Immigration Law & Policy

In today’s rapidly evolving world of immigration law and policy, it is crucial to have counsel with a proven track record, able to deliver a range of high-quality services. From global corporations seeking timely advice on employment-based immigration options for their talent, to foreign investors in search of EB-5 guidance, to businesses in need of compliance advice for immigration-related regulatory requirements—the need for effective and experienced immigration counsel is clear.

Akin offers a full range of immigration services to our clients, from employment-based and family-based petitions, to I-9 compliance and national origin discrimination advising, to assistance with visa issuance and travel-related issues. Our immigration practice aims to offer the highest level of service to our clients, with combined capabilities that cover all aspects of immigration and nationality law. We also offer the advantage of having colleagues who practice in areas of law that intersect with immigration law, such as customs, homeland security, labor and employment, tax, and mergers and acquisitions. This sets our practice apart from typical immigration law firms whose expertise is often limited either to business immigration or family immigration. We assist our clients in long-term strategic planning, developing policies and practices that help them create and retain the best talent possible, and we provide solutions that benefit both the employer and the employee. Our experienced team of lawyers is deeply rooted in the immigration law community and is involved with various immigration-related organizations, such as the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

We also have strong experience in immigration-related compliance matters. Much immigration enforcement activity surrounds preventing the hiring of unauthorized workers. However, federal laws also protect work-authorized individuals from national origin and citizenship discrimination. Citizenship discrimination includes “document abuse,” which can occur when employers require noncitizens to provide more, or different, documents than necessary to establish that they are work-authorized. Akin routinely counsels clients on how to prevent claims of citizenship and national-origin discrimination in the context of immigration compliance programs. We also handle immigration-related government investigations conducted by the Immigrant and Employee Rights section of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the agency tasked with enforcing the antidiscrimination and document abuse provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA).

Our team of private client advisors represents individuals on their pre-immigration tax and estate planning, including innovative wealth management structures that accommodate and optimize multi-jurisdictional tax and legal considerations. We also represent executives and globally mobile employees entering the United States on short- or long-term assignments, including developing their executive compensation, and managing tax exposure to them personally and to the companies.

Akin’s pro bono work in the area of immigration has been recognized on multiple occasions. An early leader in conducting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) employment authorization clinics, our firm has been involved in hundreds of immigration cases in the last decade. Through corporate and pro bono immigration work, our lawyers have obtained a thorough understanding of the process required to obtain employment authorization, Social Security cards, Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs), and the process necessary for foreign nationals to travel abroad and obtain visas at U.S. consulates. We have worked with multiple families ensuring entry of dependents into the United States, filed applications for Employment Authorization Documents and “advance parole,” and communicated with U.S. consulates and ports of entry to ensure the safe return of our clients to the United States.

Finally, with the largest public law and policy practice in the country, Akin often represents clients in matters relating to immigration policy. We conduct analyses of legislative and regulatory proposals, and advocate on behalf of our clients in all areas of immigration policy.

Our Services

Our immigration practice group provides a broad range of immigration services for business organizations and individual clients in need of assistance. Our lawyers have knowledge and experience in the following areas of immigration law: