Siliato, Anthony F.

Anthony F. Siliato, the founder of Meyner and Landis' Immigration Law Group, has been practicing Immigration Law for more than 25 years. He is chiefly responsible for the firm's business and corporate-related immigration matters which involve the recruitment, hiring, transfer and retention of international personnel worldwide. In addition, Mr. Siliato counsels business clients in the areas of immigration-related compliance, investigations and immigration due diligence for corporate mergers and acquisitions.

In servicing the immigration-related needs of employers in a full spectrum of industries including, hospitality, pharmaceutical, health care, travel, manufacturing, multi-media and technology, Mr. Siliato either partners with in-house counsel or human resource personnel or manages their foreign national personnel program entirely, in obtaining temporary and permanent (green card) visas for business, scientific, managerial and executive personnel. Through his substantial experience with all work-related visa classifications (H-1B, H-2B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, E-1, E-2, TN, O, P), he is able to provide both short-term and long-term strategic guidance in the employer/employee relationship. His representation also includes that of outstanding researchers, extraordinary ability foreign nationals and those seeking national interest waivers.

In addition to securing visas, Mr. Siliato advises clients on corporate regulatory compliance. Recent developments show that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor have stepped up their efforts in worksite enforcement. These efforts include increased audits of I-9 files and H-1B Public Access files. Such audits, at times, result in employer sanctions for I-9 and other employment-related violations. In extreme circumstances, criminal penalties have been imposed on corporate officers with control over the activities which form the basis for the employer's liability. Mr. Siliato consults corporate and business clients on I-9 compliance, record-keeping, and electronic (including E-verify) verification requirements to remain compliant with the law. Mr. Siliato also advises clients on safe harbor procedures for employers which receive social security mismatch letters. By taking certain steps in a timely fashion, an employer may avoid sanctions from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for employing individuals unauthorized to work in the U.S.

In addition to his inbound visa practice, Mr. Siliato regularly provides guidance in outbound immigration worldwide.

A past chair of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Mr. Siliato remains an active member of AILA, serving as a mentor in employment-related immigration matters. He is a frequent speaker on employment-related immigration and has developed and performed numerous in-house training programs for clients and human resource personnel on many topics, including The Most Commonly Used Working Visa Classifications, The Road to the Green Card through PERM and I-9 Compliance. His authored works include Strategies To Expedite Employment of Foreign Nationals, and Common Pitfalls that Delay or Interrupt Employment, Seminar Material, National Business Institute, October 2006.

Mr. Siliato currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the International Institute of New Jersey, a non-profit organization whose mission statement is to help immigrants and refugees build full and productive lives in the United States and work to ensure their fair and equitable treatment. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer in the area of Immigration Law by New Jersey Super Lawyers Magazine (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and in the top 100 New Jersey Lawyers in 2012).

Published Works:

Innovation Through Immigration - Creative solutions to the challenges of recruitment, hiring and retention of foreign-born talent New Jersey Law Journal, Employment And Immigration Law Regional General Counsel Supplement, March 2010

Selected by ILW.com, the nation's leading immigration law publisher and news resource for immigration law professionals, as a regular contributor to ILW's Blog which focuses on the H-1B visa, entitled, "The H-1B Visa Blog by Siliato and Malyk"

Common Pitfalls That Delay or Interrupt Employment and Strategies to Expedite Employment of Foreign Workers, National Business Institute, 2006

Immigration and the Employer, Chapters on H-1B and L-1 non-immigrant categories, ICLE, 1997