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Robert D. Aronson
Shareholder
Email: raronson@fredlaw.com
Office: 612.492.7260
Assistant: Darlene Dehmer, 612.492.7519
Overview
Bob practices in the field of employment-based immigration with a special focus on immigration matters for academic institutions, healthcare organizations, international physicians, and IT professionals.
The core values that he brings to his practice are: passion, creativity, a touch of humor, sound and informed legal advice, and a profound sense of client service. His clients include some of the nation’s major university institutions and healthcare systems that look to Bob to provide timely, responsible and effective advice on immigration law and strategy.
Bob is a shareholder of the firm and a member of the leadership team of the Immigration Group at Fredrikson & Byron. He is a prolific author and engaging speaker on immigration matters, having authored over 70 articles and spoken at innumerable national and regional meetings, workshops, and conferences. He has a national reputation as a leader in his professional field as evidenced by various major professional accomplishments, including: Fulbright Fellow at the law schools of Harvard and Moscow State University; Editor-in-Chief of The Physician Immigration Book (ILW: 2011-2012 Edition), which is the most authoritative treatise on immigration matters for international physicians; legal advisor on the advisory body to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in its study on appropriate immigration policy for international physicians; founder and first chair of the International Medical Graduate (IMG) Taskforce, which is comprised of professionals in the law seeking more favorable policies and programs to address the country’s physician shortage situation; and recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Service Award of the Indiana University School of Law. In 2015, Bob was the inaugural recipient of the Roberta Friedman Lifetime Achievement Award that was issued in recognition of his contributions to the field of immigration law and policy for International Physicians.
Learn More About Immigration Law Related to Academic Institutions and Foreign Physicians:
What are some of the major immigration challenges faced by physicians and scientists from India?
What is the role of international physicians in today's healthcare reforms?
Experience
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
International Physicians
- J-1 Waivers
- Conrad
- Hardship/Persecution Waivers
-
H-1B Petitions
- Permanent Residence
- PERM Labor Certification Applications
- National Interest Waivers
- Self-Sponsored Petitions
-
O-1
Academic Physicians and Researchers
- Self-Sponsored Cases for Permanent Residence
- National Interest Waivers
- EB1 Extraordinary Abilities
- University-Sponsored Cases
- Special Handling
- PERM Labor Certification Applications
- Outstanding Professors and Researchers
- Waivers
- Research Waivers to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Conrad Waivers
- Persecution/Hardship Waivers
-
Creative Strategies for Postdoctoral Scholars
-
Nonimmigrant Visa Strategies
Corporate/IT Professionals
- Permanent Residence
- PERM Labor Certification Application
- National Interest Waivers
- Nonimmigrant Visa Strategies
- H-1B
- TN
- F-1 OPT Issues
-
Creative Strategies for Natives of China and India
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.
Read MoreIt 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.
Read More10 Keys to Attaining Permanent Resident Status for Postdoctoral Scholars
April 20, 2015
This article focuses on options available to Postdoctoral Scholars to attain permanent residence based on their professional skills. While U.S. immigration law contains various pathways to permanent residence, such as family-based (largely, but not exclusively marriage to a U.S. citizen), fear of persecution (laws of asylum and refugee) and miscellaneous programs (the most common of which is the Diversity Lottery program), this article is limited to strategies available to Postdocs leveraged off of their employment skills.
Read MoreBOOKS
- Contributing Editor on International Physicians: Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook, 15th Edition (AILA 2016)
- Editor-in-Chief, The Physician Immigration Book, 2011-2012 Edition, ILW.com
- Editor-in-Chief, Trade Policy Review, 1979-1981, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Co-Editor-in-Chief, Benchbriefs: Indiana Criminal Law Review, 1974-1976, Indiana State Bar Association
PUBLICATIONS
- “Making Immigration Into a Powerful Physician Recruitment Tool,” Association of Staff Physician Recruiters, Summer/Fall 2016
- Quoted in “Physician Recruiter inSights” blog entitled “Immigration, IMGs, Visa, Sponsorships, and Physician Recruitment” (PracticeMatch post of June 28, 2016)
- “10 Keys to Attaining Permanent Resident Status for Postdoctoral Scholars,” May 4, 2015
- Quoted in “Ready, Set, Train: Preparing for Regulations On Training for International STEM Students,”The Bloomberg Daily Labor Report, April 19, 2016, The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
- Quoted in “Employment-Related Aspects of Immigration Executive Action to Dominate 2015,” The Bloomberg Daily Labor Report, January 26, 2015, The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
- Contributing Author (healthcare sections), Immigration Law Sourcebook, Multiple Editions 2006- 2015, (Ed.: I. Kurzban), American Immigration Council
- Author, “Immigration Overview for International Medical Graduates,” State Medical Licensure Requirements and Statistics, Annual Editions 1995-2013, American Medical Association
- Author, “Healthigration: Physician Immigration and National Healthcare Reform,” The Physician Immigration Book, 2011-2012 Edition, ILW.com
- Co-Author, “Searching for the Five-Year Cure: Eligibility Issues Following Completion of the Employment Obligation in NIW Cases,” The Physician Immigration Book, 2011-2012 Edition, ILW.com
- Co-Author, “From Draconian to Protean: Home Residence Obligations for Physicians under INA §212(e),” Immigration Options for Academics and Researchers, 2nd Edition, 2005-2011, American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Co-Author, “J-1 Issues Within a Graduate Medical Education (GME) Context,” Immigration Options for Physicians, 3rd Edition, 2009, American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Author, “The Evolution of the Conrad Waiver Program: Fourteen Years of State- and Federal-Based J-1 Waivers to Physicians,” Immigration Options for Physicians, 3rd Edition, 2009, American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Co-Author, “Zeno’s Revenge: The Paradoxes of Interested Government Agency J-1 Waivers for Physicians,” Immigration Briefings, April-May 2004, West, a Thomson business
- Co-Author, “Zelig Gets a Visa,” The New Face of Immigration, 15th Annual AILA California Chapters Conference, 2002, American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Author, “Legal Considerations in Evolving Policy Determinations toward International Medical Graduates,” Unpublished Report to the Bureau of Health Professions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, August 1996
PRESENTATIONS
- Presenter, “From J-1 Trainee to Permanent Residence: What International Medical Graduates (IMGs) Need to Know,” Career Advice Videos, American College of Physicians, May 2017
- Co-Presenter, “Employment Immigration Update,” Fredrikson & Byron Webinar, March 13, 2017
- Co-Presenter, “Turning Immigration into a Powerful Physician Recruitment Tool,” Fredrikson & Byron Health Law Webinar, February 8, 2017
- “Revisions to Employment and Regulatory Changes,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Immigration Podcast, January 2017
- Speaker, “Fast Track for Academic Physicians and Researchers,” Physician Immigration Law Institute/International Medical Graduate Task Force Conference, Washington, DC, December 5, 2016
- Speaker, “10 Keys to the Kingdom of Permanent Residence for Postdoctoral Scholars and Researchers: Guidelines Leading to the Green Card,” University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, November 21, 2016
- Speaker, “10 Keys to the Kingdom of Permanent Residence for Postdoctoral Scholars and Researchers: Guidelines Leading to the Green Card,” University of California – San Francisco, CA, November 15, 2016
- Speaker, “Employment Based Immigration: Basic Overview to the U.S. Immigration System,” University of California – San Francisco, CA, November 14, 2016
- Speaker, “The ABCs of RFEs,” NAFSA Bi-Regional Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 10, 2016
- Speaker, “Policies and Practices: The New STEM Extension of OPT,” NAFSA Bi-Regional Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 9, 2016
- Speaker, “Guiding Postdocs to Permanent Residence,” NAFSA VI Conference, Indianapolis IN, November 7, 2016
- Speaker, “Roots of the Stem: DSO Actions under STEM OPT,” NAFSA VI Conference, Indianapolis IN, November 7, 2016
- Speaker, “Immigration Concepts for Community Health Centers: The Flip Side: Make the Cost Benefit Work for You,” Texas Association of Community Health Centers Annual Conference, Dallas TX, October 18, 2016
- Speaker, “J-Waivers: A Needed Cure to Physician Recruitment,” AILA Ohio Fall Chapter Conference, Columbus, OH, October 7, 2016
- Speaker, “Working With Foreign Nationals: Employment Sponsorship, Immigration Compliance and Community Integration”, Fredrikson & Byron Immigration Seminar, Minneapolis, MN, September 22, 2016
- Speaker, “10 Keys to the Kingdom of Permanent Residence for Postdoctoral Scholars and Researchers: Guidelines Leading to the Green Card,” Emory University, Atlanta, GA, September 20, 2016
- Speaker, “10 Keys to the Kingdom of Permanent Residence for Postdoctoral Scholars and Researchers: Guidelines Leading to the Green Card,” Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, September 19, 2016
- Speaker, “Making Your State Into a J-1 Waiver Powerhouse,” 3RNet Annual Conference, Nashville, TN, September 14, 2016
- Speaker/Panelist, “Benefits of the J-1 Visa - A Conversation on the Exchange Visitor Program,” Global Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, August 19, 2016
- Chair, “Researchers Don’t Always Wear Lab Coats: Taking Advantage of Special Provisions for Researchers,” AILA Annual Conference, June 22, 2016
- Chair and Co-Presenter, “New STEM Rule: New Guidelines for Students in the Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics,” NAFSA: Association of International Educators, June 2, 2016
- Co-Presenter, “Immigration Overview for Academic Physicians,” Pre-Conference Workshop at NAFSA: Association of International Educators, May 29, 2016
- Speaker, “Physician Immigration Primer” and “Immigration: In-depth Legal Hows and Whys,” Association of Staff Physician Recruiters, May 15, 2016
- Speaker, “Immigration Options for J-1 Physicians: Waivers and Acquisition of Status,” Annual Meeting of American College of Physicians, May 4-May 7, 2016
- Speaker, “Employment-Based Permanent Residence Petitions,” and “Self-Sponsorship Options for Permanent Residence for Postdocs and Researchers,” University of California/San Francisco, April 11-13, 2016
- Speaker, “Self –Petitioned Options for Permanent Residence for Postdocs” and “U.S. Permanent Residency and J-1 Waiver for Medical Residents and Fellows,” Indiana University, April 4, 2016
- Speaker, “Self-Petitioned Options for Permanent Residence for Postdocs and Junior Researchers,” University of Minnesota, March 24, 2016
- Speaker, “Self-Petitioned Options for Permanent Residence for Postdocs and Junior Researchers,” Iowa State University, March 17, 2016
- Speaker, Academic In-House Recruiters (AIR), a chapter of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters (ASPR), Webinar, October 27, 2015
- Speaker, “Making Immigration Work for Physician Recruitment and Retention,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Health Law Webinar, October 14, 2015
- Seminar Chair: AILA Program on “Recent Changes in J Requirements”
- Chair, ILW Seminar Series on Immigration Options for International Physicians, July-September 2015
- Speaker and Recurrent Course Chair: Various Session Presentations largely on Immigration Issues for Physicians and Academic Personnel at the Annual Conferences of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), 1990-present
- Speaker, “J-1 Waiver Workshops,” Annual Meeting of American College of Physicians, April 29-31, 2015
- Speaker, “10 Keys to the Kingdom of Permanent Residence for Postdoctoral Scholars and Researchers,” Annual Meeting of the National Postdoctoral Association, March 14, 2015
- Speaker, “Recruitment Strategies and Options of J-1 Physicians,” 3RNet Annual Conferences (2008 – 2015)
- Speaker and Course Co-Developer, “Immigration Certification Program,” Association of Staff Physician Recruiters (ASPR) Annual Conferences (2009 -2015)
- Speaker, “Various Topics on Immigration Law and Policy for the Academic Community,” Indiana University, Multiple Presentations, 1998-2015
- Speaker, “Various Topics on Immigration Law and Policy for the Academic Community,” University of California, San Francisco, Multiple Presentations, 2000-2015
- Speaker, “Workshop on Immigration Law and Policy for Academic Physicians,” Multiple Conferences of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, 2005-2014
- Co-Presenter: “When Things Go South: The Good Doctor Needs an Appointment,” Physician Immigration Law Institute, November 13, 2014
Honors & Education
EDUCATION
- Moscow State University School of Law, Fulbright Fellow, 1978
- Harvard University School of Law, Fulbright Fellow, 1976
- Indiana University School of Law, J.D., 1976, cum laude
- Indiana University Department of Slavic Studies, M.A., 1974
- Indiana University, B.A., 1971
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Minnesota, 1988
- Illinois, 1977
- Indiana, 1977
- U.S. Court of International Trade, 1985
LANGUAGES
- Russian (fluent)
- Serbo-Croatian (good)
- Hebrew (reading only)
HONORS
- Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Immigration, Nationwide
- Twin Cities Cardozo Society’s Lifetime Commitment Award, 2017
- Roberta Freedman Lifetime Achievement Award
- Who’s Who in America
- International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers
- Super Lawyer, Minnesota Super Lawyers Magazine
- Martindale-Hubbell, A-V Rating
Professional Activities
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Fulbright Fellow: Law Schools of Harvard University and Moscow State University
- Co-Founder and First Chair, IMG Task Source
- Various Leadership Positions, American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Fellow, Walter F. Mondale Policy Forum
- Fellow, Harry Kaye Leadership Institute
- Trustee, Aronson & Associates Immigration Law Firm Fund
COMMUNITY
- Board Member, HIAS: Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
- Board and Executive Committee Member: Jewish Community Relations Council
- Board Member, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights,
- Trustee, Aronson & Associates Immigration Law Firm Fund
- Advisory Council, Hillel Jewish Student Foundation of the University of Minnesota
- International Council, The Actors Theater
- Board Member, CONNECT US-Russia
- Legal Advisor, Minneapolis Childrens Theater
- Board Member, Minneapolis Jewish Community Center, 1985-1987
- Chair, National Allocations Committee, Minneapolis Federation for Jewish Service,
- Soviet Affairs Advisor, Senatorial Campaign of Hubert H. Humphrey III