Immigration Law

Our immigration practice is committed to working with employers to ensure that they are able to transfer, hire and retain foreign workers.  The global economy offers unique challenges to both large and small employers.  Some of those challenges are ensuring that employers have the right talent for the job.  This may mean transferring experts from around the world to the United States to open a new office. In addition, employers face increasing enforcement efforts and a bewildering array of state and federal regulations governing employment verification.  Stites & Harbison guides employers through this maze of regulations by providing advice about the Social Security Administration mismatch letter, I-9 audits by various government agencies, applicability of new and evolving state laws and investigations that could lead to criminal sanctions.

Stites & Harbison's Immigration services include:

Work Visas

  • H-1B (specialty occupation visas
  • J-1 (on-the-job trainee) visas
  • L-1 (intracompany transfee) visas
  • O-1 (extraordinary ability) visas
  • TN (NAFTA professional) visas

Non-Work Visas

  • B-1 (business visitor) visas
  • B-2 (tourist) visas
  • F-1 (student) visas
  • J-1 (exchange visitor) visas

Employment-Based Permanent Residency "Green Card" Proceedings

  • Labor certification-based cases including PERM
  • Multi-National Manager and Executive Immigrant Petitions

Visa Applications at U.S. Consulates

  • Applications for immigrant and all non-immigrant visa categories at all U.S. Consulates, including logistical advice on interview scheduling and issuance time tables
  • Troubleshooting when Consular officer is resistant to issuing a visa
  • Advice on special issues such as Technology Alert List and other security-related checks

I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification Assistance)

  • Employer I-9 questions and advice
  • Self-audit I-9 programs for employer compliance
  • I-9 training
  • I-9 audit defense
  • E-Verify registration and compliance
  • Federal Contractor (FAR) E-Verify compliance

Naturalization and Citizenship

  • Naturalization and citizenship applications
  • Derivative citizenship claims
  • Waivers of Excludability
  • J-1 waivers for foreign medical graduates

 For more information, contact Mauritia G. Kamer at (859) 226-2218 or mkamer@stites.com.