Region Area

Lawyers

Sara B. DeBlaze

Sara B. DeBlaze

Vedder Price, United States

Work Department

Business Immigration

Position

Shareholder

Career

Ms. DeBlaze has a broad range of experience developing and executing global immigration policy, process and strategy and has worked extensively with every facet of both nonimmigrant (B1, E1/E-2, F-1, H-1B, J-1, L-1, O-1 and TN) and immigrant (Family-Based, EB-1, Labor Certification and Naturalization) matters as well as the permanent residency process.

She has experience providing training and functional know-how to recruiters and hiring managers to better equip them to recognize and proceed with candidates who have immigration needs.

Ms. DeBlaze came to Vedder Price with more than 20 years of business immigration experience. Prior to joining the firm, she served as Assistant General Counsel and Global Immigration Director to a large, multinational corporation, where she oversaw the global immigration program for over 1,200 foreign nationals in the United States, Australia, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UAE and the United Kingdom.

Additionally, she was responsible for managing the immigration consequences for acquired companies and collaborating with other departments to coordinate staffing needs with immigration considerations.

Ms. DeBlaze has extensive experience advising corporations regarding Form I-9 and E-Verify requirements and obligations, including the federal contractor provisions. Ms. DeBlaze regularly presents on human resource- and immigration-related topics.

Education

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., 1999 Western Michigan University, B.B.A., 1991