Immigration

Our team manages inbound immigration services for domestic and international employers of all sizes, including Fortune 500 companies. For over 15 years, we've worked closely with HR professionals, managers, foreign national employees, and their families across time zones, providing personal and prompt legal services and advice.

How We Work

Whether you are a risk taker or chronically risk-averse, we'll explain your immigration options and all the possible outcomes plainly and efficiently. Since history has a way of repeating itself, we look at previous court, executive, and congressional actions to anticipate the next steps. We also base our advice on the team's collective and extensive experience handling immigration issues for similar clients. Our immigration experience extends to many sectors and fields, including biotechnology, data services, data sciences, engineering, financial services, healthcare, I.T., consulting, manufacturing, and retail.

We invest time and energy into client relationships and hope you see us as an extension of your team. Clients may call or text the practice group leader, Lynn O'Brien, anytime. We never screen calls or ask our clients to leave a message first because we realize the value of your time and the need to move quickly on immigration matters.

In addition to our team, clients benefit from working with Womble's experienced employment, tax, benefits, corporate, and white collar defense and criminal investigations lawyers. We also have an established network of immigration attorneys working in other countries around the world. Our global network is the key to staying current on international regulations and changes that may impact our clients.

Washington Whispers

D.C.-based immigration lawyer Lynn O'Brien leads our growing U.S. team. She previously worked at boutique immigration firms in the Washington, D.C. area and as a government contractor assigned to USCIS. O'Brien often describes news from Congress, The White House, and federal agencies as "Washington Whispers." Coining this term resulted from her efforts to provide clients with tailored analyses as soon as news breaks about new rules and executive orders. She is a well-known speaker and author in the field of immigration law and is known for being adept at finding creative solutions for cases where something may have gone wrong and for managing high-volume work—a winning but rare skill set.

Our Services

Global Workforce Management

B-1/B-2, E-2, E-3, F-1 STEM Training Plans, H-1B, L-1, O-1, PERM, PERM Audits, TN, Employment Based Green Cards, EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3

• Helping organizations:
  • Recruit, hire, and retain global talent
  • Develop “backup plan" strategies for those not selected in the H-1B Cap registration lottery
  • Sponsor foreign workers through employment-based immigrant visas and green cards
  • Manage foreign national employees’ needs and questions, navigating layoffs, M&As, and corporate reorganizations

Compliance with Immigration Policy and Law

I-9 Compliance Training and Audits and Employer Public Access File Requirements for H1B, H1B1, and E-3 Workers

• Helping teams establish administrative best practices
• Designing and implementing compliance programs and audits
• Meeting federal record retention requirements

Agency Interactions and Legal Actions

Enforcement Actions, Government Investigations, Fraud Detection and National Security ("FDNS") site visits, ICE raids, Requests for Evidence (RFE), Motions to Reopen and Reconsider

• Ensuring your organization is prepared for unplanned site visits and inspections
• Communicating with agency officials, engaging in negotiations
• Responding to formal government inquiries and requests for additional information
• Filing motions and appeals to overturn government decisions in immigration cases