Kelli Meilink

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Kelli focuses her practice on business immigration law, representing a wide range of employers in obtaining and maintaining employment authorization for foreign national employees on a temporary and permanent basis. Kelli advises employers on workplace compliance matters, including proper completion and maintenance of Form I-9 and E-Verify participation. Kelli also assists foreign national investors and entrepreneurs in their long-term immigration planning.

Connect: Read more about Kelli Meilink
Firm/Organization: Husch Blackwell LLP
Blogs: Healthcare Law Insights, Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation Industry Insider

Latest Articles

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This Spring, the Social Security Administration (SSA) began mailing Employer Correction Request Notices (known informally as “No-Match Letters”) to employers that submitted at least one Form W-2 where the name and Social Security Number (SSN) did not match SSA records. These letters contain specific instructions for employers, but employers should be cautious when responding to these letters.  Below are three reminders for employers to consider.…
Effective October 1, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will require all applicants who are eligible for a green card based on sponsorship by their employer to appear for an in-person interview at a local USCIS field office. Previously, employer-sponsored applicants for green cards were exempt from the in-person interview requirement after USCIS determined decades ago that in-person interviews were usually unnecessary for this category of applicants. Adjudicating officers were still permitted to conduct…
In agreeing to review two rulings by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on President Trump’s March 6, 2017, Executive Order, the Supreme Court reinstated certain provisions of the Executive Order that the lower courts had blocked. The March 6th Executive Order entitled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” was to suspend visa issuance for individuals from six countries, including Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan,…
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) and the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) released new rules easing the remaining travel and export financing restrictions on Cuba, offering new opportunities for U.S. businesses to engage with Cuba. …
It’s time to begin preparing H-1B petitions for an early April filing and October 1, 2016 effective date. What is H-1B Classification? The H-1B classification provides work authorization to foreign nationals seeking long-term, but temporary, positions in “specialty occupations” with U.S. employers. A specialty occupation is one which requires theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields including, but not limited to, architecture, engineering, business, mathematics, science, arts, law and medicine, and which require a bachelor’s…
Congress has agreed to an omnibus appropriations bill, which contains a number of immigration-related provisions. Though the vote on the bill is set for Dec. 18, it is widely expected to pass. In it, Congress has agreed to extend the EB-5 Regional Center program without change until Sept. 30, 2016. The EB-5 Regional Center program permits foreign nationals to obtain a green card if they invest at least $1 million ($500,000 if invested in a targeted employment…
New legislation, included as part of the government spending bill, enacts new changes to the visa waiver program (VWP), imposing additional restrictions on travelers from VWP countries.  The new changes require a consular interview for nationals of, or individuals who have traveled to, countries that have supported terrorism or other “high risk” countries, including Syria, Sudan, Iran, and Iraq, since March 2011.…
Congress has agreed to an omnibus appropriations bill, which contains a number of immigration-related provisions.  Though the vote on the bill is set for December 18, it is widely expected to pass.  In it, Congress has agreed to extend the EB-5 Regional Center program without change until September 30, 2016. The EB-5 Regional Center program permits foreign nationals to obtain a green card if they invest at least $1,000,000 ($500,000 if invested in a targeted…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released proposed regulations Oct. 19, 2015, on optional practical training (OPT) for F-1 students with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degrees enrolled at accredited U.S. colleges and universities. The new regulations propose several changes to the existing regulations, including new burdens on colleges and universities with F-1 students and on employers who employ F-1 students working pursuant to OPT.…