Under his leadership, the firm has been chosen every year for the last ten years by the highly regarded Chambers Global; Ron himself is recognized annually as being in Band 1 of immigration lawyers by Chambers Global and Tier 1 in Best Lawyers in America©. In addition, he has also been repeatedly selected for inclusion in Lawdragon’s/Human Resource Executive’s list of The Most Powerful Employment Attorneys Guide, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.  Who’s Who Legal in Corporate Immigration named him as the most highly regarded immigration lawyer in the world.

A former National President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Ron currently serves as Chair of the Administrative Litigation Task Force and is a member of the National Committee for the 2018-2019 term. He served as General Counsel of AILA for three Presidents and has been a member of its Board of Governors since 1980.  He has served as National Chair of AILA’s U.S. Department of Labor Liaison Committee and Business Immigration Committee, and he served as National Chair of that organization’s INS General Counsel Liaison Committee and the National Task Forces on Labor Certifications, H-1 visas, L-1 visas and Employer Sanctions. He completed his fifth term as Chair of the EB-5 Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in 2017. Ron is one of only three practicing attorneys ever honored with the AILA Founders Award for his contributions to immigration jurisprudence, and is the only person to have received this award twice. He received it in 1999, and again in 2019. 

At the request of members of Congress and their staffs, Ron has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary and the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform.  He has been invited to lecture and provide training to staff members and lawyers of the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of State, INS General Counsel Management Conference, Immigration Judges Association and U.S. Department of Justice.  In addition, he has been an Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law at Villanova University Law School and is a frequent lecturer on immigration law subjects. 

A member of the prestigious Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, Ron is the co-author of the two volume Employers’ Immigration Compliance Guide (Matthew Bender 1985).  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Industries Served:

• Architecture
• Biotechnology
• Chemical
• Information Technology
• Investment
• Landscaping
• Manufacturing
• Medical Community (Physicians, Hospitals, Medical Schools)
• Pharmaceutical
• Research Institutions
• Scientific Community (Researchers, Scientists)
• Transportation
• Universities

Ron’s counsel has included applications to designate new regional centers; applications for pre- approval of  projects within regional centers; having projects adopted by existing regional centers; structuring projects to be EB-5 compliant; preparing template I-526 petitions; and advice on successfully marketing EB-5 projects.  Ron has successfully represented many direct individual EB-5 investors, direct  pooled EB-5 investors and regional center investors. In the area of treaty investors visas (E-2), Ron is particularly well known, having served as the lead attorney on the famous Matters of Walsh and Pollard case, which established the key precedent for E-2 visas.   

Ron completed his fifth term as Chair of the EB-5 Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in 2017. In this capacity, he leads advocacy efforts with USCIS to improve the EB-5 program. As Chair of the Best Practices Committee of IIUSA, the association of EB-5 regional centers, from 2012 to 2013, Ron worked with regional centers, developers and EB-5 professionals to develop the first comprehensive list of best practices in the EB-5 industry.

One of the most prolific EB-5 bloggers, Ron is a sought after speaker and regularly speaks on EB-5 topics around the country and around the world. Recently, he spoke at and served as the “Program Co-Organizer” for the widely attended 2015 Invest in America Summit in China. Ron has been interviewed by U.S. Chinese media on numerous occasions and has been quoted in Forbes Magazine and other media on his views on EB-5 matters.

A founding members of Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP, Ron serves as both its Managing Partner and Chair of the 25 person EB-5 Team of the firm. He has practiced immigration law exclusively for over three decades. Under his leadership, the firm consistently has been chosen with five other firms by Chambers Global as the top  U.S. business immigration law firms.

Ron is a former national president of (AILA).  He served as General Counsel of that organization and has been a member of its Board of Governors since 1980. He is one of the only three practicing attorneys ever honored with the AILA Founders Award for his contributions to immigration jurisprudence. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Ron has received enormous recognition from his peers in the immigration law community. He has been included in the highly regarded Best Lawyers in America (Woodward and White) for two decades, is named as one of the top 25 immigration lawyers in the country by EB5 Investors magazine and has been repeatedly selected for inclusion in Lawdragon’s/Human Resources Executive’s list of The Most Powerful Employment Attorneys Guide. Who’s Who in Corporate Immigration named him as the most highly regarded corporate immigration lawyers in the world.

Education:

• Lehigh University: B.A. magna cum laude 1971, Phi Beta Kappa
• University of Pennsylvania: School of Law, J.D. 1974

Bar Admissions:

• Pennsylvania

Personal Interests:

• White water rafting (Class 5 Rapids)
• Hiking
• Skiing
• Baseball
• Teaching
• Delivering speeches
• Cheering on his entrepreneurial kids

Professional & Civic Activities:

• National Chair, AILA Administrative Litigation Task Force (2018-present)
• Member, Board of Governors, AILA (1980–present)
• Member, AILA National Committee (2018-2019)
• National Chair, AILA EB-5 Committee (2012-2017)
• National Chair, AILA Business Immigration Committee (1999–2000)
• General Counsel, AILA (1996–1999)
• Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law at Villanova University (1985 – 1990)
• Invited by U.S House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary to testify on Immigration Reform
• National Chair, AILA National Task Forces on Labor Certifications, H-1 visas, L-1 visas and Employer Sanctions
• National Chair, AILA’s U.S. Dept. of Labor Liaison Committee
• National President, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (1988)

• Top 25 Global Migration Attorneys, Uglobal magazine (2020)
• Founders Award, American Immigration Lawyers Association (1999 & 2019)
• Top 25 Immigration Lawyers, EB-5 Investors magazine’s list as one of the country’s  (2015-present)
• Most highly regarded immigration lawyer in the world, International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (2007-present)
• Band 1 Immigration Lawyers, Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Chambers and Partners (2006-present)
• Best Lawyers in America©, Woodward and White (1991-present)
• Best of the Bar, Philadelphia Business Journal (2019)
• Inducted into Human Resource Executive Magazine‘s Hall of Fame for Most Powerful Employment Attorney (2018)
• Named to the Most Powerful Employment Attorney list by Human Resource Executive Magazine (2016-2017)
• One of only two business immigration lawyers chosen among the top 500 lawyers in the U.S., Lawdragon (2006)

• Ron has spoken at the following venues, among many others:

  • American Bar Association (ABA)
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
  • BLS International
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Duke University
  • Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
  • Florida Bar Conference
  • Harvard Business School
  • Henley & Partners
  • Investment Migration Council
  • Johns Hopkins University   
  • NAFSA: Association of International Educators
  • National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)
  • Tenet Healthcare Corporation
  • Thomas Jefferson University
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Texas
  • U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  • Yale University 
  • WHYY – interviewed for article regarding EB-5 visa program

Ron is a prolific writer and blogger and has published hundreds of articles in national and international journals, newspapers, and conference handbooks.

In addition, Ron is the co-author of the two-volume Employers’ Immigration Compliance Guide (Matthew Bender 1985).  To request a copy of a specific publication or presentation, e-mail Ron at rklasko@klaskolaw.com.

• AILA Latin America and Caribbean Chapter Conference – Lima – Surviving in Turbulent Times – (November 15 -16, 2018)
• U.S. E-2 Visa Options for Qualifying Nationals and New Grenadian Citizens – Dubai – (November 6, 2018)
• Henley & Partners 12th Annual Global Residence and Citizenship Conference – Jumeirah Mina A’Salam – (November 4 – 6, 2018)
• 2018 AILA & IIUSA EB-5 Industry Forum – Chicago – Source of Funds Issues with China, Other EB-5 Investors Markets, and Third-Party Exchanges and Litigation and What it Means: Why is Suing Whom and Why it Matters – (October 29 – 30, 2018)
• Fall 2018 Visa and Permanent Resident Options for MBA Students – Philadelphia – (October 10, 2018)
• 2018 AILA Fall CLE Conference – London – Bad Decisions and Worst-case Scenarios: Are you Sufficiently Prepared to Respond – (October 5, 2018)
• Litigating or Appealing a Denied H or L Petition – webinar – (September 27, 2018)
• 2018 AILA Federal Court Conference and Webcast: Business Litigation –  Washington DC – (September 20, 2018)
• H-1B to EB-5: Stay permanently, Work Anywhere – webinar – (September 12, 2018)
• Immigration Workshop “Issues in 2018 and Beyond” – Frisco – ( August 29, 2018)
• 2018 EB-5 Convention Los Angeles – Los Angeles – What is it and when does it matter? – (July 23 -24, 2018)
• EB-5: The Best (and Only?) Option for Many Indian Nationals – Philadelphia – (July 19, 2018)
• Choose Your Path: An Immigration Opportunity Workshop – Boston – (July 12 – 13, 2018)
• EB-5 Visa Webinar for H-1B, EB-1/2/3, and F-1 Visa Holders – webinar – (June 23, 2018)
• 2018 AILA Annual Conference – San Francisco – The Current State of the EB-5 Program – (June 13 – 16, 2018)
• AILA Webinar: Investing in Foreign Citizenship for U.S. Immigration Benefits – webinar – (May 22, 2018)
• 6th Annual Bangkok Chapter Consular Processing Conference – Hong Kong – E-2 Eligibility and Other Benefits of Third Country Citizenship – (May 9 – 10, 2018)
• Klasko 2018 Annual Spring Seminar – Philadelphia – (April 24, 2018)
• Visa and Permanent Residence Options for MBA students – Philadelphia – (March 27, 2018)
• Establishing E-2 Visa Eligibility through Citizenship by Investment – webinar – (March 14, 2018)
• Immigration Options for Entrepreneurial MBA Students – Boston – (March 7, 2018)
• Wharton Canada Club Immigration Discussion – Philadelphia – (January 31, 2018)
• 2018 Las Vegas EB-5 & Investment Immigration Convention – Las Vegas – Investor Representation in a Failing Project and USCIS Litigation – (January 25 -28, 2018)
• 2017 AILA EB-5 Investors Summit – Las Vegas – Representing Clients in Failed or Fraudulent Projects – (December 8 – 9, 2017)
• 11th Global Residence and Citizenship Conference – Hong Kong – U.S. EB-5 Projects for Chinese Private Clients – (November 14 – 16, 2017)
• AILA Latin America and Caribbean Chapter 2017 CLE Conference – Santo Domingo – Hot Topics – Including Conference Participant Interactive Session Consulate Adjudication Trends and Alerts and EB-5: The Fallout – (November 2 – 3, 2017)
• 2017 Klasko EB-5 Fall Seminar –  Philadelphia – (October 13, 2017)
• Work Authorization For MBA Interns and Full-time Hires in the US – Philadelphia – (October 11, 2017 )
• 2017 San Francisco EB-5 & Investment Immigration Convention – San Francisco – EB-5 Receivership and Representation of Investors in Troubled Projects – (July 27 – 28, 2017)
• 2017 AILA Annual Conference – New Orleans – Advanced Issues in EB-5 Cases – (June 22, 2017)
• 2017 Arnstein & Lehr Annual Advanced EB-5 Seminar – Miami – EB-5  Project Case Study – How to Avoid Pitfalls – (June 9, 2017)
• The Investment Migration Forum: Advancing Investor Migration and Citizenship – Geneva – (June 5 – 7, 2017)
• Klasko 2017 Annual Spring Seminar – Philadelphia – Klasko, Your Immigration Trump Card – (April 19, 2017)
• Work Authorization for MBA Interns and Full-time Hires in the US – Philadelphia – (March 28, 2017)
• Webinar: Immigration in the Trump Era – Philadelphia – (February 24, 2017)
• 38th Annual AILA South Florida Chapter Immigration Law Update – Miami – Illegal/Unlawful/Violation of Status: Distinctions with a Difference – (February 2 – 3, 2017)
• Las Vegas EB-5 & Investment Immigration Convention – Las Vegas – (January 13 – 14, 2017)
• Immigration Options for Entrepreneurial MBA Students – New Haven – (November 3, 2016)
• Green Card Strategies for Researchers – New Haven – (November 3, 2016)
• Immigration Options for Entrepreneurial MBA Students – Boston – (November 2, 2016)
• Visa & Permanent Residence Options For MBA Students – Philadelphia – (October 26, 2016)
• AILA Central Florida Chapter Annual Conference – ChampionsGate – (October 13 -15, 2016)
• 2016 EB-5 Fall Seminar: EB-5 at a Crossroads – Philadelphia – (September 9, 2016)
• EB-5 Investors Group Conference in New York – New York – (July 17 – 18, 2016)
• AILA Annual Conference 2016 – Las  Vegas – Advanced Issues in EB-5 – (June 22 – 25,2016)
• Investment Migration Council Forum 2016 – Geneva, Switzerland – Advanced Issues in EB-5
• Klasko Immigration Law Annual Spring Seminar – Philadelphia (April 19, 2016)
• The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business – Philadelphia – Immigration Options for MBA’s (March 29, 2016)
• Invest in America Summit 2016 – Shanghai, Bejing and Shenzhen, China (March 12-19, 2016)
• AILA Philadelphia Chapter – EB-5 (March 4, 2016)
• Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Conference – Big Sky, MT (February 21 – 23, 2016).
• NES Financial EB-5 Seminar – Miami – (February 19, 2016).
• Los Angeles Bar EB-5 Conference – Los Angeles – EB-5 Law vs. Lore, Nonimmigrant to EB-5 (February 13, 2016).
• South Florida Chapter of AILA CLE – Miami – Strategies for Working Around H-1B Shortage, EB-5 Dead and Revived, Mandamus and Declaratory Judgment (February 4-5, 2016).
• EB-5 Investors Magazine 2016 EB-5 Conference – Las Vegas – Migration Agent Training on EB-5, EB-5 Program Reform and Advocacy (January 15 -16, 2016).

H. Ronald Klasko quoted in CNN Money

Ron Klasko was quoted in a story by Sophia Yan for CNN Money entitled “Chinese flock to America to work for companies they’ve bought” published July 22, 2016.  Ron affirms the popularity of the EB-5 immigrant investor visa has reached unprecedented heights and will continue to increase among Chinese nationals.

H. Ronald Klasko quoted in Daily Business Review

In addition, Ron is the co-author of the two-volume Employers’ Immigration Compliance Guide (Matthew Bender 1985).  To request a copy of a specific publication or presentation, e-mail Ron at rklasko@klaskolaw.com.

His practice focuses on:

• Representation of multinational and domestic corporations, their employees and private individuals in immigration matters before USCIS, Department of Labor and U.S. Consulates;
• Immigration matters involving administrative and federal court litigation;
• Advising employers on immigration compliance and defending employers in enforcement actions;
• Complex immigration litigation in federal court;
• Consultation and outreach services to community and foreign student organizations and to attorneys;
• Representation of universities and hospitals, as well as students, researchers, faculty and medical doctors;
• Representation of foreign investors, as well as regional centers and developers with EB-5 matters;
• Matters involving: Extraordinary Ability and National Interest Waiver Petitions, Exchange Visitors, Immigrant Visa Processing and Adjustment of Status, Labor Certifications, Naturalization, Temporary Work Visas and Waivers of Inadmissibility.

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