As we head into a new year, it is a good time to consider implementing an immigration policy or revamping an outdated one. An immigration strategy that is supported by the right policy not only will save you thousands of dollars on your budgeted immigration spend, it may also enable your business to attract and retain foreign talent. Moreover, it may keep your hotel compliant with current immigration and employment laws, which are essential if engaging in that practice.

Many hotel companies with operations in America rely on trained foreign labor to successfully open, run and operate their establishments. Most of these individuals are working pursuant to a temporary visa that will ultimately require a more permanent solution in order for them to remain in the United States beyond the time allotted for the underlying temporary visa category.

Explore nonimmigrant avenues such as L-1, TN, H-1B, E-2, E-3, and H-2B visas to diversify your hospitality workforce. Each option offers unique opportunities for various positions, from managerial roles to temporary staffing. Understanding and leveraging these visa categories can enhance your recruitment strategy, tapping into a broader talent pool and enriching your team with diverse skills and perspectives.

Waiting until after the acquisition or restructuring could lead to an assumption of liabilities for non-compliance and put the company at risk for fines which may have been otherwise prevented by assessing potential immigration implications in advance. In short, it's in the foreign national employees' and the company's best interests to be proactive about individual immigration statuses before the ink is dry on a corporate restructuring.

Ever wonder what options you have to employ your international students after you’ve invested in them? Attorneys Jerry Grzeca and Carly Hetland walk through some of the options available in the hospitality industry.

With COVID-19 Form I-9 flexibilities now ended, employers must physically inspect all I-9 documents that had been remotely inspected during the pandemic. Samantha Bethel details how in-person Form I-9 inspections should be handled.

It’s no secret that the hospitality industry has suffered greatly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic and financial fallout. As an unexpected twist to recovery, U.S. hotels are still unable to find enough U.S. workers to fill certain positions.

The Social Security Administration recently announced that it will be sending “no-match” letters. Jerome Grzeca discusses the announcement and advises that employers develop policies to address any such issues with their employees in a lawful and non-discriminatory manner.

On June 26, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to lift part of the stay on some portions of the Trump Administration’s travel ban.

On April 18, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO), “Buy American and Hire American.” Jerome Grzeca discusses what that might mean for the H-1B program.

International companies often transfer their highest level executives and managers and other key employees to the United States as L-1 intracompany transfers.