Attorney Profile

Catherine L. Haight

Catherine L. Haight has been practicing business and sports related immigration law in Los Angeles since 1989.  She currently serves as Chair of the National AILA Liaison Committee to the Department of Labor and serves as the AILA Southern California Chapter co-liaison to the USCIS Los Angeles District Office.  She has been the invited speaker at numerous conferences and seminars on such subjects as labor certification, nonimmigrant visas, legal ethics, employer sanctions law, and the immigration consequences of business mergers and acquisitions. Ms. Haight was recently named to the "Super Lawyer 2009" list of top attorneys in Southern California.

PROFESSIONAL STATUS:                   

STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA - admitted 1989
U.S. DISTRICT COURT (C.D. CALIFORNIA) - admitted 1989

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:   

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
1989 - Current            Member

AMERICAN IMMIGRATION LAWYERS ASSOCIATION (AILA)
1990 - Current            Member

June 2008 - Current     Chair, AILA Liaison Committee for the U.S. Department of Labor (The Department of Labor oversees PERM, H-2A, and H-2B Labor Certification Applications, and H-1B Labor Condition Applications.)

June 2008 - Current     Member of the AILA National Inter-Governmental Agency Committee

June 2008 - August 2008     Program Chair for the 2008 AILA PERM Conference, Chicago, IL August 25, 2008

July 2006 - June 2008     AILA So. Cal. Chapter Liaison for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Los Angeles District Office

June 2005 - May 2008    Member of the AILA Liaison Committee to the U.S. Department of Labor (which oversees PERM labor certification applications and DOL-related H-1B, H-2A and H-2B issues.)

June 2003 - June 2005    Member of the AILA Liaison Committee for the California Service Center of the Citizenship and Immigration Services.

July 2004 - March 2005    AILA Southern California Liaison to the U.S. Department of Labor Region VI.

April 2003 - Current    Member of the AILA/Citizenship and Immigration Services Los Angeles District Office Customer Service Task Force.

July 2001 - June 2002    Member, Planning Committee of the AILA 2002 Annual Conference, Boston, MA.

June 2001 - June 2002    Member of the California Service Center Customer Service Task Force.

July 2000 - June 2001    Member, Planning Committee of the AILA 2001 Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA.

July 1997 - June 1998    Member, Planning Committee of the AILA 1998 Annual Conference, Houston, TX.

September 1996 - January 1997    Co-Chair of the AILA 1997 Midyear Conference, New Labor Certification Procedures and Other Issues.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:

Featured Speaker at 22nd Annual AILA California Chapters seminar "PERM in the Current Economy," Marina del Rey, California, November 14, 2009.

Featured Speaker at the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors ("NAFSA") Region XII seminar "Shepherding the H-1B Flock: Labor and Process," San Diego, CA, October 30, 2009.

Featured Speaker at Practising Law Institute's 42nd Annual Immigration & Naturalization Institute seminar "Compliance with PERM in Today's Job Market," New York City, NY, October 13, 2009.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 2009 Annual Conference seminar "Department of Labor Open Forum" Las Vegas, NV, June 5, 2009.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 2009 Conference seminar "The Impact of the Economy on H-1B and PERM Filings" Las Vegas, NV, June 3, 2009.

Featured Speaker at the Orange County Bar Association seminar "Department of Labor Related Issues in the New Economy" California, April 7, 2009.

Featured Speaker at AILA's 2009 Spring Conference, "DOL - Evolution of PERM in a Time of Change" Washington, DC, March 20, 2009.

Featured Speaker at 21st Annual AILA California Chapters Program "Wages, H-1Bs and PERM: How Do They All Relate?" San Francisco, California, November 14, 2008.

Featured Speaker at Practicing Law Institute's 41st Annual Immigration & Naturalization Institute seminar "Specialized Knowledge: What Does It Mean" New York City, NY, October 14, 2008.

Featured Speaker at AILA 2008 PERM Conference seminar "Update From DOL" Chicago, IL August 25, 2008

Featured Speaker at the AILA 2008 Annual Conference seminar "Department of Labor Open Forum" Vancouver, BC, Canada June 27, 2008.

Featured Speaker for AILA's Web-Telephone Conference "SVP/Job Zones and Business Necessity" April 29, 2008.

Featured Speaker at Los Angeles County Bar Association seminar, "Immigration Worksite Enforcement - How to Counsel Employers in the Face of Increased ICE Enforcement" Los Angeles, CA, April 19, 2008.

Featured Speaker at AILA Northwest Regional CLE Conference, "PERM Panel" Seattle, Washington, February 7, 2008.

Featured Speaker at AILA 2008 Midyear Conference, "Practice Management in a Feast or Famine Quota Environment" Kohala Coast, Hawaii, January 18, 2008.

Featured Speaker at 20th Annual AILA California Chapters Program "PERM Update" San Diego, CA, November 9, 2007.

Featured Speaker at AILA Fall 2007 Texas/New Mexico/Oklahoma Chapter Program "PERM Update & Practice Pointers - Life After the July 16th Deadline; How to Survive This Brave New World" Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, November 2, 2007.

Featured Speaker at Praciticing Law Institute's 40th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Institute seminar "Winning Strategies in Permanent Residence Cases - The Impact of PERM on I-140 Filings"  New York, NY  October 9, 2007.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 2007 Annual Conference seminar "Workshop on PERM and Substitution Regulations Issues" Orlando, FL June 16, 2007.

Featured Speaker for ILW.com's Telephone Conference "How to Prepare Form 9089 Like An Expert!"  May 24, 2007

Featured Speaker for Practicing Law Institute's Hot Topic Briefing "Strategies for Successful PERM and I-140 Cases"  May 16, 2007.

Featured Speaker at World Jurist Association seminar "The Migration of Workers - Labor Shortages and Related Issues"  April 24, 2007.

Featured Speaker at Los Angeles County Bar Association seminar "The Changing Face of PERM - Lessons Learned"  April 14, 2007.

Featured Speaker for AILA's Telephone Conference "The ETA-9089: Evolving Strategies"  March 6, 2007.

Featured Speaker at Los Angeles County Bar Association seminar "H-1Bs - Get Ready, Get Set...For April 1st" Los Angeles, CA  February 17, 2007.

Featured Speaker for AILA's Telephone Conference "Lake Breaking News:  RIR Conversions- What You Need to Know" January 10, 2007.

Featured Speaker for AILA's Telephone Conference "What the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks Happened to My Traditional Labor Certification Application?" December 12, 2006.

Featured Speaker at 19th Annual AILA California Chapters Conference "Do It Again PERM Roundtable" Monterey, CA, November 4, 2006.

Featured Speaker at Practicing Law Institute's 38th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Institute seminar "PERM, The Record So Far" San Francisco, CA, November 17, 2005.

Featured Speaker at 18th Annual AILA California Chapters Conference "Try and Love Again - Successful PERM Strategies Workshop" Palm Springs, CA, November 5, 2005.

Featured Speaker at the Orange County Bar Association seminar "Driving Through the PERM Fog" Irvine, CA, October 11, 2005.

Featured Speaker for ILW.com's Telephone Conference "PERM Pointers, Pitfalls And Puzzels" September 28, 2006.

Featured Speaker for AILA’s Telephone Conference "Advanced Strategies in Labor Certification" September 13, 2005.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 2005 Annual Conference, seminar on "Concurrent I-140/I-485 and Consular Processing Strategies" Salt Lake City, UT, June 25, 2005.

Featured Speaker at Los Angeles County Bar Association seminar "PERM is Here!" Los Angeles, CA, April 9, 2005.

Featured Speaker at AILA Southern California Chapter seminar "Are You Ready for PERM?" Los Angeles, CA, February 7, 2005.

Featured Speaker at 17th Annual AILA California Chapters Conference "California Service Center Update" San Francisco, CA, November 12, 2004.

Featured Speaker at Practicing Law Institute's 37th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Institute seminar "Service Centers and Adjudicatory Standards" San Francisco, CA, October 25, 2004

Featured Speaker at Immigration Law in the Workplace seminar by Sterling Education Services, Inc. on "Employment Based Permanent Residence & Labor Certification" Santa Monica, CA, April 29, 2004

Featured Speaker at AILA's Fundamentals Of Immigration Law Practice seminar on "Immigrant Visas:  Employment-Based" Los Angeles, CA, April 16, 2004

Featured Speaker for ILW.com's Telephone Conference: "Are We All Certifiable? -- An Insider's Tour Through The Maddening World Of Labor Certification" February 25, 2004.

Featured Speaker at 16th Annual AILA California Chapters Conference "Government Investigations - I-9's, LCA's, Other Immigration Related Investigations" San Diego, CA, November 8, 2003.

Featured Speaker at Practicing Law Institute's 36th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Institute seminar "Department of Labor Update" San Francisco, CA, October 27, 2003.

Featured Speaker at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) seminar on "CSC: Issues and How to Get Cases Resolved" Los Angeles, CA, October 23, 2003.

Featured Speaker at the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration Law Section, seminar on "The Nuts and Bolts of H-1B's" Los Angeles, CA, September 20, 2003.

Featured Speaker at the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration Law Section, seminar on "The Nuts and Bolts of Preparing a Labor Certification Application," Los Angeles, CA, May 31, 2003.

Featured Speaker at the American Immigration Lawyers (AILA) Annual EDD/DOL Update, Los Angeles, CA, April 22, 2003.

Featured Speaker at the Loyola Law School 2003 International Law Weekend West - Two-Day Conference, seminar on "Immigration Law: Planning Global Employment Assignments after 9/11" Los Angeles, CA, February 8, 2003.

Featured Speaker at the Practising Law Institute's 35th annual Immigration and Naturalization Institute, seminar on "Labor Certifications and the New PERM Program" San Francisco, CA, November 18, 2002.

Featured Speaker at the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration Law Section, seminar on "Nonimmigrant Visas for Professionals, Managers & Specialized Knowledge Workers" Los Angeles, CA, October 19, 2002.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 2002 Annual Conference, seminar on "The Multiple Faces of Trainees" San Francisco, CA, June 15, 2002.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 2001 California Chapters Conference, seminar on "American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act and How it Affects Your Business Clients" Los Angeles, CA, November 2, 2001.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 2001 Annual Conference on Immigration Law, seminar on "ACWIA H-1B Regulations: Three Years Later" Boston, MA, June 22, 2001.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 2000 Midyear Meeting, seminar on "Reduction in Recruitment vs. Standard Labor Certification: How to Minimize the Pain" Maui, HI, February 5, 2000.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 1999 Annual Conference, seminar on "New Issues for L-1s" Seattle, WA, June 12, 1999.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 1998 California Chapters Conference, seminar on I-9/Employer Sanctions, "I Didn't Know They Weren't Authorized!" San Jose, California, November 13, 1998.

Featured Speaker at the AILA Annual Conference, seminar on "Labor Certification" Houston, TX, June 19, 1998

Featured Speaker at the AILA 1997 California Chapters Conference, "Fear and Loathing at the DOL - Labor Certification & Reduction in Recruitment" Los Angeles, CA, November 22, 1997.

Featured Speaker at AILA Immigration Law Basics Conference, seminar on "Permanent Residency and the Labor Certification Process" Los Angeles, CA, August 15, 1997.

Featured Speaker at AILA Annual Conference, seminar on "Executives and Managers (Ls and EB-1(3))" Orlando, FL, June 19, 1997.

Featured Speaker at seminar on "Prevailing Wage Issues and Surveys," Maui, HI, January 25, 1997.

Featured Speaker at AILA Annual Conference, seminar on immigration effects of mergers and acquisitions, "What to Do When Your Client Gets 'MAD' (Merged, Acquired or Downsized)" Phoenix, AZ, June 20, 1996.

Moderator, AILA seminar on "Issues Arising in the Ethical Practice of Immigration Law" Los Angeles, CA, January 23, 1996.

Featured Speaker at AILA California Conference program, seminar on "Law Practice Management and Business Development - How to Build Your Ideal Immigration Law Practice" San Diego, CA, November 6, 1995.

Featured Speaker at AILA conference on Employer Liability Issues in Hiring Foreign Personnel, seminar on "LCA Audits and Other H-1B Issues" Denver, CO, October 13, 1995.

Featured Speaker at the AILA Conference on H-1B Issues, program on "Overview: H-1B Professionals in a Specialty Occupation" Los Angeles, CA, March 3, 1995.

Featured Speaker at the AILA 7th Annual California Chapters Conference, seminar on "L-1 Visas for Small or New Offices" San Jose, CA, November 12, 1994.

Featured Speaker, AILA Teleconference on Law Office Management for Immigration Practitioners, November 18, 1993.

Featured Speaker on "Conflicts in Dual Representation" at the AILA 6th Annual California Chapters Conference, seminar on Law Office Management and Ethics, Pasadena, CA, November 5, 1993.

PUBLICATIONS AND WRITINGS:

"Compliance with PERM in a Down Economy" published in the Practising Law Institute's 42nd Annual Immigration & Naturalization Handbook, October 2009.

Author of the Labor Certification chapter of the "Immigration Law and Procedure", published by published by Matthew Bender, and considered the premier treatise of immigration law.

"Trends in Wage Enforcement Issues Related to H-1B Employment" published in the AILA 21st Annual California Chapters Conference Handbook, November 2008.

"Success with L-1Bs In An Era of Increased USCIS Scrutiny" by Lorna De Bono, Catherine L. Haight, and Angelo A. Paparelli, published in the Practising Law Institute's 41st Annual Immigration & Naturalization Handbook, October, 2008.

Editor, PERM: The New Form & the Latest Developments, published by AILA 2008.

Contributing writer for the labor certification chapter of Immigration Law and Procedure, the leading 20 volume treatise on immigration law, published by Matthew Bender.

"PERM Update:  Assessing the Impact of the May 2007 DOL Regulatory Amendments" published in the AILA 20th Annual California Chapters Conference Handbook, November 2007.

"Changes to PERM Processing Resulting from the May 2007 DOL Regulation" published in the Practising Law Institute's 40th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Handbook, October 2007.

"Practice Pointers in Resolving PERM Conundrums:  Job Requirements, Degree Equivalencies, Experience with the Same Employer, and Timelines" published in the AILA Immigration & Nationality Law Handbook 2007-2008 Edition, June 2007.

"The New PERM Process" published in the Practising Law Institute's 38th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Handbook, October 2005.

"CIS and DOS Update" published in the Practising Law Institute's 37th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Handbook, October 2004.

"A Case For PERM" published in the Practising Law Institute's 36th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Handbook, October 2003.

"Foreign Trainee or Business Visitor - What Visa is Appropriate" published in the Practising Law Institute's 35th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Handbook, November 2002.

"H-1B/LCA Public Access File - New Obligations of H-1B Employers" published in the Practising Law Institute's 34th Annual Immigration & Naturalization Handbook, November 2001.

"The International Transfer of Business Personnel Into the United States" published in the Southwestern Journal of Law and Trade in the Americas, Volume II, p. 545, Fall 1995.

"Law Practice Management for the Immigration Practitioner," published in the AILA 8th Annual California Chapters Conference Handbook, November 1995.

"Hidden Keys to Utilizing the L-1 Intracompany Transferee Category," published in the AILA 7th Annual California Chapters Conference Handbook, November 1994.

"Business Metamorphosis:  The Effect of Changed Circumstances on U.S. Employers and Nonimmigrant Workers," published in the AILA 1993-94 Immigration & Nationality Law Handbook and the Practicing Law Institute, 26th Annual Immigration and Naturalization Handbook, November-December 1993.

"Avoiding or Accepting Risks in H-1B/LCA Practice," Part I and II, Immigration Briefings, November 1992 and December 1992, abridged version published in the Practising Law Institute, 25th Annual Immigration and Naturalization Handbook November-December 1992.

"Panning for Gold in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles," published in the AILA 1992-93 Immigration & Nationality Law Handbook; reprinted as Chapter 10 in Professionals:  A Matter of Degree, by M. Lawler, published by the American Immigration Law Foundation, 1993.

Contributing writer to The Immigration Lawyer's Toolbox, published by AILA, 1993.

OTHER:

May 2003    
Served as Expert Witness regarding immigration law in civil litigation case in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Quoted in  newspaper articles and featured on  national television regarding immigration-related issues.