Phone: 212-796-8846 Email: sseltzer@klaskolaw.com Industries Served: Physicians Scholars Scientists Engineers Hospitals Medical Research Institutions Universities and Colleges

Suzanne B. Seltzer, the head of the firm’s New York Office, is known for her extensive representation of universities, hospitals, research institutions, and their medical and research personnel in obtaining extraordinary ability and national interest waiver immigrant petitions, O-1 nonimmigrant visas, and waivers of the two-year home country residence requirement. A founding member of Klasko Rulon, Stock & Seltzer, LLP, Suzanne has practiced immigration law since 1993. Her clients include academic institutions from all over the country, as well as scientists, professors, engineers and physicians from around the world.

Since 1995, Suzanne has been active in the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). She currently chairs AILA’s USCIS Liaison Committee, and is a member of the InterAgency Committee. In the past, Suzanne chaired AILA’s Vermont Service Center Liaison Committee, served on AILA's Annual Conference Planning Committee, AILA’s NY Chapter Conference Program Committee, and AILA's - NY District Office/USCIS liaison committee. In addition to her involvement in AILA committees, Suzanne is also Co-Chair, The FMG Taskforce – The Organization of Physician Immigration Lawyers, of which she has been an active member for 10 years, and was recently selected for a two year term as NAFSA's Region X Regulatory Ombudsman.

In addition, Suzanne is also a founding member of the NY Anti-Trafficking Network, sits on its steering committee, and co-chairs its Legal Subcommittee. In 2002, Suzanne received the Cornerstone Award from the Lawyers Alliance for New York and in 2003, she received the prestigious Samuel E. Klein Pro Bono Award.

A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Suzanne received her law degree from Georgetown University’s Law Center (cum laude).

Recent Representative Matters:

• Ongoing representation of a major research foundation in obtaining non-immigrant visas and permanent residency on behalf of scientists, visiting researchers, and key professional staff; assist in developing immigration policy; advice on compliance with government regulations;
• Advice and counsel to several Ivy League universities with respect to current developments in immigration law and policy;
• Ongoing representation of several hospital based practices and university research and teaching departments with respect to individual foreign nationals; and
• Lead attorney on first preference employment based immigration petitions for top-10 pharmaceutical clients.

• Substantial representation of individual researchers and clinicians, including:

  • Obtaining waivers of the two-year home residence requirements for physicians through “State 30” waivers, interested government agencies - such as Department of Health & Human Services, VA waivers, and hardship waivers;
  • Obtaining O-1 classification and permanent residence on behalf of notable physicians and surgeons;
  • Developing labor certification processes on behalf of healthcare clients to facilitate permanent residence for physicians; and
  • Obtaining first preference employment based immigration petitions and national interest waivers for both clinicians and researchers;

Speeches:

• Immigration Opportunities for Post Doctoral Researchers, New York Academy of Sciences (2009; 2010, October 2011)
• Traversing the New Prevailing Wage Determination Process (AILA) (April 2010)
  
• J Waivers – A Procedural Roadmap for Non-Physicians, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) seminar (June 16, 2009)
• Moderator, Dealers Choice:  Bispecialization with CSC and VSC Q&A, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (June 2009)

• Advanced Physician Waiver Issues,  ILW.com, (September 30, 2009)

• Navigating the Four Levels of Prevailing Wage, NAFSA:  Association of International Educations Annual Conference (May 2009)
• "Bi-specialization: California Service Center (CSC) & Vermont Service Center (VSC) Liaisons," AILA webinar (January 2009)
• Moderator, Liaison on the Local & Regional Level - New York District and Vermont Service Center, Immigration Law in an Era of Enforcement, AILA New York Chapter  Annual Conference, New York, NY (December 2008)
• Silver Into Gold: Transforming Your Case Into EB-1 or NIW,  presented at American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Vancouver, Canada (June 2008)
• Providing Civil Remedies to Human Trafficking Victims, presented at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY  (August 2008)
• J Waivers In-Depth, teleconference series seminar, sponsored by ILW.com (Jan – March 2008)
• Immigration Relief for Crime Victims: U & T Visas, at the Association of the Bar, City of New York (ABCNY). (Organizer/Moderator) Co-sponsored by ABCNY, AILA New York Chapter, and the NY Anti-Trafficking Network. (Jan. 2008)
• 212-eeeeeeeee!: A tricky 'subject' for advisors, presented at the Region X Conference of the National Association of Foreign Scholar Advisors (NAFSA) Brooklyn, NY (Nov. 2007)
• Am I Really Subject to the Two Year Home Residency Requirement presented before the Annual Conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Orlando, FL (June 2007). 
• Is Special Handling Really so Special, presented at the National Conference of the National Association of Foreign Scholar Advisors (NAFSA) Minneapolis, MN (May 2007)
• Policies and Procedures for Addressing Complicated H-1B Issues, presented at the National Conference of the National Association of Foreign Scholar Advisors (NAFSA) Minneapolis, MN (May 2007)
• Physician Visas: What You Need To Know Now, teleconference/seminar sponsored by ILW.com. (Jan 2007)
• Employment Based Immigrant Visas presented before the Annual Conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (June 2006).
• PERM Strategy Workshop presented before the MidYear Conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (Jan 2006).
• Representing the Best & the Brightest presented before the Annual Conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (June 2004).
• The Do’s and Don'ts of HHS Waivers presented at National Conference of NAFSA:  Association of International Education Baltimore, MD (May 2004)

Publications and Presentations:

• O-1: Going from OY Vey to Okay! Immigration Options for Academics & Researchers (2nd Ed) (AILA 2012)

• Dissecting USCIS' E-1-1 RFE Template  Handbook for AILA NY Conference  (December 2011) and in AILA South Florida Conference(February 2012).

• 50 Ways to 30 Waivers:  The Conrad 30 Program, (The Physician Immigration Book; ed ILW) (August 2011)

• Immigration Relief for Crime Victims:  The U Visa Manual (NY Anti-Trafficking Network) (March 2010)

• Last Call for 2010 H-1Bs, Legal Intelligencer (December 2009)
• Leaving No Stone Unturned: Considering Every Option for Physician Waivers  Immigration Options for Physicians handbook (AILA, September 2009)
• H-1B Visas Might Night Be a Gamble This Year, Legal Intelligencer (March 2009)
• Employment Based Permanent Residency without PERM, AILA Philadelphia Chapter Conference, Philadelphia, PA (March 2009)
• Collegial Conversation:  When to Refer a Student or Scholar to an Attorney,  NAFSA Practice Resources (January 2009), at www.nafsa.org
• T Visa Manual:  Identification and Legal Advocacy for Trafficking Survivors" (3rd Edition) New York Anti-Trafficking Network (January 2009)
• I-9s:  Substance Over Form?, The Legal Intelligencer (May 2008)
• Navigating the Four Levels of Prevailing Wage, presented at the Region XI Conference of the National Association of Foreign Scholar Advisors (NAFSA) Burlington, VT (Oct. 2007)
• Employees Who Violate Immigration Laws are No Match for ICE, The Legal Intelligencer (October 17, 2007)
• Are USCIS Security Clearances Really Making Us More Secure, The Legal Intelligencer, (August 16, 2006)
• O*NET, Normal Requirements, and Business Necessity, The Reality of Business Immigration (Jan 2006)
• Immigration Lawyers Face an Ever-Changing Job Classification System, The Legal Intelligencer (December 19, 2005)
• Current and Projected Delays in Permanent Residency Processing, The Legal Intelligencer (May 19, 2005)
• The Identification and Legal Advocacy for Trafficking Victims Manual, available at www.ny-anti-trafficking.com. (2nd Edition, March 2005)
• How to Improve the Impact of Reference Letters on Establishing Extraordinary Ability, in Immigration Options for Academics and Researchers (AILA, January 2005).
• The ‘T’ Visa: A Primer, Immigration’s New Age: Discovery, Adaptation, and Survival (AILA, December 2004)
• Demystifying the HHS Waiver Process, Matthew Bender’s Immigration Law Bulletin (October 1, 2004); also published in Immigration’s New Age: Discovery, Adaptation, and Survival (AILA, December 2004)
• “Minimizing Consequences of H-1b Cap,” The Legal Intelligencer, (September 17, 2004)
• Taking Extraordinary Measures to Keep Key Personnel, Legal Intelligencer (March 2002); New Jersey Law Journal (May 2002); Matthew Bender’s Labor & Employment Bulletin (2002)
• Options of J-1 Clinicians: Expanded Use of the O-1 Visa, AILA New York Chapter Conference Handbook (2001); presented before National Conference of the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA) San Antonio, TX (May 2002)
• An Analysis of the Child Status Protection Act, Legal Intelligencer (September 2003); Matthew Bender’s Employment Bulletin (2003)
• Immigration Issues Related to Physicians and Research Scholars, presented at Baylor College of Medicine (March 2002)
• Immigration Options to Remain and Work in the United States Post-Student Years, presented at New York University (April 2004, November 2006, 2002) and Columbia (April 2004, February 2003, March 2002)
• Immigration Issues for Doctors and Researchers, presented at Columbia University (January 2006, February 2005, 2004, March 2003, January 2002), University of Pennsylvania (October 2001, October 2002), Thomas Jefferson University (April 2006, April 2005, April 2004, April 2003, April 2002)
• Temporary Protected Status: A Good Foundation for Building, 6 Geo. Imm. L. J. 773 (1992)
• Attacks on Justice, International Commission of Jurists (1992) (presented before the U.N. Sub-Committee on Human Rights, August 1992)