Immigration Law

Tueth Keeney is a member of the Employment Law Alliance (ELA).   We partner with ELA attorneys worldwide to provide our clients with the resources to handle labor, employment and immigration issues throughout the world.   Our clients also have access to ELA’s Global Employment and Immigration Handbook that includes detailed information regarding legal issues in each state and in all member countries.   In addition, ELA regularly provides free webinars on “hot” topics.   Please refer to the link for additional information about ELA.

Our Immigration practice group epitomizes Tueth Keeney’s core values:

• We are recognized leaders in the field of Immigration law in our region.
• We provide the highest quality legal services to businesses, colleges and universities and individuals at substantially greater value than our competitors.
• We form lasting working relationships with our clients ““ we strive to be viewed not just as great lawyers, but also as colleagues who enthusiastically tackle the challenges facing companies, universities and individuals in a world where global mobility has become a necessity.
• We recognize that immigration needs often combine both business and personal needs that are extremely important to the individuals whom we serve. For many clients, the ability to immigrate to the United States is one of the most important decisions for them and for their families. The loss of such an opportunity or the loss of a worker has a chain reaction from the individual to the institution and the co-workers of that institution. Hence, we are dedicated to providing strategies and options to assist clients in achieving their personal and professional goals in the most efficient manner possible.
• We also recognize the importance of compliance in the area of Immigration Law. It is absolutely critical that entities and individuals are cognizant of the multitude of laws and regulations to ensure that they operate within the confines of the law at all times. We provide information, practical advice and a wide range of services in the compliance arena.
• We recognize that in the area of Immigration law, clients often need emergent advice and action. We understand that people need to travel for business reasons and personal reasons, and sometimes those needs arise at unusual hours or during weekends or holidays. We pride ourselves in providing timely, responsive services regardless of the time zone or day of the week.
• We have purposefully structured our Firm so that we may provide the most effective representation to our clients by providing the most cost-effective legal strategies and solutions to large and small institutions alike. We believe we provide “big firm” quality but with significantly greater efficiency and at a lower cost to our clients.
• We are proud that our dedication to our core values allows us not only to provide thoughtful and collaborative counsel, and to assist our clients in fulfilling the needs of their organization and the personal needs of the people involved. Our goal is to provide in-house counsel, human resource personnel or others in charge of immigration law matters and compliance with the support they need to respond to the demands of their business, institution of higher education, or individual needs.

Our attorneys have been recognized as leaders in Immigration law.

Melanie Keeney  has been recognized by Best Lawyers™ for over 20 years in the area of Immigration law, including being named as St. Louis Immigration Law “Lawyer of the Year” for 2012 and 2015 by Best Lawyers™, and has been recognized in the 21st Edition of The Best Lawyers of America in the practice areas of Employment Law ““ Management, Immigration Law, and Education Law. She also has been recognized by Super Lawyers™ for Immigration Law for 13 years and has been recognized as one of the top 50 Missouri and Kansas female attorneys. Melanie has served as a past chairperson of the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association’s Missouri and Kansas Chapter. She has served as Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law at Washington University School of Law and is a frequent presenter of legal topics throughout the country. In 2016 Missouri Lawyers Weekly presented Melanie with the Women’s Justice Litigation Practitioner Award and in 2014, Washington University School of Law honored Melanie with the International Women’s Day Award for Employment Law. She also is a member of the Employment Law Alliance and served as an Immigration Panel Chair at its Annual Meeting in Shanghai. Melanie leads the Firm’s Immigration practice.

Melanie assists clients with their immigration needs and in handling Global Mobility matters, including obtaining temporary and permanent visas, handling employer sanctions issues, I-9 and E-Verify employment eligibility verification compliance, consular processing and naturalization.

Diane Metzger  practices in the areas of immigration law and employment law.   From large multi-national employers to small employers who have no prior experience with our nations”™ complex immigration laws, Diane represents and provides counsel to clients with a wide range of business immigration needs, including but not limited to obtaining non-immigrant visas (e.g. H-1B, L-1, TN, E, O); applying for permanent residency (e.g., PERM, Schedule A, EB-1); navigating the naturalization process; consular processing and other applications made directly with the U.S. Department of State; out-bound immigration matters when U.S. employees are transferred abroad; and family-based immigration through U.S. citizen relatives.

Diane also assists corporate clients with preventive advice and counsel, including advice on immigration-related corporate reorganization issues and corporate compliance & due-diligence matters including, I-9s, E-Verify, and immigration-related audits.   Diane regularly provides training to her clients.

John Reynolds  has practiced for over 20 years, and focuses his immigration practice on Employer Compliance issues, I-9 Enforcement and Export Control Analysis.   He provides large and small employers with advice on compliance pursuant to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) and related I-9 issues, including E-Verify requirements and audit responses.

We invite you to read more about how we create enduring relationships with our clients, deliver the highest quality of legal services, and provide unparalleled efficiency to our business, higher education and individual clients.

General Immigration Advice
We serve as outside counsel to institutions of all sizes and types, offering practical advice that is tailored to the individual needs of the particular institution or client. We regularly provide guidance on a wide variety of legal matters including:

We regularly obtain the following visas for our clients:

Nonimmigrant Visas

• Business visitors (B), including B visas in lieu of H visas
• Treaty Traders or Treaty Investors (E)
• Student Visas (F, J, M)
• Employers and colleges alike must be aware of recruiting and hiring issues involving individuals on student visas (F, M, J). Accordingly, we assist clients in obtaining work authorizations (EADs), curricular and optional practical training, changes and extensions of status, waivers of the two-year foreign residency requirement for J visitors, and consular processing issues.
  Specialty occupations (H-1B and H-1B1 and E-3)
• Temporary workers (H-2)
• Trainees (H-3)
• Fiancés (K)
• Intra-company transferees (L)
• L-1Bs for Specialized Knowledge Professionals
• L-1As for Intracompany Managers and Executives
• Blanket L Visas
• Religious workers (R)
• Canadian and Mexican Professionals under NAFTA (TN)
• Exceptional Ability (O)
• Professional Athletes (P)

Immigrant Visas

The Firm also works with clients in obtaining permanent resident status in all employment-based categories (EB-1 to EB-5). We have successfully obtained immigrant visas for individuals with extraordinary ability, outstanding researchers and professors, multinational executives and managers, and individuals whose work is in the national interest. We also obtain approvals of labor certification applications through the PERM process. The Firm also assists clients with adjustments of status, USCIS interviews and consular processing.  We regularly handle the following cases:

• EB-1A Extraordinary Ability Immigrant Visas
• EB-1B Outstanding Researcher and Professor Immigrant Visas
• EB-1C Multinational Managers and Executives Immigrant Visas
• EB-2 National Interest Waivers (NIWs)
• EB-2 Physician National Interest Waivers (PNIWs)
• EB-2 PERMs for Advance Degree Professionals
• EB-3 PERMs for Professionals and Skilled Workers
• Diversity Visa Lottery Cases

Physician Immigration Services

Our attorneys regularly handle complex physician immigration matters, including:

• Conrad 30 Applications
• Delta Regional Applications
• Physician National Interest Waivers
• PERMs
• O Extraordinary Ability Visas

Employer Compliance

Our attorneys provide guidance for employers to meet compliance requirements under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, thereby avoiding fines, penalties and other employer sanctions. We train human resource personnel in I-9 compliance and proper recruiting and hiring methods, represent clients in I-9 audits, and conduct I-9 due diligence for mergers and acquisitions. We also provide training and policies related to proper recordkeeping requirements. The Firm also provides guidance regarding E-Verify compliance for federal contractors and employers required to participate by state laws.

Tueth Keeney provides strategic planning and visa processing necessary for the successful employment of international workers. Consequently, Tueth Keeney attorneys counsel clients on the ramifications of immigration statutes and regulations to assist employers in developing practical strategies for recruiting, hiring, and maintaining lawful employment of international workers. We advise clients regarding compliance with governmental regulations, record keeping procedures and proper hiring practices. The Firm’s immigration attorneys deliver comprehensive advice and services to individuals seeking to enter the U.S., their family members and employers.

Client Resources

• Flash Emails-Our attorneys notify clients of “hot” immigration law developments, as this practice area often experiences significant changes in government adjudication policy.
• Immigration Seminars-We offer annual seminars at no cost to our clients regarding up to date immigration issues.
• Webinars-We offer webinars on significant changes in immigration law.