
John T. Medeiros
Attorney & Head, Corporate Immigration
John helps domestic and foreign companies navigate the complexities of U.S. immigration law. Hiring foreign talent can be a confusing process, and John works closely with corporate clients to help them understand that process. John is a Shareholder with the firm and represents companies of all sizes – from Fortune 500s to small startups – in a vast array of industries, including healthcare, engineering, information technology, retail, advertising, and manufacturing. He focuses on employment-based immigration, including labor certification (PERM) applications, nonimmigrant petitions (including, but not limited to H-1B, TN, E-3, L-1, O-1), J-1 waivers (including waivers for foreign-born physicians), immigrant visa petitions, extraordinary ability petitions, national interest waivers, adjustment of status applications, employment authorization applications, advance parole applications, and applications for reentry permits. John also organizes legal education seminars for corporate clients and presents each year to foreign students on immigration options after graduation.
John has served as Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. He has also served as Chair of the Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and is a member of the International Medical Graduate Task Force, a group of legal professionals dedicated to improving the path that international medical graduates who have completed their training in the United States must follow in becoming legally authorized to provide health care services in the United States. He currently serves on the Client Resources Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Key Practice Areas
- Nonimmigrant visa petitions (H, L, O, TN, E, B-1)
- Labor Certification Applications (PERM applications)
- J-1 waiver applications
- Immigrant visa petitions
- Extraordinary Ability Petitions
- National Interest Waivers
- Adjustment of Status Applications
Recognitions and Honors
- Listed in Minnesota as a Rising Star, Immigration Law, 2020-2023
- Notable LGBTQIA Executive, Twin Cities Business, 2021
Publications and Presentations
Publications
- Author, Immigration Law for the Labor and Employment Attorney, Minnesota CLE, September 2023
- Author, The Huddled Masses (4 AILA Law Journal 11 (2022))
- Co-Author, Dreamers, TPS Recipients, and Employer-Sponsored Visa Applicants – What to Expect from the Biden Administration and What It Means for Employers and Employees. (Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, May 2021)
- Co-Author, Immigration Recordkeeping: The Essentials of I-9 Compliance (Minnesota CLE, May 2021)
- Author, Sanctuary and Harboring in Trump’s America (44 Mitchell Hamline Law Review 869 (2018))
- Author, Administration’s ‘Culture of No’ Undermines Immigrant Workers, Employers (Bench & Bar of Minnesota, November 2018)
- Featured in Profiles in Practice, Hennepin County Bar Association
- The Rise of the Sanctuary Congregation (Hennepin Lawyer, May/June 2017)
- Immigration After DOMA: How Equal is Marriage Equality? (Hamline Journal of Public Law & Policy, Fall 2013)
Presentations
- Immigration Law for the Labor and Employment Attorney, Minnesota CLE, 2023
- Attorney and Paralegal Relationships: Practical Tips for a Successful Immigration Practice for Firms of All Types, Upper Midwest Immigration Law Conference, MN/Dakotas Chapter of AILA, 2023
- Two Timely Topics for 2/22/22: H-1B Registration and EB-2 Downgrades (MN/Dakotas Chapter of AILA, 2022)
- Business Immigration Essentials: Practical Tips for Employers (2022)
- Humanitarian Parole for Afghan Nationals: A Training by Volunteer Lawyers Network and the MN/Dakotas Chapter of AILA, 2021
- Immigration Options for Foreign Medical Graduates (2021)
- Anatomy of the Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) Form (2021)
- Immigration Options for Foreign Students (University of Minnesota, 2021)
- Employment A-Z: The Basics of Business Immigration (MN Continuing Legal Education Seminar, 2021)
- An Early Look at the Policies of the Biden Administration: Developments in Employment-Based Immigration Law (MN Continuing Legal Education, 2021)
- Dreamers, TPS Recipients, and Employer-Sponsored Visa Applicants – What to Expect from the Biden Administration and What It Means for Employers and Employees (Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, May 2021).
- The State of Immigration Practice and Alternatives to Traditional Approaches (MN CLE, December 2018)
- Dissecting the H-1B: Anatomy of a Specialty Occupation (Upper Midwest Immigration Law Conference, MN/Dakotas Chapter of AILA, 2020)
- Recent Trends in Employment-Based Immigration (AILA MN/Dakotas Chapter, 2019)
- Business Immigration in Uncertain Times: 10 Essential Strategies for Employers (Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, St, Paul, Minnesota, 2019)
- Employment A-Z: The Basics of Business Immigration (MN Continuing Legal Education Webinar, 2019)
- Immigration Options for Foreign Students (University of Minnesota, 2019)
- Challenges in Business Immigration Processing (MN Continuing Legal Education, 2018)
- How Employers Who Hire Foreign-Born Workers Can Survive the Trump Administration (MN Continuing Legal Education, 2018)
- Anatomy of an I-9 Audit (Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, St, Paul, Minnesota, 2018)
- Immigration Options for Foreign Students (University of Minnesota, 2018)
- Beyond the Cap: Alternatives to H-1B’s (Upper Midwest Immigration Law Conference, MN/Dakotas Chapter of AILA, 2018)
- Advancing the Rights of LGBTI Individuals Worldwide (Advocates for Human Rights, 2018)
- Impact of the Trump Administration on Employment & Immigration (Business Law Institute, Minnesota, 2017)
- Immigration: 100 Days into the Trump Administration (Business Law Institute, Minnesota, 2017)
- The New I-9 Form and E-Verify – Best Practices and Practical Guidance for Improved Immigration Compliance (Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, St, Paul, Minnesota, 2017)
- Immigration and Global Mobility in the Trump Era (Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, St, Paul, Minnesota, 2017)
- Issues Facing LGBTQ Immigrant Clients (2017 Upper Midwest Immigration Law Conference, MN/Dakotas Chapter of AILA, 2017)
- Immigration Options for Foreign Students (University of Minnesota, 2017)
- Immigration in the Era of Trump (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, University of Minnesota, 2017)
- Sanctuary Movements & Sanctuary Congregations Today (Edina Human Rights Commission, Minnesota, 2017)
- Fundamentals of Immigration Law: A Refreshing Look at the Basics of H-1B and L-1 Work Visas (Upper Midwest Immigration Law Conference, MN/Dakotas Chapter of AILA, 2016)
- Updates in Employment-Based Immigration (American Council of Engineering Companies, 2016)
- The Top Ten Immigration Law Developments of 2016 (Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota, 2016)
- Immigration Basics (A Three-Part Webinar Series) (MN Continuing Legal Education, 2016)
- Hot Topics in Immigration Law for LGBTI Clients (Lavender Bar Association, Minnesota, 2016)
- Immigration Options for Physicians and Other Health Care Professionals (North Dakota Hospital Association, 2016)
- The Squeeze is On! Challenges for Dealing with Immigration Agency Pressure on Employers of Foreign Workers (Southern Minnesota Area Human Resource Association, 2016)
- Immigration Options for Foreign Students (University of Minnesota, 2016)
- Welcome to Our World: The Nuts and Bolts of Employment-Based Immigration (MN/Dakota Chapter of AILA, 2015)
- Employment-Based Immigration: A Brief Overview (Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, 2015)
Professional Associations
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Client Resources Committee 2023-2024
- Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter of American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Immediate Past Chair, 2022-2023
- Chair, 2021-2022
- Vice Chair, 2020-2021
- Secretary, 2019-2020
- Treasurer, 2018-2019
- International Medical Graduate Task Force
- Minnesota Lavender Bar Association
- Member, 2014 – present
- Board Member, 2015-2017
Community Involvement
- Green Card Voices
- Board Member
- All Dog Rescue of Minnesota
- Quatrefoil Library
- Everything You Need for the 2025 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2025)
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Workplace
- Important Changes to the I-9 Process
- 19 NJL Attorneys on 2023 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
- Florida Passes Strict Employer Compliance Law
- Employers Beware: COVID-19 Flexibilities To Form I-9 to End On July 31, 2023
- Let’s Be Real: Managing Immigration Sponsorship Requirements During Company Layoffs
- I-9 Remote Document Inspection Flexibility Policy Extended to July 31, 2023
- Form I-9 Alert: Continue to Use Current Form I-9
- Everything You Need for the 2024 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2024)
- Corporate Compliance and Retention of Immigration-Related Documents
- Pay Transparency and PERMs: An Immigration/Pay Transparency Conundrum
- Fifteen NJLers on 2022 Rising Stars, Super Lawyers Lists
- Update: E-2 Spouses are Now Also Deemed Employment Authorized Incident to Status
- DHS Settlement Provides Long-Awaited Changes for H-4 and L-2 Spouse Work Authorization
- UPDATED: Biden Administration Announces Plans to Rescind COVID-Related Travel Restrictions For All International Travelers to the United States
- PERMission to Hire Foreign Workers: New Factors to Consider in PERM Recruitment Obligations in light of Facebook Settlement
- Everything You Need for the 2023 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2023)
- White House Announces Ease on Travel Restrictions For All International Travelers Coming into United States
- Sixteen NJL Lawyers on 2021 Super Lawyers Lists
- John Medeiros Honored as 2021 Notable LGBTQA Executive
- US Adds India to the List of Travel Ban Countries
- Business Travelers and Nonimmigrant Workers Face New Challenges
- I-9 Compliance in the time of COVID: DHS Announces Flexibility Extension
- Not Biden His Time: Biden Administration Announces Intentions to Make Immigration Reform a Top Administrative Priority
- New Travel Restrictions for Travelers Entering in the United States
- Backlog to the Future: Lingering Questions about the Employment-Based Immigrant Visa Wait Times Under H.R. 1044/S. 386
- DHS Extends Temporary Protected Status Benefits for El Salvador, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal Nationals
- Federal Judge Strikes Down Two Rules that Impose Restrictions on U.S. Employers who Sponsor Foreign Workers
- The Premium Processing Roller Coaster: What is the Fee Now, and Has it Been Expanded to Other Types of Immigration Benefit Requests?
- October Surprise: Major Changes for Employers who Sponsor Foreign Workers
- U.S. State Department Releases Information on the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2022)
- UPDATE: California Judge Stays the Implementation of USCIS Fee Increase
- How to Read The Visa Bulletin & What October’s Bulletin Means for Employment-Based Immigration
- The Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act and What USCIS Furloughs Could Mean for U.S. Businesses
- USCIS Temporarily Adds Document to I-9 List of Acceptable Documents
- Employers Beware: New Immigration Fees are Coming Soon
- Court Temporarily Suspends Trump Administration’s Public Charge Rule
- Seventeen NJL Lawyers Listed in Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- Goodbye, NAFTA. Hello, USMCA.
- Trump Administration Continues Its Attacks on Legal Immigration
- U.S. Supreme Court Rules to Uphold DACA Protections
- June 2020: A Bumpy Ride for Employers Who Sponsor Foreign Workers
- Nilan Johnson Lewis Adds Corporate Immigration Law Expertise to Its Labor and Employment Law Practice