It's the Department of Labor step in most employment-based green card cases. The employer has to test the labor market through a defined recruitment process and show that no qualified U.S. worker is available for the role at the prevailing wage. It's procedural, it's exacting, and the recruitment has to be documented correctly the first time.
Sometimes. The immigration system makes it much harder for roles that don't require a degree, which is a frustration we share with our clients. There are paths, including seasonal and temporary programs, and they're worth examining. We'll be straight with you about what's realistic.
USCIS may issue a request for evidence or a notice of intent to deny. It isn't a denial. It's a request for more, and it's answerable. We build the response, and we've overcome challenges on cases the government initially signaled it would refuse. Outcomes depend on the facts of the case; no firm can promise a result.
Every employer should have their I-9s in order, regardless of whether they sponsor anyone. Enforcement has become more aggressive and penalties are assessed per form and they add up. A review before an audit costs a fraction of what one costs after.
Yes. Immigration is federal, so we represent employers in every state. We do a lot of work in Michigan and across the Southeast, with clients in California, New York, and elsewhere.
Fees depend on the case type and complexity, and there are separate government filing fees on top. We'll quote your matter specifically after the consultation, so you can decide with real numbers rather than a range.
Tell us about your business needs or your desire to work in the U.S. We’ll explore potential options to satisfy your goals.
