Julie Emerick helps clients streamline the ever-changing immigration process and develops strategic plans for short-term (“temporary work”) and long-term (“Green Card”) employment-based matters. She focuses on the legal and practical immigration realities that impact the full immigration lifecycle. She brings creativity to the immigration legal process by knowing her clients and communicating their mission and story in the immigration petitions submitted. Practicing immigration and nationality law for three decades, she is appreciated by her clients for her personal commitment, communication and level of care for their specific needs.
Julie provides counsel to employers on the unique immigration issues affecting corporate start-ups, mergers and acquisitions and employee transfers, as well as work stoppages, and employee layoffs. She works with clients on the full immigration life cycle, from determining the appropriate visa classification for initial hire, through the sponsorship for Permanent Resident status and eventually, if desired, U.S. citizenship. Julie brings creativity to the immigration legal process by knowing her clients and communicating their mission and story in the immigration petitions submitted. Practicing immigration and nationality law for nearly three decades, she is appreciated by her clients for her personal commitment and level of care for their specific needs.
She advises corporate clients on the creation of Form I-9 and E-Verify compliance policies and instructional programs; and defends employers in worksite, wage and sick leave, document abuse and discrimination investigations conducted by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Labor (DOL), the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) of the Department of Justice and local governments.
Julie represents individuals helping them achieve their dream of American citizenship and in reuniting families through family-based immigration. She provides pro-bono counsel to members of the U.S. military and victims of crimes. Prior to joining Masuda Funai, Julie was a solo practitioner of immigration and nationality law in Chicago.
Julie has served the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in several roles for AILA’s USCIS Case Assistance Committee, USCIS Benefits Policy Committee, USCIS Service Operations Committee, USCIS Field Operations Committee, various USCIS Service Centers Committees and as liaison to the Administrative Appeals Office.