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International In-house Counsel Journal logoInternational In-house Counsel Journal logo

Employing Strategic Immigration Practices to Leverage U.S. Immigration Regulation & Policy to Gain Competitive Advantage in the 21st Century Age of Technology

Abstract

Immigration law is one of the most dynamic and complex segments of U.S. jurisprudence. Not only does one have to traverse through the web of executive agencies to determine how specific powers and responsibilities are split; one must also navigate the labyrinth of applicable statutes, regulations, policies, and precedent for each agency. To complicate matters even more, executive agencies are known by acronyms and visa categories are named according to the corresponding letter of the statute. So an H-1B may be delayed in processing by an RFE issued by USCIS based on information in the LCA that was filed with the OFLC on ETA Form 9035 & 9035A. For these reasons, immigration law is affectionately referred to as the “Alphabet Soup of Visas” and the “ABCs of Executive Agencies” by those who practice this discipline.

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Author

Portrait image of Blair Wheat
Blair Wheat
General Counsel, LHP Engineering Solutions, USA

Blair Wheat is a knowledgeable and practiced legal advisor and executive in the embedded software and engineering solutions industry. He specializes in corporate compliance, labor and employment law, business-to-business contracts, employment-based immigration, strategic planning, and international expansion. He brings expertise in the domestic and foreign markets, with a particular focus on North America. Blair has a wealth of knowledge on leveraging the economies of scale that are derived from strategically placed subsidiary companies throughout the world to maximize costs savings and speed to market while also benefiting from the secondary immigration gains of an international operation. Blair serves as the General Counsel for LHP Engineering Solutions, managing the legal department of a multinational software engineering corporation and its subsidiaries. He also serves as the key advisor to the executive team regarding legal consequences of strategic planning, international expansion, and other business decisions. Finally, Blair is responsible for managing the company’s EB-5 regional center and is tasked with identifying U.S. based companies that require capital to achieve a particular goal or milestone. Through an EB-5 partnership, foreign investors then have an opportunity to invest in the U.S. business so long as specific requirements are met under immigration regulations. Prior to joining LHP, Blair worked as a not-for-profit staff attorney and as a trial attorney. In both of these roles, he gained invaluable experience advising clients and the public about the legal consequences of issues from immigration, to corporate liability, to labor and employment law, to public guardianship. He also worked as a business consultant to a medical diagnostic laboratory, aiding it in identifying federal and state incentives and grants available to small business. Before becoming an attorney, Blair held a management position for a division of a multi-national publishing company, where he increased revenues from $1M to $8M annually. Blair earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana in 1999, and he earned his Juris Doctorate Degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois in 2007. He has studied at the Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge, England and at Universidad de Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina in pursuit of these degrees. In 2007, Blair was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Illinois and in 2008 he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court Indiana as with as the U.S. District Courts of Indiana.

Company

LHP Engineering Solutions logo

LHP Engineering Solutions

LHP Engineering Solutions is your engineering engine, turning engineering operations into the powerful core of your business by managing engineering complexities. Our teams assess your organization’s goals and integrate embedded electronic controls systems, platform products, and expert engineering processes that streamline operations and drive your business forward. With efficiencies in mind, we apply a model-based design approach to create a complete solution. Our expertise paired with our collaborative team spirit and track record of proven, successful applications give us the depth and vision to solve your embedded control challenges.

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