Immigration

While other firms find it difficult to sustain a high level of client service given legal industry economics, Gibney still embraces practicing law by creating personal relationships with our clients instead of volume-driven transactional engagements. Dedicated to meeting the U.S. and global immigration needs of our clients around the world, our Immigration Group delivers strategic solutions specifically tailored to meet each client’s need. We partner with clients to help attract, support and retain the international talent essential to their business success.

Known for our collaborative approach, we create customized programs that reflect the latest developments in immigration law and ensure ongoing worksite compliance. From managing global immigration programs to advising start-up companies, we deliver a unique relationship based on service, no matter the size of the client. Led by senior attorneys, we evaluate each client’s immigration program with business objectives in mind.

We work with clients to balance priorities effectively and invest in processes that achieve their corporate goals and gain the trust of their employees. We build strong working relationships with human resources and global mobility teams to deliver proactive program management, efficient case initiation and preparation processes and timely advice to company stakeholders.
Our goal is to help clients seamlessly navigate immigration requirements for employees in every country and proactively plan for changes in law and policy.

Our clients span a broad range of industries including automotive, biotechnology and pharmaceutical, e-commerce, entertainment, financial services and consulting, food and beverage, gaming, health care, hospitality, information technology, luxury goods, manufacturing and media. Some clients are long-established companies with over 200,000 employees worldwide, while others we have helped to grow from start-ups to companies now employing hundreds of individuals. Regardless of size or industry, we make the same personal commitment to each of our clients, collaborating closely to enhance and progress their immigration programs and businesses.

U.S. Immigration

Representing individuals and institutions of all sizes, we can be as hands-on as our clients need us to be. We recognize our level of service may not make us a good fit for all clients, but our high-touch philosophy allows us to craft customized solutions to meet the rigors and challenges of U.S. immigration law. We advise employers on all types of immigration transactions and compliance issues including those applicable to business visitors, short-term assignees, expatriates and local hires. Our services include:

• Developing and implementing company immigration policies, procedures and strategies for workforce planning
• Preparing employment-based petitions to secure temporary and permanent work authorization for sponsored employees, including executives, managers, scientists, artists, professional workers, entrepreneurs and seasonal workers
• Establishing L-1 blanket programs for the expedited transfer of intracompany transferees, J-1 programs for interns, trainees and research scholars and STEM training plans foreign students
• Developing best practices for the hiring and ongoing employment of foreign nationals, including pre-offer assessments, Form I-9 employment verification and audits, H-1B and Labor Condition Application record-keeping requirements and other internal company programs and initiatives
• Conducting trainings, on-site presentations and webinars and providing educational resources
• Advising on the immigration implications of company mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, dissolutions and corporate name changes
• Establishing and maintaining systems for Form I-9 electronic generation and storage, including registration with the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system and coordination with Gibney Onboarding Services
• International assignment agreements and expat protection planning, including special handling for executives and business unit heads related to maintaining permanent resident status and naturalization

As a full-service law firm, our Immigration Group offers clients interdisciplinary legal services to meet all their needs under one roof. We routinely advise corporate personnel and foreign nationals on employment, real estate, social security, compensation and benefits planning, income and estate tax matters.

Global Immigration

We evaluate mobility trends and support global mobility teams in developing programs to proactively prepare for business expansion and future mobility needs. As a dynamic team comprised of multi-lingual senior professionals, we emphasize immigration compliance in all jurisdictions for international short-term travelers, expatriates and new local hires. We offer immigration services for over 140 destination countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC). With regional “hubs” in London and Singapore, we leverage a worldwide network of local immigration service providers to offer comprehensive global immigration services. With a goal of delivering personal service, global immigration programs are managed through a centralized point of contact and dedicated team throughout all stages of the immigration process. Our services include:

• Preparing and filing work permit petitions, business visa applications, residence permits and derivative family permits
• Advising on status maintenance and naturalization matters for outward-bound personnel, including obtaining Re-entry permits and filing applications to preserve residence for naturalization purposes
• Providing planning and advisory services for transferees and their dependents in the event of personal emergencies while working overseas
• Assisting with passport applications
• Procuring key documents, including family certificates, police certificates, Apostilles and consular legalizations

Technology

GibneyTrack^SM is our case management system for both U.S. and global immigration. This powerful tool provides secure, 24/7 access to real-time information on individual case status, expiration dates and case milestones, as well as tools for immigration program management.

• As external U.S. immigration counsel for a global financial services company, we manage all aspects of their employment based non-immigrant and immigrant visa program and provide worksite compliance advice on onboarding, government inspections, international assignment agreements and expat protection planning
• Manage all inbound U.S. and global matters for an international hospitality company, including the transfers of employees from accountants and general managers to chefs and architects, and work closely to tie immigration to the company’s long-term growth strategy
• Manage the U.S. and global immigration program for global manufacturers and life sciences companies, including L-1A and L-1B transfers, H-1Bs, PERM, I-140 and I-485 matters for senior executives, scientists, mechanical engineers and electrical engineers
• Assist a manufacturer in immigration matters including corporate E-Treaty registration for the transfer of executives to the U.S.
• Advise on immigration matters for media, advertising and marketing agencies, including securing visas and green cards for critical creative professional positions including Chief Operating Officers, heads of strategy and directors of technology