Messner Reeves LLP Partner Amber Blasingame recently participated in an online lecture focused on Alternatives to H-1B for the Immigration Law Section of the Federal Bar Association, held on May 22, 2024.
The discussion centered around alternative pathways for individuals who were not selected during the H-1B lottery to apply for the H-1B visa, as well as advice for companies looking to retain their valuable foreign workers and work authorizations.
As the primary option for foreign workers to obtain a work visa, the H-1B visa system has become bogged down with delays and more applications than the system can effectively process. In an effort to alleviate some of the backlog, the government began offering a H-1B visa lottery in 2014. For the 2025 fiscal year, 120,603 individuals were selected through the process (out of nearly 500,000) to move on to the application process. But the H-1B has a low cap of 85,000, which leaves the vast majority of workers to find another route to obtain permission to work in the United States.
As a Partner in Messner Reeves’ Colorado Springs office, Amber focuses on immigration law in business, family, and humanitarian matters. Since 1995, Amber has been involved in immigration matters in the U.S. and Canada. She has successfully represented clients before the U.S. Departments of Labor, State, Justice, and Homeland Security, including the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Board of Immigration Appeals, and Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals. She is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
Learn more about Amber’s immigration practice and her extensive experience.
