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Sujata Ajmera

Member
fax +1 512.536.5717

Sujata Ajmera assists corporate and academic clients in I-9 compliance and securing lawful nonimmigrant, immigrant, and citizenship status for employees worldwide, including executives and managers, researchers, engineers, and specialized knowledge workers. She is Board Certified in Immigration & Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Sujata’s experience includes obtaining B-1/B-2, B-1 in lieu of H-1B, B-1 in lieu of H-3, E-2, E-3, F-1, H-1B, H-1B1, H-2B, H-3, J-1, K-1, K-3, L-1A, L-1B, O-1, P-1, R-1, TN, and J-1 waivers, among other nonimmigrant visa types. She prepares detailed applications and legal briefs in connection with representation of clients before CIS and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and represents clients before CIS, DHS, ICE, and EOIR interviews and proceedings.

Additionally, she assists companies, universities, and school districts to obtain PERM Labor Certifications, Extraordinary Ability, National Interest Waiver, and Outstanding Researcher/Professor designations. Sujata also procures Adjustment of Status and Naturalization approvals on behalf of her client’s employees. Furthermore, she has experience working with Export Controls Counsel to review the applicability of Department of Commerce and Department of State regulations regarding export control licenses for foreign national beneficiaries.

Sujata is well-versed in assisting companies with comprehensive I-9 compliance audits, both proactive and reactive to government investigations. She helps develop I-9 and onboarding policies and procedures and conducts regular best practices training for human resource professionals and corporate counsel.

Education

J.D., University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, 2005, Texas Law Fellowship Recipient, Summer 2004; Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal, Associate Editor
B.A., The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 2001

Recognitions

Named to The Business Journals’ Influencers: Law (2018)

Winner, SABA North America Rising Star (2018)

Winner, Austinite of the Year, Austin Under 40 (2018)

Winner, Legal Category, Austin Under 40 (2018)

Winner, Corporate/Transactional Attorney, Travis County Women Lawyers Association (2018)

Named among Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters (2013-2019)

Finalist, Profiles in Power: Women of Influence in Central Texas, Austin Business Journal (2016)

Named 2020 Top Attorney in Austin by Austin Monthly Magazine

Memberships

Leadership Austin Essential Program Class of 2019, Participant

Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow

Texas State Bar, Member

American Immigration Lawyers Association, Member

South Asian Bar Association of North America, Foundation Board Member

South Asian Bar Association of Austin, Co-Founder, Board Member

Austin-Asian American Bar Association, Member

Travis County Women Lawyers Association, Member

Texas Young Lawyers Association, Member

Austin Bar Association, Fellowship Selection Committee Member

Austin Young Lawyers Association, Member

Austin Law Firm Diversity Report Card Committee, Member

Asian American Resource Center, Board of Directors (2015-2017)

American Gateways, Board of Directors (2011-2016), Pro Bono Attorney

UT Center for Women in Law Institute, Faculty (2015 -2018)

Texas Minority Counsel Program, Austin City Committee

People’s Community Clinic, Foundation Board Member

Young Women’s Alliance, Mentor

Languages

Gujarati

State Bar Licenses

Texas
  • Timely secured over 200 visas for a multinational organization to building a new state-of-the-art petrochemical facility in the United States.
  • Advised large national food service organization on immigration compliance issues, correcting I-9 issues at numerous locations nationwide, and developing an effective compliance program.
  • Secured necessary temporary visas to obtain skilled laborers to work in the construction, seafood, and landscaping industries.
  • Evaluated a major construction company’s hiring processes and developed comprehensive new procedures to minimize risks of hiring undocumented workers and ensure compliance at multiple remote sites.
  • Obtained visas under the difficult Alien of Extraordinary Ability category for numerous individuals including a successful artificial intelligence researcher, an acclaimed classical musician, petrochemical and energy industry experts, professional athletes, and world champion dancers.
  • Developed immigration strategies for many start-up technology companies.
  • Successfully negotiated with officials from the Department of Labor to reduce penalty assessments related to non-compliance with labor condition application requirements.
  • Worked in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State to protect the rights of a minor U.S. citizen child who was the victim of passport fraud.
  • Assisted several large employers to fill seasonal need for temporary laborers through the H-2B visa program.
  • Successfully represented many university and college professors in obtaining O-1 and EB-1A designations based on extraordinary ability in their respective fields, as well as H-1B, certified Labor Certifications, and subsequent I-140 and Adjustment of Status Approvals.
  • Successfully represented National Interest Waiver self-petitioners at several prominent colleges and universities.
  • Successfully represented outstanding researchers/professors in both private and public institutions in EB-1B filings and subsequent Adjustment of Status approvals.
  • Regularly represent employers in academia, public, and private sectors in obtaining H-1B, H-1B1, O-1, E-3, and TN visas.
  • Regularly represent employers in public and private sectors with Labor Certifications, Immigrant Petitions, and Adjustment of Status applications.
  • Successfully represented prominent information technology company in developing high-volume PERM campaigns and permanent residency applications.

Articles

  • Implications of a Government Shutdown, Strasburger Immigration Blog (January 2018)
  • Alert: USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions, Strasburger Immigration Blog (September 2017)
  • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program Rescinded, Strasburger Immigration Blog (September 2017)
  • Latest Executive Order Poised to Reform H-1B Visa Program, Strasburger Immigration Blog (April 2017)
  • Granted: Federal Court Temporarily Suspends Second Travel Ban, Strasburger Immigration Blog (March 2017)
  • All H-1B Petition Premium Processing Suspended as of April 3, 2017, Strasburger Immigration Blog (March 2017)
  • What To Know About Trump’s New Border Security Guidance, Law360. Subscription required. (February 2017)
  • Status Document Recommendations for Foreign Nationals, Strasburger Immigration Blog (February 2017)
  • Update on Immigration-Related Executive Orders, Strasburger Immigration Blog (January 2017)
  • Now Available! New Form I-9, Strasburger Employment Law Blog (November 2016)
  • Obama Immigration Case: Interpreting The Oral Arguments, Law360. Subscription required. (April 2016)

 

Presentations

  • EEEEK! Filing Post-Pandemic E-1 And E-2 Applications, American Immigration Lawyers Association National Conference (June 2022)
  • H1B RFEs, Trends, Litigation and Alternatives, Federal Bar Association Immigration Law Conference (May 2022)
  • H-2 Practice: What Are We So Afraid Of?, American Immigration Lawyers Association National Conference (June 2021)
  • Economic fallout from the Pandemic, American Immigration Lawyers Association Midwinter Virtual Conference (March 2021)
  • PERM: Strategies and Updates, American Immigration Lawyers Association Texas Chapter Fall Conference (December 2020)
  • H2A and H2Bs, Advanced Immigration Law Conference, State Bar of Texas (February 2020)
  • PERM and AOS/EB-2 v EB-3 Strategies, American Immigration Lawyers Association Texas Chapter Fall Conference (November 2019)
  • The regulatory confines of what is considered normal for an occupation: SVP/OOH/O*NET/SOC, American Immigration Lawyers Association, National PERM Conference (December 2018)
  • Four Things, Young Women’s Alliance Speaker Series (November 2018)
  • I-9 Compliance: The New Form and Best Practices, Society for Human Resource Management (October 2018)
  • Austin Young Chamber: August Speaker Series, Austin Young Chamber of Commerce (August 2018)
  • Panelist. The Game Changers: Conversations with Bad Ass Women Changing the Landscape in their Industry, KVUE (August 2018)
  • Anatomy of an H-2B: Using the H-2B as an Alternative to the H-1B,American Immigration Lawyers Association Annual Conference (June 2018)
  • Things I Wish I Had Known, South Asian Bar Association of North America Annual Conference (June 2018)
  • Culturally Conscious Leadership, 2018 Central Texas Women in Leadership Summit (March 2018)
  • Recommendations for Your New Practice, 2018 Northwest Regional Immigration Law Conference (March 2018)
  • I-9 Compliance: The New Form and Best Practices, Strasburger’s Building a Stronger Business CLE (October 2017)
  • H-2B: Establishing Temporary Need, American Immigration Lawyers Association: PERM/H-2B Practice Conference (August 2017)
  • Immigration Update, Society for Human Resource Management-Rio Grande Valley (April 2017)
  • Immigration Law (Panelist), University of Texas School of Liberal Arts, Career Services (April 2017)
  • Demonstrate Your Value, UT Center for Women in the Law, University of Texas Law School (March 2015-2017)
  • Community Discussion: Law Enforcement & Immigration, Asian American Resource Center, Austin, (March 2017)
  • Mind Your O’s & P’s!, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Texas Chapter Spring Conference (November 2016)
  • Wages, Immigration, and Other Hot Topics: What Employers Can Expect in 2017, Financial Executives International, Dallas Chapter (October 2016)
  • I-9 & E-Verify and Immigration Updates, Kansas Society for Human Resource Management (September 2016)
  • Panelist. The Politics of Immigration, 2016 South Asian Bar Association Convention (May 2016)
  • Getting Hiring Right: I-9 & E-Verify Compliance, San Antonio Bar Association, Construction Section (April 2016)
  • Hiring Due Diligence: Proper Use of I-9 & E-Verify, Strasburger’s Quarterly Labor & Employment Law Breakfast Series, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio (March 2016)

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