Immigration and mobility

Our internationally recognized group is among the largest and most respected immigration practices operating in the US. 

Our team, named in Best Lawyers’ annual Best Law Firms rankings and as the 2021 'Law Firm of the Year' for Immigration Law in US News & World Report, consistently receives top-tier rankings from Chambers USA and Chambers Global and includes two of the top 20 business immigration lawyers in the United States, as designated by Human Resource Executive. 

With decades of experience, our lawyers advise global brands and pre-eminent corporations across a wide range of industries. We anticipate and resolve issues before they become problems. Underpinned by our global employment, pensions and incentives practice, which boasts deep resources across Asia, Europe and the Middle East, our lawyers combine cutting-edge strategies and knowledge of local and regional sensitivities to support clients on their most challenging matters.  

Our team develops global workforce plans and mobility strategies, navigates complex immigration laws and policies, and ensures that our clients’ mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs and other corporate restructuring transactions meet their global workforce management needs and comply with US immigration law. 

We enable clients to:  

• Recruit, hire and move innovators, professionals and employees with essential education, skills or backgrounds from around the world.
• Transfer existing employees to fill new roles that require deep company knowledge and an understanding of company culture.
• Bring talent with extraordinary abilities to the US and globally. 

We advise our business clients on the best long and short-term approaches based on their needs, including the use of H-1B specialty occupation visas and L-1 visas for intra-company transfer of executives, managers and employees with specialized knowledge, as well as all other types of non-immigrant visa classifications and paths to permanent residence (such as a green card). In addition, we advise business clients on company-wide immigration policies, immigration law compliance, internal audits and government investigations/enforcement actions. We also represent individuals who, because of extraordinary ability or substantial investments in the US, do not require corporate sponsorship to immigrate. 

Our lawyers have cultivated strong working relationships with key members of Congress and decision-makers in the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and the Department of Labor, which have enhanced our ability to advocate for clients and help shape immigration policy, regulations and legislation. 

Our capability is also enriched with deep industry focus, including: 

• Advertising: This group handles all immigration matters for more than a third of the 50 largest advertising agencies in the US. We have a thorough understanding of the key role that each position plays at an advertising agency and a comprehensive knowledge of the industry’s key awards and honors. We are adept at developing effective immigration solutions for our advertising clients. 
• Arts and entertainment: We advise some of the most prestigious theater production companies, including many on Broadway, to ensure the ability of foreign talent to take on both long- and short-term engagements in the US. We also represent many of the leading talents in the entertainment world, including individual actors, singers, directors, producers, writers and designers whose abilities have garnered them Tony, Olivier, Oscar, Emmy and Grammy awards. We also represent a number of other clients in the arts world, including world-famous museums, art conservationists, an orchestra and an opera house. 
• Banking, financial services and hedge funds: Global financial services organizations striving to expand their cross-border reach rely on our team to secure access to foreign employees and professionals. Our fluency in foreign and domestic markets; the laws and compliance regulations governing banking and investment practices; and US immigration laws and procedures, especially in connection with E and L visas, enables us to develop effective strategies for the most complex transfer cases for our finance clients.  
• Fashion and luxury brands: Our team advises many well-known European and American clients in the fashion and luxury goods market on business immigration policies, including handling all matters in connection with their foreign national managerial and professional employees, immigration cases for many of their most senior executives and matters involving secondment, expatriation and other aspects of workforce mobility. 
• Healthcare: We serve as ongoing immigration counsel to several of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the country, including the largest healthcare provider system in New York City. We have deep experience in the complex issues related to sponsoring foreign physicians and allied healthcare professionals and to the associated waiver of foreign residency requirements. We work regularly with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, CGFNS International and other accreditation agencies. And we know the pathways to permanent residency, including extraordinary ability petitions, national interest waivers and PERM labor certificates. 
• Hospitality: From world-renowned restaurants and global restaurant chains to premiere hotel groups, we have represented leading names in the hospitality industry through every stage of the immigration process. Our clients rely on us to secure work authorization and permanent residence for key talent - chefs, managers, executives, and specialized staff. In a highly regulated industry, we also guide clients through I-9 compliance, internal audits, and critical government investigations and enforcement actions, offering strategic counsel to protect a client’s workforce and brand reputation. 
• Legal services: We advise leading international law firms and legal service organizations, providing strategic advice on a broad range of matters. We obtain immigrant and non-immigrant work visas and advise on talent planning, transition planning, secondments and other aspects of workforce mobility. 
• Media, communications and education: Leading global media, communication and education companies rely more than ever on the mobility of their skilled, professional, managerial and executive workforces, and we have developed creative business immigration solutions to help our clients meet those needs.  
• Sports: Serving as immigration counsel for professional sports leagues, as well as prominent foreign athletes, requires knowledge and understanding of the immigration benefits available for professional major and minor league athletes and essential support personnel, including O-1, P-1 and P-1S visas. We represent clients involved in world championship title events, playoffs, and high-profile athletic competitions and series. We are also experienced in expediting petitions and visas through relevant government agencies, including the US Department of State and USCIS, to enable athletes to participate in tournaments or matches on short notice. 
• Technology and business consulting: Winning the race for new discoveries, new ideas and new tech-based products and services requires finding, hiring and moving innovators and professionals from around the world. We represent some of the world’s largest technology companies, leading tech/business consulting firms, and fast-growth start-ups – supporting their efforts to attract and retain key personnel from around the globe. Our work spans every stage of the talent lifecycle, from initial hiring and global transfers to permanent residency. We also advise on internal compliance, government investigations and high-stakes enforcement matters.