Jill M. Bussey

Partner

Jill Marie Bussey leads our Global Immigration Practice, overseeing the development of project and individual case strategies to address the recruitment and transfer of human resources throughout the world. In this role she manages the visa and work permit needs of international professionals, managers, and executives. This area of her practice focuses on developing strategic relationships with a deep network of attorneys across the globe to develop highly specialized nonimmigrant and immigrant visa programs that address both long-term and short-term business needs. She works closely with clients to identify and advise them on matters of compliance, emerging trends and the potential implications on their business. She is adept at developing strategies to address unique immigration requirements for expatriates, including: U.S. permanent residents and dependents accepting long-term assignments abroad; accessing citizenship status to facilitate family-based immigration; and managing multiple destination assignments.

With over a decade of experience in business immigration spanning a broad sector of industries including Fortune 500, government and private sector commercial entities, as well as non-governmental organizations, Jill has a deep understanding of the multiple drivers and participants involved in the immigration process. In addition to her Global Immigration experience, Jill gained extensive experience with U.S. immigration matters while she served as an attorney for a multi-practice global law firm in Washington, D.C. Jill's background in business law has made her particularly adept at advising organizations undergoing corporate changes and expansion to the U.S. She is experienced with all aspects of U.S. business immigration including nonimmigrant and immigrant categories and is an effective advocate for clients facing agency backlogs and challenges with issues related to their immigration status.

Jill is active in her community and is Member of the Board of Directors for a non-profit organization that serves the foreign-born community in Central Maryland.

Representative Areas of Practice

  • Global Visas, Work Permits & Residency Permits
  • U.S. and Global Consular Practice
  • U.S. Nonimmigrant Visas
  • U.S. Employment-based Permanent Residency
  • Immigrant Visas for Multinational Managers and Executives
  • Nonimmigrant & Immigrant Visas for Aliens of Extraordinary Ability
  • Naturalization
  • Individual and Family-Based Matters
  • Corporate Immigration Compliance


Professional Memberships

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Maryland State Bar Association, Immigration Law Section
  • Immigration Bar Association
  • Worldwide ERC


Bar Admissions

  • Maryland Court of Appeals


Education

  • J.D., University of Baltimore School of Law, 2004
  • B.A., Law & Society, The American University, 1995


Selected Presentations and Publications

  • Editor, The Global Mobility Handbook 2011 Edition, Baker & McKenzie LLP.
  • ILW Global Migration Panel, December 2010.
  • "USCIS to Require Employer Certification Regarding the Release of Controlled Technology to Certain Foreign National Employees in the United States", Jill Marie Bussey and Sylwia Lis, December 2010.
  • "Wheel of Chance: Ethics Workshop in Family Immigration", AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law, Las Vegas, Nevada, June 2009.
  • Immigration & Nationality Law Handbook 2009 Edition, "A Primer on the Ethical Considerations in Family-based Immigration Practice," by Jill Marie Bussey and Jane W. Chen.
  • "Careers in Immigration Law", presented to University of Baltimore, School of Law Clinic Students, Baltimore, Maryland, April 2009.
  • "Immigration in a Down Market", briefing to FIRN American Success Awards recipients, Columbia, Maryland, April 2009.
  • Insights on International Immigration & Cross Border Opportunities, Labor, Immigration & Employee Benefits Division, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Baker & McKenzie, February 2009.
  • "Ethics of Practice Management", AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law, Orlando, Florida, June 2007.
  • "Management of U.S. Immigration Needs", National Association of Realtors, Washington, D.C., May 2007.
  • "Employment-Based Immigration", United States Immigration Practice for Paralegals, Fairfax, Virginia, September 2006.