As the leader of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Business Immigration Solutions practice group, Jennifer Cory navigates the complexities of US immigration law to design efficient, effective visa routes for her clients, who include educators, entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and investors in key industry sectors such as academia, automotive, financial, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and technology. Her comprehensive guidance ensures that companies and individuals alike understand and comply with the web of multiple and often confusing regulations that govern the authorized employment and status of non-citizens.

Jennifer’s clients contribute to all aspects of everyday life. They develop and manufacture versatile and cutting-edge products used in our homes, vehicles, and work environments, conduct research and development that ensures the safety of the prescriptions that keep us healthy and train the minds of the next generation of globally-oriented citizens.

Certified as a Specialist in Immigration Law by the North Carolina State Bar, included in Best Lawyers in America in the field of Immigration Law, and selected as a global leader in Who’s Who Legal for Corporate Immigration, Jennifer is a locally, nationally, and globally recognized expert.

Thought Leadership

Publications

Presentations

  • “The Role of HR in Immigration Compliance”, SHRM CLE, June 16, 2023 
  • “What you need to know about U.S. immigration”, APSCo Trade Delegation, May 25, 2023
  • “Immigration Challenges & Solutions: Leveraging”, The Evolving Dance: The Changing Role of Company Counsel & Compliance Officers, October 12, 2022
  • Co-Presenter, “Immigration Compliance in the Real World,” The Association of Corporate Counsel, Compliance and Ethics Network Monthly Membership Meeting, March 15, 2022
  • Co-Presenter, “Immigration Compliance in the Real World,” The Association of Corporate Counsel, Compliance and Ethics Network Monthly Membership Meeting, March 15, 2022
  • “The Return of the Social Security Administration No Match Letter,” Association of Corporate Counsel, Compliance and Ethics Network Meeting, June 2019
  • “Immigration and Hiring International Employees and Workers”, German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern US Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) Skills Conference, May 2019
  • “Rocky Steps – Rising to the Challenge of the U.S. Labor Shortage”, Association of Corporate Counsel Greater Philadelphia Chapter In-House Counsel Conference, April 2019
  • “Immigration & Visa Basics”, Northern Powerhouse Trade Mission, March 2018
  • “The Heat is On – How to Keep Your Cool Over US Immigration Policy”, Association of Corporate Counsel Compliance & Ethics Network, August 2018
  • “A 2018 Immigration Forecast – What You Should Know About Anticipated Changes on the Horizon”, North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, January 2018
  • “E-Verify Overview”, Webinar Co-presenter, October 2017
  • “What Does It Mean?! Making Sense of Recent Immigration-Related Tweets and Announcements”, Association of Corporate Counsel, Compliance and Ethics Committee Meeting, September 2017
  • “Who’s Eyeing Your Forms I-9?”, Webinar Co-presenter, August 2017
  • "Increasing the Efficiency and Profitability of Your Practice", AILA Annual Conference, June 2015
  • "Immigration Update for Employers", The Employers Association, June 2015
  • "Beyond OPT", University of North Carolina - Charlotte, February 2015
  • "Everything You Need to Know: I-9 Compliance and E-Verify", Mecklenburg County Bar, April 2014
  • “Strategies for Maintaining Status”, AILA Georgia-Alabama Chapter 2nd Annual Conference, March, 2014
  • “Current Issues Breakfast”, The Employer’s Association, February 2013
  • “Cross Training - Why Every Lawyer Needs to Know About Immigration Law”, Mecklenburg County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, December 2012
  • “Immigration Update: Post-Election Review”, The Employer’s Association, January 2009
  • “U.S. Business Immigration Issues”, Sterling Education, November 2008
  • “Exposing the Dilemma, An Educational Forum on the Moral and Legal Complexities of Immigration”, St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church, October 2008
  • “E-Verify Update”, The Employer’s Association, October 2008

Professional & Civic Engagement

  • North Carolina Bar Association
  • North Carolina Bar Association International Law and Practice Section Chair 2021-2022, Vice Chair 2020-2021, Treasurer 2019-2020, Secretary (2018-2019), Council Member and Immigration Committee Co-Chair
  • Mecklenburg County Bar
  • Florida Bar
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • 2017 Co-Chair Nominations Committee, Women Lawyers of Charlotte
  • North Carolina State Bar Immigration Specialization Committee

Honors & Awards

  • Recognized in Business North Carolina magazine’s Legal Elite, Immigration, 2022
  • Chambers USA Ranked Lawyer, Immigration, North Carolina, 2021 – Present
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings), Immigration Law, 2013 – Present
  • NC Board Certified Immigration Law Specialist
  • Who’s Who Legal: Corporate Immigration, 2019 – Present
  • AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating

Representative Experience

Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.

  • Developed a centralized immigration process for one of the world’s top automotive suppliers headquartered in Germany, which improved its ability to transfer a high volume of key employees quickly and economically to locations across the U.S.
  • Facilitated work authorization for hundreds of Canadian-based Clinical Research Associates to conduct site monitoring visits on behalf of a preeminent multinational health information technology and clinical research provider.
  • Obtained blanket approval for a Hong Kong global education services provider enabling it to now transfer talent to the U.S. without first acquiring pre-clearance State-side.
  • Conducted onsite internal compliance audits for a leading grocery retailer’s East Coast distribution centers, protecting the client from hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential fines.
  • Assisted cutting-edge Taiwanese clinical researcher in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering obtain permanent residence.