Photo of Miriam C. Thompson

Miriam advises employers across all industries on business immigration and compliance. She has experience with managing the full range of U.S. employment-based immigration filings, including intracompany transferee programs, specialty occupations, traders and investors, labor certifications, trainees, extraordinary ability petitions, religious workers, and national interest waivers. Miriam’s representative matters within her practice area include providing legal and policy guidance to large multinational companies, as well as individual clients, startup companies, and small and mid-size domestic corporations, with a focus on delivering effective strategies in the realm of worksite immigration compliance and U.S. immigration programs.

Miriam also counsels employers in connection with internal and external audits to ensure regulatory compliance with I-9 employment verification, E-Verify, and U.S. Department of Labor requirements. Her representative work includes developing enterprise-wide immigration policies for large employers and advising on immigration-related concerns of companies undergoing corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, and reductions in workforce. She also supports multinational employers with complex global workforce needs and works with professionals from the firm’s labor and employment and tax and benefits groups to provide strategic planning on cross-border employee mobility.

Miriam lived, studied, and worked in Germany, Switzerland, and France. Her native language is German and she is conversational in French.

Earlier in 2024, the Department of Homeland Security introduced a regulation to reform the H-1B lottery process, shifting from an employer-centric to a beneficiary-centric selection. While this change may improve overall selection rates, high demand for H-1B visas is projected to continue to exceed the available annual 65,000 numeric limit (cap). Employers should therefore…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) recently issued a fact sheet to guide employers on electronically completing, modifying, or retaining Form I-9. The joint guidance applies to employers using private sector commercial or proprietary I-9 software programs to complete Form I-9 or participate in E-Verify.

Requirements for Employers Using Electronic

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  1. USCIS Filing Fee Increase and Premium Processing Expansion – In 2023, USCIS issued a proposed rule to increase the required filing fees for many applications. The proposed increases for employment-based immigration benefits are significant, and if the final rule takes effect, employers will incur increased expenses to file common case types such as H-1B registrations,
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The PERM labor certification process is the first step in many employment-based permanent residence applications and requires employers to test the U.S. labor market prior to offering the position to a foreign worker. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, PERM labor certifications have faced several new complexities that impact most stages…

Amid the evolving global economy throughout the past year, employers may be reassessing their approach to talent acquisition and retention. Companies are navigating uncertainty by recalibrating mobility programs, aiming to not only attract but also retain talent to fulfill a skills gap in the U.S. workforce. Central to leveraging foreign talent is the power of…

October is Pro Bono Month, a time to reflect on contributions making a positive impact on the lives of those in need of legal assistance. At GT, we are proud to celebrate Pro Bono Month by sharing examples of our recent immigration-related pro bono efforts.

As part of GT’s ongoing commitment to providing pro bono…

On Oct. 26, 2023, the temporary increase—up to 540 days—to the automatic extension period for employment authorization and employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain EAD renewal applicants will expire.

The increase, announced in a temporary final rule, took effect May 4, 2022, and applies to eligible EAD categories designated for the automatic 180-day extension.…

As announced by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on July 21, 2023, a new Form I-9 was issued for public use Aug. 1, 2023. Employers may continue to use the older Form I-9 (Rev. 10/21/19) through Oct. 31, 2023, and beginning Nov. 1, 2023, Form I-9 Edition 08/01/23 will become mandatory. Employers must…