Katie Nokes Minervino

Partner

Portland, ME

207.791.1198

F 207.791.1350

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Katie Minervino leads Pierce Atwood's Immigration Practice Group. She has been practicing exclusively employment-based immigration law for the past 17 years, helping employers and employees create and execute immigration strategies to meet their short- and long-term immigration needs.

Katie has a national business immigration practice that includes obtaining immigration benefits for workers in a variety of industries and in a wide range of immigration work authorized categories, and she works closely with clients to ensure their immigration needs are met in a timely and efficient manner with close attorney oversight in each process. Katie has specialized expertise in a wide range of issues including cross border benefits and processes, healthcare immigration, immigration support for workers whose processes require a high level of engagement on case specific and complex topics, articulated in the filing in accordance with the regulatory criteria, current trends, and persuasive but plain language presentation of information, including O-1, EB-1A, B, and C, and EB-2 NIW filings. Katie provides clients with expert support on employer compliance in verifying the employment authorization of US workers.

She is a current member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association USCIS HQ Liaison Committee (2024 to present) and previously served on the Verification & Worksite Enforcement Liaison Committee (2014 to 2024), including as Chair and Vice Chair.

Honors & Distinctions

Recognized by Chambers USA as an "Up and Coming" attorney in Labor and Employment: Immigration (2018)
Received an Outstanding Service Award from the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) in Maine for pro bono representation of asylum seekers (2013)
Recognized for her pro bono service through the Katahdin Counsel Recognition Program (2012, 2013, 2014)
Received the firm's first-ever Scribner Firm Impact Award for her work to keep pro bono and community service top-of-mind at the firm.

Professional Activities

Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association USCIS HQ Liaison Committee (2024 to present)
Chair, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Verification & Documentation Liaison Committee (2019-2020) (2020-2021)
Vice Chair, AILA Verification & Worksite Enforcement Liaison Committee (2018-2019) (2017-2018)
Member, AILA, Verification & Worksite Enforcement Liaison Committee (2016-2017) (2015-2016) (2014-2015) (2021-2022) (2022-2023) (2023-2024)

Speaking Engagements

Katie is a frequent speaker on immigration-related topics:

Upcoming: 2025 AILA Annual Conference and Webcast on Immigration Law (June 18-21, 2025)
Upcoming: 2025 AILA Hot Topics and Survival Skills Conference (March 4, 2025)
Client webinar: Immigration Issues: Preparing Your Business for the Second Trump Administration (January 16 and 30, 2025)
April USCIS Fee Increases, Filing Location Changes, and Form Updates: Strategic Considerations for Employment-Based Cases (September 25, 2024)
Helping Reduce Discrimination in I-9 Processes at Equifax I-9 Palooza (July 29, 2024)
The New Era of I-9s: Virtual I-9, Verification, E-Verify NextGen, and the New Form I-9 at the 2024 AILA Annual Conference and Webcast (June 6, 2024)
AILA Web Seminar Unveiling the Impact of Equal Pay Transparency Laws on PERM Advertising (May 21, 2024)
All Things Humanitarian: Nuggets and Pitfalls in Asylum, VAWA, and U-Visa Relief at AILA New England Immigration Law Conference (October 6, 2023)
AILA Webinar: The End of COVID Flexibilities for Form I-9 Compliance and the New Virtual Option for Document Review (August 10, 2023)
Client Webinar: Video I-9 Document Review for Qualifying Employers, a New Form Version, and Wrapping-up COVID Form Compliance (July 28, 2023)
Current Issues in Worksite Enforcement at 2022 AILA Annual Conference and Webcast on Immigration Law (June 18, 2022)
Faculty for AILA Worksite Enforcement Online Course (May 16, 2022)
AILA NE Webinar New policy updates on expanded STEM and J-1 programs, NIWs and O-1 (March 25, 2022)
Peeking around Corners: Compliance Challenges for a Modern Workforce at the 2021 AILA Employer Compliance and Worksite Enforcement Conference (December 8, 2021)
Helping Reduce Discrimination in I-9 Processes at Equifax I-9 Palooza (June 24, 2021)
Compliance Open Forum: Current and COVID Developments at AILA Spring CLE Virtual Conference (April 15, 2021)
SHRM Webinar Participant: Five Essential Strategies for Completing Form I-9 Remotely During Coronavirus Outbreak (March 23, 2020)
Discussion Leader at AILA Spring CLE Conference: Government Relations Update (March 6, 2020)
Avoiding an ICE Storm, Preparing for Increased I-9 Scrutiny at the 2020 Annual AILA New England Chapter Advanced Immigration Law Conference (February 28, 2020)
Discussion Leader for AILA Webinar: Practical Tips for Worksite Compliance: I-9s and Related Issues (February 4, 2020)
Vexing E-Verify Issues for Experts at 2018 AILA Employer Compliance and Worksite Enforcement Conference (August 11, 2018)
DOJ IER Panel at 2018 AILA Employer Compliance and Worksite Enforcement Conference (August 10, 2018)
Advanced Electronic I-9 Systems at 2018 AILA Annual Conference (June 16, 2018)
Compliance Strategies to Defend Our Clients at 15th Annual AILA New England Immigration Law Conference (March 2, 2018)

Civic Activities

Pro bono panel attorney, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project

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Practice Areas

Representative Experience

Partners with clients of all sizes – from large publicly traded multinational companies to start-up investors - to obtain approvals for nonimmigrant visa petitions filed with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (H-1B, L-1A, L-1B, O-1, TN, E-3, R-1) for foreign workers with qualifying US employment offers.
Given Maine’s proximity to the northern border with Canada, our group has substantial and specialized experience advising and supporting employers and employees with “Port of Entry” processing at the US and Canadian border for qualifying TN and L-1 employment-based petitions.
Assists employers with Fiscal Year H-1B lottery petition consultations, petition processing and identifying and advising on "fall back" options if petitions are rejected in the FY H-1B lottery.
Counsels clients on hiring "late stage"/post-sixth year H-1B employees and related considerations around priority date retention, post sixth year H-1B approvals based on previously approved I-140 petitions and timing considerations for future permanent residence "green card" processes.
Provides eligibility assessments and obtain approvals for "extraordinary ability" foreign workers, including O-1 petitions and EB-1 extraordinary ability permanent residence processes.
Supports and instructs clients in consular visa processing for immigrant and nonimmigrant visas made directly at the Consulate, including E-3 petitions and B-1 in lieu of H-1B and B-1 in lieu of H-3 applications.
Advises on best available immigration options/strategies and then supports all stages of the employment-based permanent residence processes for extraordinary, intra-company managers and executives, advanced degree and skilled workers.
Counsels employers and employees on options and execute related strategies (re-entry permits, naturalization, etc.) on protecting permanent residence if there will be an assignment abroad.
Provides advice and counsel to Designated School Officials on SEVIS program compliance and work authorization for foreign students.
Counsels employers around F-1 OPT EAD compliance issues for employees requesting STEM OPT EAD extensions.
Supports healthcare clients in hiring and sponsorship of health care related occupations, advising and executing immigration processes for physicians (J-1 Conrad 30 waivers, cap exempt H-1B petitions, National Interest Waivers, EB-1 extraordinary ability and conventional "PERM" labor certification permanent residence processes) RNs (TN, Schedule A, and other strategies), and other healthcare related occupations.
Partners with clients in creating and customizing immigration policies and internal templates to facilitate consistent and efficient support and sponsorship of employment-based immigration processes.
Supports employers on employment verification developments and best practices (Form I-9 and E-Verify) and other issued relating to the hiring process.
Provides immigration and Form I-9 compliance advice and support relating to government inspections, internal audits, training and other compliance best practices, and pre-and post-mergers and acquisition due diligence requirements/considerations.
Counsels employers on E-Verify use: whether to enroll, how it works and what to do if they find themselves out of compliance with their Memorandum of Understanding.
Provides up-to-date guidance to employers relating to impact of recent immigration development, including new employment-immigration related regulations and Executive Orders.
Supports family-based permanent residence processes at the request of corporate clients for employees for whom the family-based permanent residence option is available.