Melany Savitt

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

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.

Tonkon Torp Business Immigration partners Alan Perkins and Melany Savitt hosted a roundtable briefing on Form I-9.

Chambers USA has recognized 26 Tonkon Torp attorneys in eight practice areas in its Chambers USA 2023 Guide.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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).

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.