Bill’s legal work focuses on immigration and nationality law, as well as outbound emigration and related international law. Bill regularly represents clients in immigration matters before the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Labor, as well as before US and foreign consulates.
During law school, he served on the editorial board of the Houston Journal of International Law.
Education
- University of Houston Law Center (JD)
- University of Michigan (MM)
- University of Central Arkansas (BME)
Recognition & Awards
- Recommended by The Legal 500 United States for Labor & Employment: Immigration (2014)
- Best Lawyers in America: Immigration Law (2013 – 2020)
- International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers (2016 – 2019)
- Top Author in the semiconductor industry, JD Supra Readers' Choice Awards (2016)
Involvement
- Member, State Bar of Texas
- Member, Boston Bar Association
- Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association
Recent Insights
Viewpoints
“B” Visitor Visa Rule Amended to Combat Administration’s Concern Over “Birth Tourism”
January 27, 2020|Blog
Premium Processing Now Available for Remaining H-1B Filings
June 10, 2019|Alert
USCIS Announces More H-1Bs Eligible for Premium Processing
February 19, 2019|Alert
News & Press
This Law360 “Expert Analysis” column discusses how important compliance is in today’s aggressive immigration enforcement environment. The column is authored by a team of Mintz attorneys – Susan Cohen, Bill Coffman and Kevin McNamara.
Viewpoints
“B” Visitor Visa Rule Amended to Combat Administration’s Concern Over “Birth Tourism”
January 27, 2020 | Blog | By William Coffman
On January 24, 2020 the US Department of State published a rule that amends part of the regulations governing the issuance of “B” visitor visas. This regulatory amendment now establishes a rebuttable presumption that an applicant for a “B” visitor visa, who a consular officer believes will give birth during her visit to the US, is applying for the visa and traveling to the US for the primary purpose of securing US citizenship for the child.
Read more
Premium Processing Now Available for Remaining H-1B Filings
June 10, 2019 | Alert | By William Coffman
This alert cover a USCIS announcement that it is resuming premium processing of FY20 H-1B cap petitions.
Read more
USCIS Announces More H-1Bs Eligible for Premium Processing
February 19, 2019 | Alert | By William Coffman
Read about the USCIS’s plan to resume premium processing eligibility for additional H-1B petitions filed on or before December 21, 2018, starting on Tuesday, February 19.
Read more
Fall 2018 Regulatory Agenda Signals Immigration Priorities for Federal Agencies
November 15, 2018 | Blog | By William Coffman, Molly O’Malley
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Labor (DOL), and Department of State (DOS) released their fall 2018 Regulatory Agendas. Issued twice per year (fall and spring), this notice forecasts possible regulations that may be promulgated in the coming months.
Read more
State Department to Limit Visas for Specific Chinese Citizens
June 15, 2018 | Alert | By William Coffman
As part of the continuing trade and intellectual property war with China, the U.S. Department of State has implemented a new policy to limit visa validity periods and impose additional security clearances before visa issuance to citizens of the People’s Republic of China.
Read more
USCIS Reaches Statutory Limit of H-1B Cap Cases for Fiscal Year 2019
April 6, 2018 | Alert | By William Coffman
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced today that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2019. USCIS also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the U.S. advanced degree exemption, also known as the “master’s cap.”
Read more
Potential Government Shutdown and Impact on Immigration Processes
January 23, 2018 | Blog | By William Coffman
As of 4 pm on Friday, January 19, 2018, the US Senate had not reached an agreement on the terms of a continuing resolution to keep the US government running. The US House passed a 30-day resolution on Thursday, but this must also pass the Senate and President Trump must sign it before midnight, January 19, 2018 to avoid a shutdown.
Read more
Two Supreme Court Orders Reinstate Trump’s Travel Ban
December 19, 2017 | Blog | By William Coffman
On Monday, December 4, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two separate, but related, orders staying lower courts’ preliminary injunctions against President Trump’s most recent travel ban (see our previous alert). The practical impact of these Supreme Court orders is that the latest travel ban reinstates President Trump’s Presidential Proclamation of September 24, 2017.
Read more
Travel Ban Court Update on Family Members’ as “Bona Fide” Relationship
September 8, 2017 | Alert | By William Coffman
On Thursday, September 7, 2017, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals let stand the Hawaii District Court temporary injunction against the Trump administration’s revised travel ban.
Read more
Rescission of DACA: FAQs for Employers of DACA Beneficiaries (a.k.a. Dreamers)
September 6, 2017 | Alert | By Susan Cohen, William Coffman
Q. When is the DACA program ending?
A. The Trump Administration rescinded the DACA program on September 5, 2017, but is phasing out the program over a six-month period that will end on March 5, 2018.
Read more
A. The Trump Administration rescinded the DACA program on September 5, 2017, but is phasing out the program over a six-month period that will end on March 5, 2018.
News & Press
Immigration Compliance Essentials For 2019
January 22, 2019 | Law360
This Law360 “Expert Analysis” column discusses how important compliance is in today’s aggressive immigration enforcement environment. The column is authored by a team of Mintz attorneys – Susan Cohen, Bill Coffman and Kevin McNamara.
Best Lawyers named 85 Mintz attorneys to its 2018 list of The Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Mintz attorneys Matthew J. Gardella and Samuel M. Tony Starr were named “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice areas.
Best Lawyers named 73 Mintz attorneys to its 2017 list of The Best Lawyers in America. Mintz attorneys selected for inclusion in this year’s list span 44 practice areas.
Events
Speaker
Dec
18
2019
Speaker
Sep
17
2019
Speaker
Dec
6
2018
Immigration Compliance & Risk Management Webinar Series
Part II: Creating Compliance Policies for a New Era
Speaker
Oct
25
2018
Immigration Compliance & Risk Management Webinar Series
Part I: Keeping DHS in Your Sights: Site Visits & Record Keeping
Panelist
Aug
10
2018
2018 AILA Employer Compliance and Worksite Enforcement CLE Conference
Sheraton Boston Hotel, 39 Dalton St., Boston, MA
Speaker
Nov
5
2017
Speaker
May
30
2017
Speaker
May
24
2017
Employment-based Immigration: Talent Acquisition, Retention & Compliance under a New Administration
Mintz Levin
San Diego, CA
Speaker
May
8
2017
Speaker
Feb
16
2017
A Round-up of Recent Immigration Law Changes and a Roadmap for Compliance in a New Administration
Mintz Levin
New York, NY
Speaker
Apr
11
2016
Speaker
Dec
16
2015
Speaker
Jul
9
2015
Immigration Law Session
Dat Ventures
Speaker