Kelly R. Rourke

Kelly assists businesses, non-profits, and management with administrative law matters, focusing her practice primarily on employment-based immigration.

She helps clients in a variety of industries develop and execute strategies to meet critical staffing needs through U.S. immigration sponsorship. To this end, she handles an array of nonimmigrant petitions, applications for labor certification, adjustment of status and naturalization filings, and consular processing matters. She also counsels clients on immigration compliance issues such as Form I-9 and E-Verify matters.

Before focusing her practice on employment-based immigration, Kelly provided clients analytical, practical, and timely guidance on a range of employment matters, including employment-related discrimination complaints, employee handbooks and policies, and occupational safety and health.

Solutions in action

• Obtained L-1A, L-1B, and EB-1C multinational manager green card approvals for confectionery manufacturer, allowing the company’s experienced foreign national employees to assist in the opening of a new U.S. plant
• For an international dairy products producer, obtained E-2, E-3, L-1A, L-1B, H-1B, and TN approvals for dozens of executives, managers, and specialists required to be in the United States to handle a comprehensive SAP transition
• Secured R-1 and green card approval for numerous religious workers in various denominations; developed creative solutions for these workers due to sudden green card backlog
• Secured O-1 and EB-1A approval for an individual with extraordinary ability in a specialized area of electrical engineering
• Obtained L-1 Blanket certification for multiple international manufacturing corporations
• Obtained H-1B cap-exempt approval for a non-profit museum by demonstrating it qualifies as a non-profit research organization
• Obtained H-1B cap-exempt approval for a non-profit K-12 school by advising it to enter into a formal agreement with an institution of higher education
• Assisted an employer in obtaining PERM labor certification approval after previous Department of Labor denial, using BALCA appeal process
• In a pro bono case, obtained U visa approval for a victim of domestic violence
• In several pro bono cases, obtained U.S. citizenship for individuals requiring exceptions to the English language and civics testing requirements
• Defended employers in the healthcare, higher education, and retail industries in discrimination claims based on race, sex, national origin, age and disability status
• Defended manufacturers and retail businesses against claims of occupational safety and health violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)