ANA YARESSY ROMERO

Comprehensive Immigration Management for a Global Healthcare Technology Company

• Successfully spearheading the immigration needs for a dynamic healthcare technology enterprise boasting a workforce of over 1,000 employees across the globe. This role encompasses overseeing all aspects of immigration, ensuring legal compliance and strategic alignment.

Strategic Immigration Guidance

• Providing invaluable strategic guidance to address complex immigration matters related to mergers and acquisitions (M&A), Permanent Labor Certification (PERM), and internal compliance. This entails navigating intricate regulatory landscapes and developing comprehensive solutions.

Enhanced Talent Acquisition and Retention

• Offering expert advice to internal stakeholders regarding employment-based immigration programs. Facilitating the recruitment of top-tier global talent, enabling the organization to maintain a competitive edge in the industry.

M&A Immigration Management

• Managing the immigration aspects of M&A transactions, which includes formulating case strategies, overseeing administration processes, and ensuring compliance with DOL regulations.

Visa Procurement and Talent Optimization

• Securing and renewing a diverse range of NIV and IV visas, including H-1B, L-1, TN, B-1, PERM, I-140 and AOS, while concurrently optimizing the talent acquisition and retention process.

Comprehensive Case Assessments

• Conducting comprehensive assessments of individual immigration cases, ensuring alignment with the company's overarching goals and policies.

Process Streamlining and Efficiency Gains

• Successfully streamlining and enhancing the visa application process and global mobility procedures, resulting in a remarkable 15% reduction in processing times. This efficiency minimized disruptions to project timelines and led to a substantial 20% reduction in administrative overhead, fostering improved employee satisfaction.

Collaborative Global Mobility Initiatives

• Collaborating closely with talent acquisition and executive teams to develop and implement global mobility policies and procedures.

Advocacy for Immigration Reform and Mass Incarceration Eradication

• Played a pivotal and proactive role in supporting legislative initiatives dedicated to eradicating the mass incarceration of immigrants. This multifaceted engagement encompassed conducting in-depth research, meticulously analyzing policies, and forging collaborative partnerships with advocacy groups. Together, these efforts aimed to bring about substantive changes in immigration policies to rectify existing disparities and injustices.

Advocacy Against Structural Inequalities

• Actively participated in a diverse array of advocacy endeavors targeting the elimination of structural inequalities embedded within the legal system. These efforts included contributing to advocacy campaigns, conducting outreach initiatives, and actively engaging with communities disproportionately affected by these systemic disparities.

Client and Stakeholder Engagement

• Attended a multitude of meetings, demonstrating a strong commitment to client and stakeholder engagement. These meetings served as crucial forums for gathering essential information and insights, thereby ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the unique needs and concerns of those impacted by immigration policies and structural inequalities.

Impactful Statements and Declarations

• Played a central role in the drafting of impactful statements and declarations, drawing from client intake experiences.

Precautionary Measures and Legal Documentation

• Actively supported the preparation of precautionary measure requests on behalf of vulnerable individuals. This involved close collaboration with legal teams to compile documents that were not only legally sound but also emotionally compelling.

In-Depth Research and Legal Documentation

• Conducted extensive research and authored a wide range of documents, including comprehensive studies on case law and judgments. This research played a pivotal role in informing legal strategies, ensuring that advocacy efforts were well-grounded in established legal precedent and principles.

Legal Research and Document Preparation

• Played a vital role in the legal team by conducting comprehensive legal research to gather relevant information and insights. This research was instrumental in preparing and drafting various legal documents and templates, including but not limited to Master Services Level Agreements (MSLA), non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and other essential corporate documents.

Contract Review and Redlining

• Demonstrated proficiency in reviewing and redlining commercial contracts.

Development of Internal Process Documents and Checklists

• Showcased exceptional organizational and documentation skills by creating internal process documents and checklists. These materials were designed to streamline and standardize legal procedures within the organization.
• Actively participated in updating the internal legal playbook, ensuring that the team had access to the most up-to-date and efficient procedures and protocols.

Facilitation of Team Communication

• Acted as a liaison within the legal team, coordinating and scheduling team meetings. These meetings served as crucial forums for sharing updates on work progress, discussing deliverables, and aligning on strategic objectives.

Integral Role in Legal Representation of Professional Athletes

• Played a pivotal and indispensable role in providing legal representation to professional athletes spanning a wide array of sports, including golf, football, and hockey. Ensured that these athletes remained fully compliant with the intricate and ever-evolving landscape of immigration regulations that pertain to their unique circumstances.

Thorough and Meticulous Research

• Demonstrated an unwavering commitment to resolving unique challenges by conducting comprehensive and painstaking research on a variety of case matters. A notable example of this dedication involved conducting an in-depth examination of the eligibility criteria for filing a P-1 visa on behalf of an athlete associated with the United States Football League (USFL). Notably, the USFL was not yet recognized as an "internationally recognized team" by immigration authorities, making this research particularly complex and critical.

Exceptional Organizational Skills

• Exhibited exceptional organizational prowess by efficiently managing and meticulously maintaining digital case files. These efforts resulted in streamlined workflows and the seamless accessibility of critical case materials, ensuring that all pertinent documentation was readily available and in impeccable order.

Proficiency in Multitasking

• Demonstrated a high level of multitasking proficiency by adeptly handling multiple cases simultaneously. With an acute ability to prioritize tasks effectively, all critical deadlines were consistently met without sacrificing the precision, accuracy, or quality of work delivered.

Effective Client Communication

• Acted as a bridge for effective and transparent communication between clients and their respective agents. These efforts fostered robust and collaborative working relationships, enabling clients to be kept apprised of the progress of their immigration matters. This direct line of communication was instrumental in addressing client concerns with promptness and comprehensiveness, enhancing overall client satisfaction.

Management of Immigration Projects for Fortune 500 Companies

• As an independent contributor, effectively managed a substantial volume of time-sensitive non-immigrant (NIV), Permanent Labor Certification (PERM), and Immigrant Visa (IV) immigration projects, handling over 60 active cases and tracking more than 130 concurrently. This included the preparation and submission of an impressive average of 35 filings per month to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Labor (DOL).

Development of NIV Training Manual

• Demonstrated leadership by creating a comprehensive NIV training manual for the team, which proved instrumental in improving efficiency and consistency in handling immigration cases. This manual was adopted and utilized by the entire Dallas office, showcasing the ability to drive process improvements.

Paralegal Training and Support

• Shared expertise and knowledge with fellow paralegals, conducting training sessions on the proprietary database, questionnaire intake system, and specific client protocols. This role as a mentor and trainer highlighted strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Subject Matter Expertise

• Earned a reputation as the go-to person within the team, particularly for handling challenging cases, meeting fast turnaround demands, and providing expert guidance to C-level officers and Vice Presidents of client companies.

Exceptional Client Service

• Achieved and maintained a high standard of client service by maintaining a 24-hour response time to all client communications. The quality of service provided was consistently rated as "excellent" by both clients and managers, reflecting a commitment to client satisfaction and relationship building.

Pro Bono Legal Support

• Collaborated with attorneys on pro bono projects, including matters related to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), and other Family-Based (FB) immigration cases.

Management of Immigration Projects for Leading Corporations

• Demonstrated exceptional proficiency in managing a high-volume caseload of Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) and Immigrant Visa (IV) immigration projects on behalf of Fortune 500 companies. This entailed orchestrating complex immigration processes for multiple clients simultaneously.

Exceeding Performance Goals

• Consistently surpassed monthly filing goals, outperforming expectations by more than 50% through November 2013. This remarkable achievement underscored a strong work ethic and the ability to maintain a high level of productivity under pressure.

Exceptional Client Satisfaction

• Evidenced a commitment to client service excellence by receiving more exceptional client surveys than any other team member. Additionally, managed cases with exceptional efficiency, consistently outperforming peers with comparable caseloads. These achievements highlighted not only proficiency in legal procedures but also a dedication to ensuring client satisfaction and favorable outcomes.

Analytical Prowess and Problem-Solving

• Exhibited keen analytical skills by promptly identifying issues and problems within immigration cases. Demonstrated the ability to assess situations quickly and independently, addressing challenges in a timely manner. This capacity to spot and resolve issues efficiently contributed to the success of the team and client satisfaction.

Collaborative Teamwork

• Collaborated effectively with cross-functional teams within the organization, adapting to new and changing situations with ease. This demonstrated a versatile and adaptable approach to work, which is invaluable in a dynamic work environment.

Supporting Peers

• Actively engaged in assisting fellow paralegals to ensure the timely completion of their case preparation, showcasing a commitment to team success and a willingness to share knowledge and expertise.

Innovative Contribution

• Notably, contributed to the organization's growth and internal knowledge systems by conceiving the name "BAL Smart" for the internal knowledge system.