Jeffrey W. Pitts has been an immigration attorney for more than 17 years counseling organizations across diverse sectors, including pharmaceutical, academia, technology and consulting, telecommunications, the performing and creative arts, financial services, international gaming, and manufacturing. Jeffrey is a strategic partner to General Counsel, Human Resources and Global Mobility Departments and ensures the efficient, cost effective and compliant prosecution of client immigration matters.
Jeffrey has extensive experience advising clients ranging from large multi-national companies to start-up ventures regarding strategies for the full range of nonimmigrant petitions, with focus on H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1, TN, E-1, E-2 and E-3 petitions, as well as the full range of immigrant petitions with focus on EB-1 Extraordinary Ability and Outstanding Researcher petitions, Multinational Executive and Manager petitions, National Interest Waivers, and EB-5 Immigrant Visa Petitions. Jeffrey has broad knowledge of Alien Labor Certification regulations and helps clients obtain certification under the DOL’s PERM process. Recently, Jeffrey has been asked to assist accelerators and entrepreneurship programs for foreign investors and start up enterprises.
Jeffrey has specialized expertise in immigration compliance issues and provides guidance concerning United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Labor (DOL), and Employer Sanction regulations. In the area of compliance, Jeffrey has defended Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices investigations and DOL Labor Condition Application and Public Access File audits. He also conducts Form I-9 compliance audits and advises on E-Verify requirements. Jeffrey has served as lead immigration counsel on several major mergers and acquisitions and regularly is asked to provide immigration due diligence and strategic advice in corporate restructurings and reductions of force. He further has served as Alternate Responsible Officer for a fortune 50 health care company’s J-1 Trainee Program.
Jeffrey also represents individual clients in family based applications and petitions, with a focus on Form I-130 Immediate Relative petitions, Form I-485 Adjustment of Status applications, K-1 Fiancé petitions, and Naturalization applications and interviews, including 319(b) applications.
Prior to joining Ozisik PLLC, Jeffrey led the immigration practice for a large, multi-practice corporate firm and was previously a Partner with the international immigration firm Fragomen Worldwide.
Jeffrey received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, with honors, from the University of Cincinnati. He received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from New York Law School, where he served on the Editorial Board of the New York Law School Law Review. During law school Jeffrey served as a Legal Specialist for the New York City Law Department, Office of Corporation Counsel.
Jeffrey is admitted in New York and New Jersey and to the United States Supreme Court and the United States District Court, District of New Jersey. Jeffrey has been active in the International Bar Association, International Business Law section, the Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats, Corporate Immigration Subcommission, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the New York and New Jersey State Bar Associations, and served as a Committee Member, of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s Committee on Immigration. Jeffrey is regularly asked to speak at seminars, conferences and corporate training sessions and was the recipient of the 2010, 2011 and 2015 International Law Office Client Choice Award for Corporate Immigration in the United States, and was named 2015 Global Law Expert for Corporate Immigration in the United States.