2020 AILA Fall Virtual: Advanced Business Conference

From office closures to executive orders to directives issued through U.S. Department of State Twitter feeds, both the pandemic and the Trump administration are responsible for the unprecedented number of changes to nonimmigrant employment visa practice.

Panelists will discuss the impact of these changes as they relate to agency policies and practices on a number of employment-based nonimmigrant visas, focusing in particular on the issues of most concern to your employer and employee clients.

• Work-from-Home, Work-from-Abroad, and Other Changes to the Workplace Environment
• Impact of Layoffs, Furloughs, and Corporate Restructuring, Including Successor-in-Interest Determinations on NIVs
• Using NIV Bridges—e.g., H-1B to B and Back Again—and Other Creative Options
• Using Nunc Pro Tunc and Requesting Officer Discretion in Response to COVID-Based Lapses in Status
• Increased Enforcement (FDNS) and Changes to Employer Compliance Requirements

Faculty:

• Amy Erlbacher-Anderson (DL), Fall Conference Program Business Vice Chair, Omaha, NE
• Jerome G. Grzeca, Milwaukee, WI
• Janora L. Hawkins, Atlanta, GA

Session Link: https://zoom.us/j/95810954121

In times of high unemployment like we are experiencing now, we can expect higher PERM audits, a revival in supervised recruitment, and more denials of labor certification cases. Just as challenging are adjustment cases during periods of massive layoffs, reductions in force, and global transfers.

Panelists will examine the challenges of filing PERM and employment-based petitions, adjustment, and consular processing immigrant visa cases in 2020 and the near future.

• The New 9089 and What to Expect
• Increase in PERM Audits, Supervised Recruitment, and Denials
• Work-from-Home as a Permanent Option
• I-485 Portability and Successor-In-Interest I-140s in a Time of High Unemployment
• Adjustment of Status vs. Consular Processing for Clients Who Have Fallen Out of Status
• Critical Deadlines for Accrual of Unlawful Presence and How It Is Triggered

Faculty:

• Maggie M. Murphy (DL), Austin, TX
• Kevin W. Miner, AILA Board of Governors, Atlanta,  GA
• Sarah K. Peterson, AILA DOL Liaison Committee Chair, Minneapolis, MN
• Josiah J. Curtis, Boston, MA

Session Link: https://zoom.us/j/94572249622

Clients are facing the consequences of increasingly restrictive legal standards and policies that represent an unprecedented effort to reduce legal immigration. Litigation has proven to be one of the most effective ways to stop this onslaught.

Panelists will cover the basics of business litigation and advise on best practices for litigating employment-based cases successfully in federal court.

• Managing Client Expectations and Discussing Litigation as a Potential Inevitability
• Building the Record with Litigation in Mind
• Petitions for Review of NIV Denials
• Mandamus and the APA for Unreasonable Delay
• Resources Available Through AILA and the Council

Faculty:

• Jeff Joseph (DL), AILA Secretary, Aurora, CO
• Jonathan Wasden, Burke, VA
• Jesse M. Bless, AILA Director of Litigation, Washington, DC

Session Link: https://zoom.us/j/94756579256

Embracing diversity lies at the heart of our profession, but unconscious and implicit bias still may impact our judgement and perception of both colleagues and clients. Our panel of experts will help you to recognize how unconscious bias may be negatively impacting your workplace and advise on techniques to check your blind spots and improve diversity and inclusion in your practice.

• Forms of Unconscious Bias and Its Impact in the Legal Profession
• Assessing and Improving Diversity and Inclusion in Your Workplace
• Increasing Self-Awareness and Demonstrating Respect for Clients and Colleagues
• Cultural Understanding and Fostering Better Relationships with Clients

Faculty:

• Olivia Serene Lee (DL), AILA Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair, San Francisco, CA
• Hudaidah Bhimdi, Fairfax, VA
• Patricia Ice, AILA Diversity and Inclusion Committee Member, Jackson, MS
• Christine M. Hernandez, Denver, CO

Session Link: https://zoom.us/j/95661034288