At Phillips Lytle, we understand the need for customized solutions for short and long-term immigration strategies as they relate to issues across a variety of industries.
Contact UsAt Phillips Lytle, we understand the need for customized solutions for short and long-term immigration strategies as they relate to issues across a variety of industries, including energy, engineering, health care, education, technology, manufacturing, professional sports and entertainment. Whether you’re a U.S. business looking to hire a foreign national, an individual seeking U.S. residency through investment or a U.S. citizen wishing to sponsor a relative—the immigration law team at Phillips Lytle can help you navigate this complex system, coordinate with government agencies and identify strategic and innovative immigration solutions to fit short and long-term needs. Because we recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to immigration, we craft these solutions to account for the fact that our clients’ needs may change over time.
Our office is strategically located near multiple high-volume Ports of Entry on the U.S.-Canadian border which has allowed us to build a certain level of rapport and familiarity with border officials and consular officers and tailor solutions to fit the unique aspects of each individual client’s application. Our depth of knowledge gained through our broad base of clients allows us to address the intricacies and variations of each immigration case, and execute strategies to meet the immigration needs of large corporations, small businesses, families and individuals. We also represent clients at the U.S. border and in both immigration court and federal court proceedings.
Phillips Lytle’s immigration law representation includes assistance with employment-based green cards, family-based green cards, employment visas, Free Trade (NAFTA), green card, global immigration, border problem and federal administrative court matters. Our clients also benefit from the firm’s additional resources for guidance on immigration-related tax, business and real estate implications.
We understand the complexities and stresses of the immigration process. This is why our attorneys use our extensive experience and resources to provide our clients with comprehensive immigration representation. We use this experience and work as partners with our clients to listen to their needs and craft unique solutions to help them achieve their immigration objectives.
Whether a business or an individual in need of an immigration attorney, we have the answers you’re seeking thanks to the extensive citizenship and immigration services provided by Phillips Lytle.
One of the key immigration law services we provide is to counsel corporate employers on the latest immigration laws and policies related to the temporary employment of professionals from the health care, legal, performing arts, science and engineering industries, among others. We provide individually-tailored solutions to meet each employer and corporate industry’s specific needs while staying abreast of fluctuations in employment-based immigration policy.
Assistance includes advising on immigration issues related to policy interpretation and compliance, corporate mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring, coordinating with appropriate government agencies, such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and preparing foreign nationals for interviews at various Ports of Entry located throughout North America. We also provide assistance with short-term non-immigrant labor petitions, labor certifications and immigrant visa petitions. Our attorneys are also recognized experts in providing unique solutions for various professional industries by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), which helps facilitate a smooth and efficient corporate hiring process for our clients.
Learn MoreOne of our main areas of focus involves counseling foreign corporate investors on opportunities to contribute to U.S. economic growth and job creation. We assist these individuals from a ground-up approach where we advise on building the foundations for investing capital into local communities and eventually growing large enough to promote tangible growth. While many investors may only seek short-term solutions for their business needs, long-term immigrant visa options are also available for those who invest a significant amount of capital into USCIS’s designated regional centers.
Learn MoreForeign-based corporations that have a presence in the U.S. often require employees and corporate executives to travel to U.S.-based worksites to meet with clients, contractors, and other business associates. We counsel these companies, including those involved with the energy, security, and finance industries, on the best possible routes for their employees to enter the U.S. business market. Whether it is to open a new office or utilize specialized knowledge and expertise in a particular field, we remain cognizant of the need to ensure the smooth transition to conducting business in the U.S., as well as compliance with complex immigration regulations affecting large corporate entities and their associated employees. We also guide employers of these companies interested in sponsoring and permanently maintaining foreign employers through the permanent residency process, which commonly involves filing PERM labor certifications or EB-1C applications.
Learn MoreTraditionally, employment-based immigration involves a U.S.-based company sponsoring a foreign national employee, whether employed with a foreign subsidiary, affiliate, or through active recruitment. Entrepreneurs, however, may face difficulty due to their unique absence of a sponsoring employer. We counsel entrepreneurs and other investors who wish to create employment opportunities in the U.S. through start-up companies and venture capital initiatives on business formation, capital investment and corporate immigration compliance. Through creative and uniquely-tailored solutions, we help these individuals find successful pathways toward entering the U.S. economy and carrying out their career goals.
Learn MoreA unique aspect of our practice involves counseling those with extraordinary ability in their field of endeavor on their options for continuing their work and contributions in the U.S. We frequently counsel high-caliber individuals who have excelled in the sciences, arts, athletics, business, and other fields and whose achievements have garnered both national and international acclaim. We also work closely with professional labor organizations responsible for overseeing an applicant’s respective field of endeavor to procure advisory opinion letters attesting to their large stature and widely-recognized success, as well as those sponsoring the applicant to properly highlight his or her achievements and contributions.
Learn MoreA common route to relocating to the U.S. is through sponsorship by a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident relative. While there are many starting points for filing a family-based immigration petition, all begin with a qualifying relative with ties to the U.S. We counsel clients on the complexities involved with sponsoring a spouse, fiancée, child, parent, or sibling, including the associated financial requirements that each sponsor must meet and the annual numerical quotas for permanent resident applications. We also have extensive experience counseling clients with relatives living abroad through the consular interview process prior to obtaining an immigrant visa, including the process associated with filing a family-based petition directly through a consular post as opposed to USCIS. As each consular post carries unique documentary and interview-related requirements, we constantly coordinate with each individual embassy and the National Visa Center (NVC) to ensure each client’s compliance with family-based immigration policy.
Learn MoreWe frequently counsel Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) on the necessary steps to obtain citizenship, the final leg in many clients’ immigration journeys. The citizenship process can often feel daunting due to implications of tax filings, good moral character, and knowledge of U.S. culture and history. After obtaining a green card, an LPR may also be subject to different timelines depending on the circumstances surrounding their green card application. We counsel clients on how to become naturalized U.S. citizens throughout their permanent resident status, while also ensuring their continued compliance with U.S. immigration laws and policy and that they are familiar with the requirements involved with naturalization. Specifically, we take a comprehensive approach and work closely with our clients to ensure that they have been continuously present in the U.S., demonstrated good moral character, and abided by the principles of the U.S. Constitution throughout their LPR status. Our goal is to ensure that each prospective U.S. citizen feels prepared prior to their citizenship interview and ready to achieve what many immigrants view as a life-long goal.
Learn MoreMany foreign nationals often encounter issues during travel into the U.S. that result in lengthy, and sometimes permanent, bars to future entry. Since 9/11, the U.S. border has narrowed and foreign citizens seeking entry to the U.S. are now faced with frequently inflexible border officers. We are AILA-recognized experts in a wide variety of complex inadmissibility issues for foreign nationals and frequently speak at national and international conferences on the subject. Specifically, we provide unparalleled border advocacy and craft comprehensive strategic solutions for individuals who are denied admission for issues including fraud and misrepresentation, criminal convictions, overstays, and many more. We are constantly analyzing the ever-changing landscape of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy to ensure that each individual is able to successfully overcome their inadmissibility issues and obtain permission to attend business meetings, reunite with family members or travel to the U.S. for other reasons.
Learn MoreWe assist a multitude of clients involved in the education system, including university professionals, students, teaching faculty, and professional exchange visitors. Specifically, students often require guidance on their post-graduate opportunities and their ability to obtain employment authorization. Through careful consideration of their educational background and qualifications, we craft solutions for students who are beginning their professional careers, as well as established professionals, to obtain TN, H-1B, and J-1 status, as well as Optional Practical Training (OPT) for STEM graduates, and contribute to the U.S. workforce. We also counsel university faculty on compliance with immigration regulations for students, including the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) and the maintenance of required immigration-related paperwork on behalf of each student.
Learn MoreThe U.S. has a long history of immigration partnership with Canada and Mexico as signatories of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), formerly the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). USMCA allows professionals employed in health care, science and technology, engineering and other fields whose duties correspond to particular employment categories obtain employment in the U.S. for a maximum of three years. While there are some differences in requirements for Mexican citizens as opposed to those from Canada, all have the benefit of obtaining temporary employment in the U.S. under TN status as treaty signatories. We are recognized experts on the subject of USMCA and frequently speak at national and international conferences on TN visa-related issues and changes in border policy. We also maintain a close line of communication with various Ports of Entry and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials to remain updated on the USMCA treaty implementation process and visa issuance trends.
Learn MoreWe frequently counsel foreign nationals on their options for making short-term visits to the U.S. for a variety of reasons. Visitors can either apply for B-1 status to temporarily enter the U.S. for business matters, or B-2 status to make short-term pleasure and recreational visits. We create strategic solutions for our clients based on the purpose and intended length of their travel, as well as current global travel policy and compliance. Because Canadian citizens are visa-exempt individuals, we also counsel foreign nationals from around the world on the consular interview process and requirements for presenting themselves at a U.S. Port of Entry for inspection.
Learn MoreThe different types of immigration support we provide requires an in-depth understanding of the immigrant and nonimmigrant visas that govern various aspects of U.S. immigration. Our team is skilled at utilizing these visas to craft unique immigration solutions for our clients.
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