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
46 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Included in 2025 Best Lawyers in America®
Forty-six Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 36 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025. Forty-five of the attorneys have been previously named to the peer-review list, and most have been listed for more than 10 years.
Chambers USA 2024 Ranks 28 Tonkon Torp Attorneys
Chambers USA has recognized 28 Tonkon Torp attorneys in eight practice areas in its 2024 Guide.
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.
Recent Publications
Registration Requirement for Certain Noncitizens in U.S. for 30 Days or Longer, Effective April 11, 2025
By Melany Savitt and Alan Perkins – The Trump administration continues extreme vetting and full enforcement of existing (even if dormant) immigration laws, including the requirement that noncitizens be registered with the government. The government refers to this as the Alien Registration Requirement, or ARR. The American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association filed a lawsuit on March 31 to challenge the requirement.
General Requirement to Carry Immigration Documentation
By Melany Savitt and Alan Perkins – Immigration law requires every foreign national in the United States who is 18 years of age and older to carry evidence of their immigration status in their personal possession. Examples include: I-94 records, LPR (green) cards, and EADs (employment authorization documents).
All Noncitizens Must Report Change of Address to USCIS Within 10 Days of Moving Residence
By Alan Perkins – The Trump administration is focusing on fully enforcing existing immigration laws, including the requirement that noncitizens file Form AR-11 to notify USCIS of a change in residence within 10 days of moving. Because the penalties for failure to file are severe, including possible removal (deportation), it is critical that all non-U.S. citizens (including permanent residents) ensure they timely file Form AR-11 with each residential move. While the penalties discussed below are not new, they typically have not been enforced to their fullest extent.
FY2026 H-1B Cap Registration: What You Need to Know
H-1B registrations for the FY2026 cap season will open at noon ET on March 7, 2025, and run through noon ET on March 24, 2025. The USCIS filing fee is $215 per registration this year (a significant increase from $10).
Coming Soon: Travel Bans?
The Trump administration has not yet published an executive order banning visa issuance or inbound travel from specific countries, however, we anticipate travel bans as soon as late March.
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