Lynn O'Brien

Savvy business immigration counsel for companies of all sizes

Lynn O’Brien assists U.S. employers in managing and resolving a wide range of business immigration matters, from the hiring or sponsorship of a foreign national through the permanent resident process. She has significant experience in L-1, H-1B, TN processing, I visa processing, E-2 filings, all types of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) filings and complex audit requests from the Department of Labor. She advises clients ranging from startups to billion-dollar companies, across an array of industries such as:

• Financial services
• Manufacturing
• IT consulting
• Data sciences
• Advertising and the media

Lynn is a frequent speaker and author on immigration-related topics, including at SHRM conferences, the Council for Immigration Symposium, the ILW and at various universities on visa options after graduation. In addition, she has gained valuable insight that has enriched her practice by serving as a senior consultant on the USCIS transformation project.

Admitted in Maryland. Not admitted in Washington D.C. Practice in D.C. is limited to legal services authorized by Rule 49(c)(2), immigration matters.

• Represents executives in obtaining national interest exceptions to various executive orders.
• Files and amends Blanket L petitions following various corporate transactions and responds to H-1B Requests for Evidence.
• Obtains approvals of successor in interest immigrant visa petitions.
• Obtains approvals in the filing of various L-1 petitions with the immigration service via the nunc pro tunc provisions of the law based on humanitarian need and underlying legal criteria immediately following denials.
• Obtains reversals of USCIS decisions and fights Notices of Intent to Deny in various immigrant visa petition filings.
• Partners with clients to draft overall immigration policies to meet business needs and advises corporations on the key issues faced in B visa adjudications and when to use the B visa vs. the L-1 visa.

• Counseled an IT consulting company on necessary steps to take in relation to its merger.
• Obtained TN visa status for a Canadian employee working intermittently in the U.S. for a U.S. company that had closed its Canadian offices.
• Partnered with a client to draft new hire criteria for recruiters.
• Partnered with HR and recruiters at various companies to provide detailed training on the PERM process and company obligations.
• Created a low-cost solution to provide much needed legal advice to individual foreign national employees who suffered a layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Successfully appealed the denial of naturalization and green card applications before the immigration service.