Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is pleased to announce that Partner Maria del Carmen Ramos has been invited to serve as a member of the distinguished faculty at the 2020 American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Annual Conference on Immigration Law to be held June 17-20, 2020 where she will be speaking about employer compliance and enforcement issues that have grown dramatically under the current administration. With nearly two decades of experience navigating the immigration statutes, regulations, and policy guidance, Maria is able to help employers efficiently and cost-effectively move employees where they need them, when they need them. She takes time to understand her clients’ needs and objectives at the outset, enabling her to properly counsel her clients on the immigration options available to them, whether it be a business visa (E-3, H-1B, H-1B1, H-3, L, O, P, R, and TN), investment visa (E-2, EB-5, etc.), or permanent residence. By carefully building her clients’ immigration cases early on, Maria sees fewer requests for evidence, which ultimately mean faster and less expensive processing for her clients.

AILA is the national association of more than 15,000 lawyers and law professors who practice and teach immigration law. AILA member lawyers represent U.S. families seeking permanent residence for close family members, as well as U.S. businesses seeking talent from the global marketplace. Twice named Tampa’s top immigration lawyer, Maria understands that immigration law is a way for employers to move human capital, including workers’ knowledge, talent, skills, experience, and training, around the world.

Aside from helping employers move workers around the world, Maria also helps employers comply with their I-9 obligations. Among other things, Maria routinely conducts compliance audits for clients to determine if they are properly verifying their employees’ eligibility to work in the United States (I-9 compliance). By conducting these audits, Maria can help employers avoid thousands of dollars in fines and penalties.