IMMIGRATION: DESCRIPTION

Immigration Planned the Right Way

Planning for temporary and long-term employment of foreign nationals in the U.S. can be a complex matter. McKenna Long & Aldridge's Immigration Law practice, representing both domestic and multinational corporations, has the expertise to resolve these issues.

Our lawyers regularly work with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC and the U.S. Department of Labor.

A Range of Services

We assist our clients in a variety of ways:

• Obtaining temporary visas such as E, H, L, O, P and TN visas
• Preparing filings for permanent residence, as well as applications for alien employment certification (which is often a necessary prerequisite to permanent residency)
• Assisting clients in becoming citizens of the U.S.
• Obtaining visas and work authorization for work assignments abroad

Technology Matters

To represent our clients in an effective and economical manner, MLA maintains a computer database to monitor the status of our immigration cases. On a quarterly basis, we provide our clients with a printout, in the form of a chart, setting forth the current status and needs for each foreign national employee's immigration case.  Our clients also have access to these charts, which are updated weekly, via the internet through the password protected client extranet.

When appropriate, we train our clients' human resources personnel to handle routine immigration matters such as extensions of temporary stay and visa application packages. Such training typically enables our clients to further reduce the expense of administering their immigration matters.

Counseling on Compliance

Our lawyers also advise on compliance procedures in connection with the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA). We represent our clients during USCIS investigations into their compliance with the record keeping and hiring provisions of IIRAIRA and its predecessor, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). Additionally, we represent our clients before the U.S. Department of Labor during wage and hour and other inquiries.

MLA carefully monitors new legislation, regulations and administrative rule making in the immigration field, allowing us to provide timely summaries of key changes and developments to our clients.