Services & Industries
Education
J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School, 1997
B.A., summa cum laude, Willamette University, 1993
Bar & Court Admissions
Oregon State Bar
State Bar of California
Alan is Chair of Tonkon Torp’s Business Immigration Practice Group and focuses his practice on employment-based immigration and counseling on employment law matters relating to foreign nationals. He represents clients before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Labor.
Alan’s practice focuses on assisting large and small companies with the hiring and retention of foreign national employees. This primarily includes filing petitions with the government, both for temporary and permanent resident status, for executive, managerial, and specialized knowledge transferees of multinational corporations, professionals, individuals of extraordinary ability, and outstanding researchers.
He also advises clients on continuing employment issues involving foreign nationals in the United States, mergers and acquisitions involving foreign national employees, recruiting, reductions in force, and Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification and E-Verify.
Prior to joining Tonkon Torp in 2007, Alan practiced immigration law for several years in San Francisco with large national firms.
Community Involvement & Activities
Oregon State Bar International Law Section Executive Committee
Secretary
Past Chair
Past Treasurer
Society of Human Resource Management
Member
AILA / USCIS California Service Center Liaison Committee
Past Member
Professional Memberships
American Immigration Lawyers Association
Multnomah Bar Association
Portland Human Resource Management Association
Recent News
Best Lawyers in America® Includes 49 Tonkon Torp Attorneys on 2024 List
Forty-nine Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 36 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024. All of the attorneys have been previously named to the peer-review list, and most have been listed for more than 10 years.
Alan Perkins and Melany Savitt Host Form I-9 Roundtable
Tonkon Torp Business Immigration partners Alan Perkins and Melany Savitt hosted a roundtable briefing on Form I-9.
Chambers USA 2023 Ranks 26 Tonkon Torp Attorneys
Chambers USA has recognized 26 Tonkon Torp attorneys in eight practice areas in its Chambers USA 2023 Guide.
Business Immigration Group Hosts Annual Immigration Update
Tonkon Torp business immigration lawyers Alan Perkins, Turid Owren, Melina LaMorticella, and Melany Savitt hosted their Annual Immigration Update for employers.
Tonkon Torp Immigration Attorneys Speak at AILA NW Regional Conference
Attorneys from Tonkon Torp’s Immigration Practice spoke on panels at the September, 2022 AILA NW Regional Conference.
Recent Publications
FY2025 H-1B Cap Registration – What You Need to Know
By Melina LaMorticella, Turid Owren, Alan Perkins, and Melany Savitt – Now is the time for employers to review H-1B needs for the FY2025 cap season. Registrations will be submitted electronically to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in March 2024. We expect USCIS to designate the specific two-week registration period soon. USCIS previously charged a $10 fee per registration and is expected to increase the fee this year.
New Form I-9 & Remote Document Review Starting August 1, 2023
By Melany Savitt, Alan Perkins, Melina LaMorticella, and Turid Owren – On August 1, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published for immediate use a new edition of Form I-9, which will become mandatory on November 1, 2023.
COVID-19 Temporary Flexibilities for Form I-9 Ending
By Melina LaMorticella, Turid Owren, Alan Perkins, and Melany Savitt – The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that its COVID-19 temporary flexibility policies for Form I-9 will end on July 31, 2023. Employers relying on the COVID-19 temporary flexibilities for Form I-9 should plan ahead to ensure that all required in-person physical inspection of Form I-9 documentation is completed by August 30, 2023.
FY2024 H-1B Cap Registration – What You Need to Know
By Melina LaMorticella, Turid Owren, Alan Perkins, and Melany Savitt – Registrations for the FY2024 H-1B quota must be submitted electronically to USCIS in March 2023. We expect USCIS to designate a two-week registration period shortly. Last year USCIS charged a $10 fee per registration.
2024 DV Lottery Registration Open Oct. 5 to Nov. 8
By Alan Perkins, Melina LaMorticella, Turid Owren, and Melany Savitt – Online registration for the 2024 Diversity Visa Lottery (DV2024) opened Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022 at 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and closes Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 at 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5).
Publications & Presentations
“COVID-19 Temporary Flexibilities for Form I-9 Ending,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, May 2023
“Form I-9 Roundtable,” May 2023
“Annual Immigration Update,” January 2023
“FY2024 H-1B Cap Registration – What You Need to Know,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, January 2023
“What You Need to Know About FY2023 H-1B Cap Registration,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, January 2022
“USCIS Suspends Biometrics Collection for I-539 Applications for H-4, L-2, E Nonimmigrants, Tonkon Torp Legal Update, May 2021
“Travel from India to the U.S. Restricted Starting May 4,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, May 2021
“Immigration Under the Biden Administration, plus H-1B Cap,” February 2021
“H-1B Lottery Updates for Fiscal Year 2022,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, February 2021
“Biden Administration Executive Orders Impact International Travel,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, January 2021
“DOL Publishes Final Rule Impacting Prevailing Wages,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, January 2021
“Negative COVID-19 Test or Recovery Documentation Required of All U.S. Inbound Air Travelers,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, January 2021
“New Regulation Creates Wage-Based Selection Process for H-1B Lottery,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, January 2021
“Trump Extends Suspension of Entry for Certain Immigrants and Nonimmigrants Until March 31, 2021,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, January 2021
“Annual Immigration Update – An Encore Presentation,” December 2020
“October 2020 DOL and DHS Interim Final Rules Set Aside,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, December 2020
“Annual Immigration Update” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, November 2020
“2022 DV Lottery Registration Open Oct. 7 to Nov. 10,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, October 2020
“DHS Publishes Regulation Impacting H-1B Program,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, October 2020
“DOL Publishes Regulation Impacting Prevailing Wages,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, October 2020
“Business Immigration Update,” September 2020
“Trump Proclamation Suspends Entry of Immigrant Visa Applicants Into U.S. for 60 Days,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, April 2020
“H-1B Cap Season 2020,” February 2020
“Worksite Enforcement Business Immigration Briefing,” September 2019
“Business Immigration Review and 2019 Forecast Briefing,” December 2018
“Business Immigration for Startups,” November 2018
“Global Mobility Reform Considerations in 2018,” University Club of Portland, June 2018
“Practice Pointer: Overcoming H-1B Computer Programmer RFEs (Lessons Learned from 2017),” American Immigration Lawyers Association, June 2018
“Worksite Enforcement, Compliance Best Practices & Forms I-9,” June 2017
“The New USCIS Computer Programmer Memo and ‘Specialty Occupation’,” American Immigration Lawyers Association National Seminar, June 2017
“Business Immigration 2017,” Annual Northwest Regional Immigration Law Conference, March 2017
“H-1B Cap Season 2017 and Trump Administration Executive Orders,” February 2017
“Business Immigration 2017,” February 2017
“Employment Based Immigration and Foreign National Tax 2015 Update,” Oregon State Bar International Law Section, February 2015
“The Role of the Human Resource Department in Facilitating International Assignments,” Global Special Interest Group of PHRMA, February 2015
“Selected Issues Affecting H-1B Petitions,” Annual Northwest Regional Immigration Law Conference, March 2012
“L-1’s: Substantive Requirements and Practical Tips,” Annual Northwest Regional Immigration Law Conference, February 2009