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. He 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.
He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) 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.
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
Publications and Presentations
Publications
- 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
- Dissecting the H-1B: Anatomy of a Specialty Occupation (AILA Upper Midwest Immigration Law Conference, 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 (2018 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 (2016 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 (AILA)
- International Medical Graduate Task Force
- Minnesota Lavender Bar Association
- Member, 2014 – present
- Board Member, 2015-2017
- Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter of American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
- Vice Chair, 2020-present
- Secretary, 2019-2020
- Treasurer, 2018-2019
Community Involvement
- All Dog Rescue of Minnesota
- Quatrefoil Library
- Personnel Committee, University Baptist Church
- 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