NM Healthcare Immigration Strategies: Immigration Solutions for Recruitment & Retention in the Land of Enchantment

Objectives:

• What are the legal and congressional developments impacting the recruitment and retention of international physicians, dentists, nurses, and allied health professionals?
• What are the options to obtain a J-1 waiver?
• What are the best practices in developing J-1 waiver applications?
• What are the alternative immigration options if a J-1 waiver case is denied?
• What is the process to qualify an international physician for H-1B status and subsequent lawful permanent residence?
• What are the immigration options for employment authorization and subsequent lawful permanent residence for dentists, nurses, and allied health professionals?
• How do you integrate immigration with healthcare recruitment and retention to gain a competitive edge?

Presenters: Robert Aronson & Matthew Webster, Immigration Attorneys

ROBERT ARONSON is a shareholder and immigration attorney at Fredrikson and Byron, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and he concurrently serves as Chair of the Board of HIAS, the global agency of the American Jewish community providing refugees of all faiths and backgrounds with protection and dignity.  Over the course of his legal career, his advocacy, articles, and speaking engagements have had a major impact in immigration law, policy, and legal practice for international physicians and their employers.  Representative achievements include: Fulbright Fellow at the law schools of Harvard and Moscow State University; Editor-in-Chief of The Physician Immigration Book, which is the most authoritative treatise on immigration matters for IMGs; legal advisor on the advisory body to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in its study on immigration policy for international physicians; founder and first chair of the International Medical Graduate (IMG) Taskforce.  Among the honors accorded to him for professional excellence: Roberta Friedman Lifetime Achievement Award (inaugural recipient) for contributions to the field of immigration law and policy for international physicians; Fredric Moskol 3RNet Leadership Award for contributions in exploring the role of immigration in creatively expanding coverage by international physicians in rural America; Distinguished Service Award of the Indiana University School of Law; Sydney Barrows Lifetime Achievement Award of the Cardozo Society, the affinity group of Jewish lawyers, jurists, and law students in the Twin Cities, for professional excellence, community service, and love of learning.

MATTHEW WEBSTER is an immigration attorney with Fredrikson & Byron based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and he serves concurrently as the Treasurer for the Minnesota and Dakotas Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.  He is committed to assisting employers and individuals in meeting their immigration objectives through zealous advocacy and trusted counsel, with particular emphasis on partnering with international physicians and healthcare institutions to meet their immigration needs and the public health of their communities.  Representative achievements include: Rising Star – Immigration (2020), Minnesota Super Lawyers; the American Immigration Lawyers Association 2019 Arthur C. Helton Memorial Human Rights Award and the Advocates for Human Rights 2019 Human Rights Volunteer Award for his work as a Somali 92 Team Member; Minnesota State Bar Association Pro Bono All Star Award; and Adjunct Instructor in Legal Writing and Immigration Law at the University of Minnesota Law School from 2012 to 2017.