Linda Armstrong, Butzel Long Photo

Linda J. Armstrong is a Shareholder practicing in Butzel's Detroit office and serves as the Chair of the firm's Immigration Practice Department.  Ms. Armstrong concentrates her practice in the area of business and family immigration law, including all aspects involved with the international movement of personnel.

Overview

Linda J. Armstrong is a Shareholder practicing in Butzel's Detroit office and serves as the Chair of the firm's Immigration Practice Department. 

Ms. Armstrong concentrates her practice in the area of business and family immigration law, including all aspects involved with the international movement of personnel; immigration consequences of corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions; employer and workplace compliance issues, including I-9 and H-1B public access file investigations; inbound and outbound work-authorized immigrant and nonimmigrant matters; and labor certification. At the same time, Armstrong is a member of the Firm's Paralegal Committee and the Firm's Global Automotive Industry Group.

She provides on-site training to business clients on numerous topics, including US nonimmigrant visas; US permanent resident processing; employer compliance issues, including I-9 completion and compliance and H-1B public access file compliance; and outbound general strategic planning. Armstrong is a frequent speaker on business immigration to professional and business organizations, including the International Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, Walsh College, and the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA).

Ms. Armstrong has helped organize and has presented at Butzel's full-day Immigration Seminar and the Butzel’s Annual Labor, Employment and Immigration Law Forum for the past 20 years.

She is a member of the American Bar Association; Federal Bar Association, past Immigration Committee Co-Chair; State Bar of Michigan: International Law Section, past Council Member and Chair, Immigration Committee; Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association; American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); AILA Michigan Chapter and past Membership Committee Chair and Department of Labor Liaison.

Prior to joining Butzel, Armstrong was an associate at another major Detroit law firm, where her practice was concentrated in the area of immigration law. She also was employed as Associate General Counsel with Federal-Mogul Corporation where she had responsibility for legal matters relating to employment relations, product liability, advertising, political action committees, and immigration.

Ms. Armstrong is listed in The Best Lawyers in America (Immigration Law). She is a graduate of Madonna College (B.S., 1982) and Detroit College of Law (J.D., 1988).

Primary Practice Areas

Credentials

Education

Madonna College Undergraduate 1982, B.S.

Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University Law School 1998, J.D.

Admissions

  • Michigan

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association: Immigration Committee Co-Chair
  • State Bar of Michigan
  • State Bar of Michigan: International Law Section, Council Member
  • State Bar of Michigan, International Law Section, Immigration Committee - past Co-Chair
  • Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
  • AILA Michigan Chapter - Committee Member
  • AILA Michigan Chapter: Department of Labor Liaison
  • Butzel Long Pro Bono Committee

Awards & Recognitions

Awards & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America, Immigration Law, 2011-2023

DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Immigration Law, 2011-2023

Experience

  • Provided preventative counseling on Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor investigations and employer sanctions.
  • Preparation of J-1 Exchange Visitor and H-3 Trainee applications and petitions for employees of foreign companies with U.S. facilities
  • Represented employers during investigations conducted by USICE and USDOL regarding employment verification issues
  • Represented employers in investigations conducted by the USDOL concerning H-1B Labor Condition Application public access file including benching and wage and hour issues.
  • Obtained removal of conditions on permanent residency
  • Represented employers in USCIS administrative site visit
  • Assisted family members in obtaining appropriate fianc
  • Assisted with preservation of residency for naturalization purposes for individuals transferred overseas
  • Managed multi-country projects and obtained work authorizations in multiple jurisdictions for individuals of various nationalities.
  • Conducted in-house training on I-9 form compliance and retention, including electronic completion and storage of I-9 forms
  • Represented clients in complex naturalization matters including restoration of U.S. citizenship, appeals for denied naturalization applications, and evaluate strategies for overcoming grounds of ineligibility.
  • Analyzed effect of corporate changes, including mergers and acquisitions, on foreign national’s immigration status.
  • Obtained re-entry permits to maintain permanent residence status in the United States for individuals transferred abroad
  • Prepared J-1 waivers of 2 year foreign residency requirement based on no-objection letters, interested government agencies, hardship and other grounds
  • Represented clients with applications of waiver of inadmissibility due to past legal history or immigration history.
  • Consulted with clients regarding special permanent resident card interviews
  • Represented clients at Port of Entry to process admission to US under NAFTA
  • Obtained re-entry permit to maintain permanent residency for individuals transferred overseas
  • Conducted in-house training regarding preparing and maintaining H-1B public access files and Labor Certification Applications
  • Obtained approval of Immigration Petition for Alien of Extraordinary Ability for various professionals including engineers, scientists, corporate executives, professional athletes, entertainers, coaches, and trainers.
  • Evaluated retention of dual citizenship for U.S. and other countries such as Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada, etc.
  • Assisted employers in obtaining appropriate nonimmigrant classification (TN, H-1B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, O-1, E-1/E-2, P) and immigrant classification (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 and EB-5).
  • Represented clients in obtaining visas at various US Embassies and Consulates abroad
  • Obtained permanent resident status pursuant to registry provisions based on residence in U.S. since January 1972
  • Represented employers during investigations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Department of Labor regarding employment verification issues.
  • Conducted internal audits of I-9 forms for clients
  • Advised employers regarding maintenance of employer/employee relationship when foreign national is placed offsite

News & Events

News

Speaking Engagements

Alerts & Publications

Client Alerts

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