Julie Emerick focuses on helping clients streamline the global migration process and develop strategic plans for employment-based nonimmigrant (“temporary work”) and immigrant (“Green Card”) matters. She has represented clients in various professional, consulting, manufacturing, energy, IT, educational, and entertainment fields. Julie is committed to knowing her client’s short- and long-term objectives and helping them navigate the immigration stage of their journey. She has been instrumental in effectively negotiating immigration matters for her clients in an ever-changing environment, from travel restrictions to “work from anywhere” concerns.
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.