Debra A. Schneider

Officer

Email: dschneider@fredlaw.com
Office: 612.492.7214
Assistant: Lori Sommer, 612.492.7771

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PRIMARY SERVICES

Immigration International

ADDITIONAL EXPERTISE

Employment & Labor White Collar & Regulatory Defense

“Clients come to me with dreams of succeeding in their new country, and together we build the legal foundation for their future.”

Overview

Debra provides advice on complex immigration matters to help employers and employees in their shared quest for work authorization and a long term future in the United States.

Debra has spent her legal career dedicated to practicing immigration law. For over 15 years, she has provided clear and well-researched advice to a diverse client base that has included large scale multi-national corporations to brand new start-up companies, individual entrepreneurs and business developers, world-class scientists, professors, physicians and professional athletes and artists, among many others. She has a thorough knowledge of the complex United States immigration system and enjoys helping her clients navigate these complexities to achieve their immigration goals. Whether she’s securing lawful permanent residence, negotiating difficult entry issues, or advising on immigration consequences of criminal convictions, Debra offers compassion with her counsel. With Debra, clients know they have entered a true legal partnership as they work together to strengthen businesses, advance careers, improve lives or keep families together.

Experience

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

Business and Industry

Medical devices and technology
Hospitals and clinics
IT consulting
Energy
Multi-national corporations

Sports and Entertainment

Advertising agencies
Musicians, dancers, artists
Pro baseball, hockey players and coaches

K-12 and Higher Education

University faculty and researchers
Charter/public school teachers

Entrepreneur

Business start-ups
Scientists, inventors, developers
Investors

individuals and Families

Marriage (including GLBT)
Asylum
Naturalization
Deportation defense

Articles & Presentations

Fredrikson & Byron’s Revised Travel Alert

February 8, 2017

By Robert D. Aronson, Laura J. Danielson, Loan T. Huynh, Bridget R. Penick & Debra A. Schneider

Last week, we sent a travel alert on the January 27, 2017 executive order, generally referred to as the “Travel Ban,” that limited the ability of citizens and nationals from seven countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - to enter the U.S. under either nonimmigrant or immigrant visas for at least 90 days, or even to receive visas from U.S. consulates abroad; suspended for at least a 120-day period of time the entire refugee program; disqualified Syrians entirely from refugee eligibility; and pledged to reassess the entire security clearance process for foreign nationals coming to the U.S.

Travel Alert

January 30, 2017

By Robert D. Aronson, Laura J. Danielson, Loan T. Huynh, Bridget R. Penick & Debra A. Schneider

President Trump signed an executive order on Friday, January 27, 2017, which has caused great concern worldwide on new travel restrictions to the U.S. The order entitled “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Entry into the U.S. by Foreign Nationals,” has stirred public protests, federal litigation and a confusion over who this order impacts.

Employers Must Use New “Smart” Form I-9 on January 22, 2017

January 19, 2017

By Loan T. Huynh, Robert D. Aronson, Laura J. Danielson & Debra A. Schneider

On November 14, 2016, USCIS issued a revised version of the I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification Form. USCIS provided a transition period which ends on January 22, 2017. As of January 22, all employers must begin using the revised Form I-9, with a revision date of “11/14/2016 N.” Additional changes were designed to streamline certification for certain foreign nationals and to make completion of the form more computer friendly.

It is H-1B Filing Season–Do Not Miss the Opener on April 1, 2017

January 5, 2017

By Loan T. Huynh, Robert D. Aronson, Laura J. Danielson & Debra A. Schneider

USCIS will start accepting H-1B petitions for fiscal year 2018 (October 1, 2017-September 30, 2018) on April 1, 2017. Only 65,000 H-1B’s are issued each fiscal year, with an additional 20,000 H-1B’s for graduates of U.S. master’s degree programs.) As in recent years, we expect the H-1B cap to be reached within a week. Last April, USCIS received approximately 236,000 H-1B petitions in the first week. There will likely be a lottery for those applications received within seven days of April 1, 2017, once USCIS receives more than 65,000 applications. The lottery is a random selection process of the H-1B applications received to determine which applications will be assigned an H-1B cap number and adjudicated.

Co-Presenter, “Employment Immigration Update,” Fredrikson & Byron Webinar, March 13, 2017
“Travel, Advocacy and Employee Rights,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Immigration Podcast, January 2017
Co-Presenter, “The New Form I-9: Tips for Completion, Compliance and Audits,” Fredrikson & Byron Webinar, January 24, 2017
Speaker, “Retention EB1, EB2, EB3 and Immigrant Workers and Program Improvements Affecting High Skilled Nonimmigrant Workers,” AILA MN/Dakota Chapter, January 13, 2017
Speaker, “EB1 and NYSDOT,” Physician Immigration Law Institute, Washington D.C., December 2016
Co-Presenter, “Work Visa Options and Immigration Trends,” Fredrikson & Byron’s 32nd Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 26, 2016
Speaker, “Working With Foreign Nationals: Employment Sponsorship, Immigration Compliance and Community Integration,” Fredrikson & Byron Immigration Seminar, Minneapolis, MN, September 22, 2016
Speaker, “10 Questions you will be asked about immigration - and the answers!,” Strategic Solutions for Solo & Small Firms 2016, St. Paul, MN, July 2016
Presenter with Loan Huynh, MSBA The Complete Lawyer Series: Immigration Law, July 2016
Speaker, MSBA Busy Lawyer’s Summer Series: Immigration Law 2016: New Developments and Practice Tips, July 2016
Co-Presenter, “Hiring and Work Visa Strategies for Foreign Nationals,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Annual North Dakota Employment Law Seminars, October 15-16, 2015
Presenter, “Making Immigration Work for Physician Recruitment and Retention,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Health Law Webinar, October 14, 2015
Presenter, “Common Misconceptions Clients Have in Non-PERM Cases,” American Immigration Lawyers Association National Conference, Washington D.C., June 2015
Presenter, “Navigating the Immigration Landscape: A Guide for Employers,” Fredrikson & Byron Immigration Seminar, May 5, 2015
Presenter, “Beyond H1B - More Options for Work Visas,” Upper Midwest Immigration Law conference, Minneapolis, MN, April 2015
Presenter, “Business, Legal, and Tax Issues for US Companies Doing Business in Canada Seminar,” Consulate General of Canada, Minneapolis, MN, February 10, 2015
Co-Presenter, “I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification and Compliance,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Annual Employment Law Seminar, Fargo and Bismarck, ND, October 16-17, 2014
Speaker, “Overcoming Difficult I-9 Issues,” Fargo/Moorhead Human Resource Association, Fargo ND, May 6, 2014
Presenter, “Hiring Foreign Resident Physicians - Conrad 30 Waivers and Alternatives,” Fredrikson & Byron Health Law Webinar, October 10, 2012
Presenter, The H-1B and Alternative Work Visas, March 20, 2012
“H-1B Cap Reached for Fiscal Year 2012,” co-authored with Laura Danielson and Loan Huynh, FredALERT: Immigration, November 2011
“Hot Topics in the Transfer of Workers Across Borders,” Fredrikson & Byron’s 27th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, November 10, 2011
“What Attorneys Need to Know About Immigration Law,” Legal Services of North Dakota Conference, June 14, 2011
“Immigration Issues to Consider When Recruiting and Hiring Foreign National Physicians,” Fredrikson & Byron Webinar, January 12, 2011
Speaker, “E-Verify - Is it Time to Consider Using It?,” Fredrikson & Byron Webinar, November 30, 2010
Co-Speaker, “Why Must Defense Counsel Act? Implications of Padilla v. Kentucky on Criminal and Immigration Defense,” Sponsored by the Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services in collaboration with the MN/Dakota Chapter of AILA and the State Public Defender, Minneapolis, September 10, 2010
“Work Visas for Health Care Workers,” co-authored with Loan Huynh, Minnesota Physician, August 2010
Speaker, “Advanced I-9 Training,” Fredrikson & Byron Webinar, August 18, 2010
“I-9 audits and fines are on the rise - Is your company prepared for an investigation?,” co-authored with Loan Huynh, Minnesota Journal of Human Resource Management, Employee Benefits Planner, Second Quarter 2010, Volume Seventeen Number Two
“Beware the Government’s Aggressive New Stance: How to Respond to ICE and OFCCP Audits,” Fredrikson & Byron’s 25th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 8, 2009
Speaker, “Fredrikson & Byron’s Annual Immigration Seminar: Worksite Compliance,” September 16, 2009
“ICE Launches Initiative to Increase Audits of I-9s and Employment Records,” co-authored with Laura Danielson and Loan Huynh, FredALERT: Immigration, July 3, 2009
“Are Your Employees Legal?,” Fredrikson & Byron’s 24th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 30, 2008
“Immigration Compliance for the Employer: The I-9, E-Verify and SSA No-Match,” Northstar Chapter of MN, American Payroll Association, August 21, 2008
“Introduction To E-Verify,” co-authored with Laura Danielson and Loan Huynh, June 2008
“The New Landscape of Business Immigration,” Fredrikson & Byron Immigration Seminar, June 18, 2008

Honors & Education

EDUCATION

University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., 2001, magna cum laude
University of Amsterdam, graduate course work, 1995
University of Nebraska, B.A., History, 1994, magna cum laude

BAR ADMISSIONS

Minnesota, 2001
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals

HONORS

Minnesota Super Lawyers, Rising Star
Minnesota State Bar Association, North Star Lawyer, 2012-2016
Cancer Legal Line Advocate Award, 2013
Fredrikson & Byron’s Volunteer of the Year Award, 2006

Professional Activities

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Minnesota State Bar Association
Board, Loan Repayment Assistance Program, present
Board President, Vice President, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, 2005-2014
Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), MN/Dakotas, 2001-present