Kelli Meilink

Career

Kelli co-leads the firm’s Business Immigration and Global Mobility team, representing a wide range of employers in obtaining and maintaining employment authorization for foreign national employees on a temporary and permanent basis.

Kelli represents employers across various industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, technology, engineering, healthcare, and education, working with employers to develop long-term immigration planning for foreign national employees. Her work includes counseling clients through the temporary visa (H-1B, TN, L-1, E-2) and labor certification application processes and assisting employers in developing policies for employer-sponsored work authorization.

Kelli’s skillset includes workplace compliance. She regularly counsels employers on proper completion and maintenance of Form I-9 and E-Verify participation. She has extensive experience assisting with Form I-9 and E-Verify audits and responding to governmental audits and investigations related to immigration compliance. She represents clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration Customs and Enforcement, and other federal agencies.

A significant portion of Kelli’s practice also focuses on the special rules for healthcare organizations and colleges and universities. Kelli regularly advises healthcare organizations on work authorization for foreign national physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers. For colleges and universities, Kelli counsels on issues related to F-1 students and the Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) and on a variety of matters related to foreign national employees, including H-1B status and permanent residence for professors and researchers.

Professional Memberships

American Immigration Lawyers Association

International Relations Council, Board Member 2017-2021