O Canada!: How to Approach and Develop a U.S./Canada Strategy for Your Immigration Program
In this session, we will discuss how Canada has become the new hotspot for talent, especially for employees feeling unwanted in the U.S. by the current administration. Our panel will explore the immigration requirements in Canada and how the Canadian immigration landscape is changing (becoming more difficult) in light of the influx of individuals wanting to flock to the country; the pros and cons of a Canada strategy for U.S. businesses from an immigration perspective; how North American companies must have a U.S./Canada game plan for attracting and retaining top talent; and how to set up a U.S./Canada dual strategy for immigration program directors.
Justin Parsons
Justin D. Parsons is a Managing Attorney at Erickson Immigration Group’s office in Arlington, VA. Justin has been practicing immigration law for 15+ years – both in New York City and Washington, D.C. While well versed in non-immigrant visa processing, his current practice focuses on PERM, I-140s, I-485s, and I-9 worksite compliance issues. He has been quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle and lectured on immigration law topics at George Washington University School of Law, George Mason School of Law, and the City University of New York. Justin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College and his Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School.
Meena Rafie
Meena Rafie is a Managing Attorney at Erickson Immigration Group specializing on business immigration and global mobility. She has extensive experience in U.S. immigration across the commercial nonimmigrant and immigrant visa categories, including L-1 nonimmigrant visa and EB-1 immigrant visa petitions for business executives and employees with critical skills.
Meena focuses on the needs of organizations that rely on a global workforce from startups to Fortune 500 companies. She advises HR and Global Mobility teams on immigration compliance, corporate restructuring, employee mobility, mergers/acquisitions, and Canada-US cross-border legal matters.
She obtained her Hon. BA from the University of Toronto and J.D. from the University of Windsor. Meena was admitted to the practice of law in the Law Society of Ontario (Canada) in 2011 and the State of New York (USA) in 2014.
Veronica Raygoza, GMS-T
Veronica Raygoza brings over 23 years of Human Resources experience in fast-paced, innovative environments. She spent most of her career at Genentech, Roche Pharmaceuticals’ US headquarters, where she was instrumental in building their Global Mobility function. She currently works at Square and has spent the past two years implementing governance and compliance around the function. Veronica brings with her a unique lens with her experience working with talent in pharma and fintech industries. She is a past Board member for BAMM and is currently serving as the Professional Development Chair for Square’s LatinX employee group.
Laura Young
Laura Young is the Director, Global Mobility and Immigration at Salesforce and has more than 15 years of mobility and immigration experience at the cross-section of immigration law and corporate mobility.