Photo of Cole F. Heyer

Cole F. Heyer has been working in the immigration field for over a decade and has wide-ranging experience in both family-based and employment-based immigration matters. Prior to joining GT in 2015, Cole worked at a high-volume family-based immigration practice where he represented clients before the Atlanta Immigration Court and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

At GT, Cole focuses his practice on representing domestic and multinational employers before the USCIS, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on virtually all issues that employers may face in the employment context with immigration.

Specifically, Cole represents and advises employers, ranging from small, start-up companies to Fortune 50 companies, in all areas of employment-based immigration matters, including nonimmigrant visa categories (B, E-1/2, E-3, F, H-1B, H-3, J, L-1A/B, O, TN, R), permanent residence (PERM, Extraordinary Ability/Outstanding Researchers, Multinational Managers and National Interest Waivers), naturalization, and DACA. He services companies in all industries, including pharmaceuticals, medical device, oil & gas, retail and fashion, IT, financial services, and food & beverage on U.S. employment-based immigration, compliance and enforcement actions, and global immigration. Cole also assists with GT’s federal litigation practice concerning immigration matters.

Finally, Cole advises employers with I-9 compliance by providing onsite training, internal audits and reviews, and deploying best practices to minimize exposure and liabilities in the event of ICE investigations and audits. As part of this practice, Cole has worked directly with ICE on I-9 audits to negotiate on behalf of employers that he represents.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on April 22, 2020 that it will extend the temporary closure of the Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) through June 1, 2020, with extended
Continue Reading Covid-19 Immigration Update: CBP extends the closure of certain enrollment centers for the Trusted Traveler Program

Late on April 20, President Trump tweeted his intention to issue an Executive Order (EO) that “temporarily” suspends immigration into the United States. The proposed suspension may be issued in
Continue Reading President Trump Announces Suspension of Immigration Due to COVID-19, Details Not Yet Available

In almost every state, companies have instituted temporary work from home policies—or have been instructed by government authorities to institute such policies—in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), in an effort
Continue Reading Work from Home Scenarios due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), may require a review of companies’ H-1B or E-3 compliance

On March 23, 2018, USCIS significantly changed its interpretation of the H-1B rules by issuing a policy memorandum adopting the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) decision Matter of S- Inc.  The issue addressed in Matter of S- Inc. is the meaning of the term “related entities” in cases where multiple employers file cap-subject H-1B petitions for the same beneficiary.
Continue Reading Under New H-1B Rule Interpretation, You May be More Closely Related than You Think

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is denying Advance Parole (AP) applications when an applicant travels internationally while the application is pending with USCIS.  This represents a big adjudication shift
Continue Reading Denial of Advance Parole Applications Due to International Travel Adversely Impacts U.S. Companies

Over the past several months, some trends have developed which pose challenges for employers taking part in the H-1B program: 1. the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is
Continue Reading Emerging Trends: USCIS Challenging Level 1 Wages and Computer Programmer Occupational Classification for H-1B Petitions

Due to a technical error, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) recently began issuing H-1B approval notices on Form I-797 that incorrectly list the class as “1B1.”  This
Continue Reading Technical Error by USCIS Results in H-1B Approval Notices Incorrectly Listing Class as “1B1” Instead of “H-1B”

work appBeginning Feb. 16, 2016, USCIS began reissuing receipt notices on Form I-797 to applicants who continue to have pending applications for renewed employment authorization (EAD applications) under certain categories that
Continue Reading USCIS Reissuing Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Receipt Notices for Certain EAD Categories Filed Between July 21, 2016 and Jan. 17, 2017