Michelle Burns sees immigration law as bringing together two of her abiding passions – innovation and all things international. Moreover, she enjoys working with her clients to provide the strategic guidance and advice needed for them to navigate the complexities of immigration law with ease and confidence. Practicing immigration law gives Michelle the satisfaction of knowing “that each individual I help is getting the opportunity to live and work in a new country and fulfill their long-term goals.
At FGI, Michelle handles all aspects of nonimmigrant and immigrant case processing for her clients in the IT, engineering, automotive, medical, and banking domains. She is well versed in the requirements for employment-based nonimmigrant classifications including: H-1B, H-1B1, E-2, E-3, L-1, O-1, and TN. Michelle also routinely advises clients on the PERM Labor Certifications, immigrant petition filings for individuals under the EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 classifications as well as Adjustment of Status (AOS) and Consular Processing applications.
Michelle is well versed in providing clients on strategies to manage risk while maximizing results, and works with clients to create solutions that allow for the “timely and efficient processing of each individual petition so that my clients can meet their business needs and remain in compliance with the laws.”
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Grand Valley State University and her J.D. from the Wayne State University Law School. She has been admitted both to the Michigan State Bar and the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. She has also developed her international experience through travel (China, UK, Germany) and through supplementary coursework in private international law at the Hague, Netherlands, and in international arbitration in Cologne, Germany. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), an Ambassador to the American Immigration Council, Wayne State University Law School Alumni Association, and the Wayne Lawyers Network. In addition, she loves art, photography, learning about new technologies, social media, and being with her friends and family.