Melany Savitt

Melany Savitt

Partner

503.802.2179
melany.savitt@tonkon.com

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Services & Industries

Education

J.D., Lewis & Clark Law School, 2011

B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1996

Bar & Court Admissions

Oregon State Bar

Overview

Melany represents clients of all sizes from a variety of industries, guiding employers and foreign nationals through the maze of immigration laws. She handles a wide range of nonimmigrant work visas, including specialty occupation categories, intracompany transfers, extraordinary ability in business and arts, internationally recognized artists and performers, religious workers, cultural exchange workers, and treaty-based classifications. Additionally, Melany has extensive experience with PERM labor certifications, and immigrant visa petitions for multinational executives and managers, as well as individuals meeting the extraordinary ability threshold.

Melany’s most recent pro bono work has helped crime victims, with U visa petitions. She has also provided pro bono services to several organizations involved in immigration matters, including Surviving Spouses Against Deportation, and securing artists’ visas for participants in Portland-area arts events and festivals.

Melany’s interest in art is more than legal. She studied Byzantine mosaic techniques in Ravenna, Italy and has created and installed custom mosaics in tile and stained glass.

Representative Work
Activities & Memberships

Community Involvement & Activities

Art4Life
2015–Present, Board Member

Business for Culture and the Arts
Art of Leadership Program 2016


Professional Memberships

American Bar Association
American Immigration Lawyers Association
Multnomah Bar Association
Oregon Women Lawyers

Awards & Recognition

Chambers USA

2020-2024, Immigration

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News & Publications

Chambers USA 2024 Ranks 28 Tonkon Torp Attorneys

Chambers USA has recognized 28 Tonkon Torp attorneys in eight practice areas in its 2024 Guide.

Melany Savitt Gives PERM Deep Dive Presentation at Conference for Immigration Lawyers

Tonkon Torp business immigration attorney Melany Savitt was a featured speaker at the American Immigration Lawyer Association’s (AILA) annual national conference in Orlando, Florida. Melany and her co-presenters guided an audience of immigration professionals through the new PERM Labor Certification application form.

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.

Tonkon Torp Immigration Attorneys Speak at AILA P.L.A.N. Conference

Tonkon Torp partners Melina LaMorticella and Melany Savitt were featured speakers at the 2023 P.L.A.N. Conference, hosted by AILA Oregon and designed for paralegals, law students, assistants, and new practitioners.

All News Items

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.

All Business Immigration Blog Items

Publications & Presentations

“COVID-19 Temporary Flexibilities for Form I-9 Ending,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, May 2023

“Form I-9 Roundtable,” May 2023

“H-1B Forms,” P.L.A.N. Conference, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Oregon, March 2023

“Annual Immigration Update,” Jan. 2023

“FY2024 H-1B Cap Registration – What You Need to Know,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, Jan. 2023

“What You Need to Know About FY2023 H-1B Cap Registration,” Tonkon Torp Legal Update, Jan. 2022

“Annual Immigration Update,” Nov. 2021

“Business Immigration Update,” Sept. 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,” American Immigration Lawyers Association, Oregon Chapter, Feb. 2020

“U.S. Employment Options Post-Graduation for International Students,” Reed College, Feb. 2020

“H-1B Cap Season 2020,” Feb. 2020

“Worksite Enforcement Business Immigration Briefing,” Sept. 2019

“Visas – Who Can Come? Who Can Stay?” Annual Labor & Employment Law Update, May 2019

“Advanced PERM and PERM-based I-140 issues,” NW Regional Immigration Law Conference, Seattle University, Feb. 2019

“Business Immigration Review and 2019 Forecast Briefing,” Dec. 2018

“Business Immigration for Startups,” Nov. 2018

“L1A/L1B Petitions and Multinational Executives/Managers Immigrant Petitions: Overview, RFE Trends, & Practice Pointers,” Annual Northwest Regional Immigration Law Conference, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Seattle, March 2018

“H-1B Breakfast Briefing,” March 2018

“Worksite Enforcement, Compliance Best Practices & Forms I-9,” June 2017

“H-1B Cap Season 2017 and Trump Administration Executive Orders,” Feb. 2017

“Business Immigration 2017,” Feb. 2017

“Employment-Based Immigration,” American Immigration Lawyers Association, Oregon Chapter, May 2016

“H-1B Cap Subject Petitions,” NW Regional Immigration Law Conference, Seattle, March 2016

“L1 Visas: Overview, RFE Trends, & Practice Pointers,” Annual Northwest Regional Immigration Law Conference, American Immigration Lawyers Association, March 2015

“The Role of the Human Resource Department in Facilitating International Assignments,” Global Special Interest Group of PHRMA, Feb. 2015

“Employment Based Immigration Update,” Labor & Employment Law Seminar, May 2013