Immigration Pathways from Education to Employment

While attorneys play a limited role in assisting foreign nationals to obtain student visas, it is never too early to counsel international students on the ways in which they might pursue employment following the conclusion of their studies. The different processes are not intuitive, and developing a strategy in a timely manner can be essential to a student's ability to remain in the U.S.

This course, taught by veteran Immigration Law practitioner Matthew Blaisdell, will provide strategies for transitioning international students to temporary and/or permanent employment-based visas, and to help attorneys answer the questions that international students typically present. What is the legal framework for seeking employment-based visas in the U.S.? How do the processes differ in pursuing nonimmigrant (temporary) and immigrant (permanent) visas? What are the most suitable categories within each? What strategies are available for moving from a nonimmigrant to an immigrant visa? What considerations should a foreign national be considering while pursuing their studies in the U.S.?

In the course of addressing these issues, the program will survey the most common immigrant and non-immigrant visas, discuss how to evaluate a client's suitability for each, and identify special issues that should be addressed from the outset to provide the client with the best chance of success.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review various temporary and permanent employment-based options
2. Gauge which options might be most applicable to a particular student
3. Anticipate potential problems, including issues related to SEVIS, backlogs, dual intent, and consular processing, among others