Director Immigration - Legal Services

CHRISTUS Health•Irving, TX

About The Position

The Director Immigration is responsible for developing and managing the organization’s immigration strategy, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and supporting global talent mobility. The role oversees visa and work permit processes, partners with Human Resources, Recruiting, and Legal teams, and provides immigration guidance to leadership and Associates. The Director leads the team in delivering efficient, compliant, Associate-focused immigration services. The position manages immigration case services in coordination with outside counsel, including documentation, employee communication, and timely issue resolution. It leads system-wide training for Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, and Legal, and drafts immigration policies and guidelines. The Director partners with recruiting teams, managers, internal legal teams, and external immigration counsel throughout individual immigration cases, including case strategy, paperwork, evidence requests, status tracking, and reporting. The role develops and maintains immigration policies, guidelines, and strategic frameworks to support compliance, workforce planning, operational needs, and organizational objectives. It coordinates U.S. immigrant and non-immigrant visa processes, including PERM, I-140, AOS, H-1B, F-1, TN, L-1, O-1, and E-1, E-2, and E-3 matters, and works across regions on non-U.S. visa matters. The Director supports the full Green Card process; owns U.S. employment-based immigration programs; advises on visa requirements and timelines; and collects and reviews supporting documentation. Additional responsibilities include preparing monthly reports on trends and costs, estimating annual immigration-case accruals, tracking Associate immigration status, maintaining Public Access Files, coordinating immigration consultations and work permit and visa processes, providing I-9 guidance and training, ensuring audit and procedural compliance, maintaining FICA-exempt reports, supporting process changes, creating and reviewing Service Level Agreements, and benchmarking and recommending best practices. The position requires effective work in a matrix environment and the ability to maintain productive working relationships with coworkers, managers, and clients.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Effective leadership skills and expert coaching and counseling skills.
Excellent problem-solving, judgment, and decision-making skills.
Advanced communication skills, including the ability to influence decision-making and build alignment across organizational levels.
Detail-oriented, with excellent organization and prioritization skills and the ability to navigate complexity.
Three years of experience in project management or independently working on multiple projects or cases in an environment with changing priorities.
Expert knowledge of U.S. immigration, U.S. visa types and processes, and U.S. immigration regulations and compliance requirements, including the ability to navigate complex and evolving global immigration requirements.
Deep knowledge of local and relevant employment legislation.
Experience working with confidential data and complying with data privacy and security standards.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in legal studies, business, or human resources strongly preferred.
A bachelor’s degree plus an additional two years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a master’s degree.
SHRM certification or U.S. Employment Immigration Specialty Credential preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage immigration case services for Associates, coordinating with outside counsel, facilitating documentation, and resolving issues promptly and sensitively.
Conduct system-wide training for Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, and Legal, and draft immigration-related policies and guidelines.
Partner with recruiting teams, managers, internal legal teams, and external immigration counsel on all phases of individual immigration cases.
Assess business needs against established processes and case strategies; interpret company policy; prepare and file immigration paperwork; coordinate responses to requests for evidence; and track and report case status.
Develop, implement, and maintain immigration policies, guidelines, and strategic frameworks that support compliance and organizational workforce and operational objectives.
Coordinate U.S. immigration processes, including immigrant visa matters such as PERM, I-140, and AOS filings and non-immigrant visa matters such as H-1B, F-1, TN, L-1, O-1, and E-1, E-2, and E-3; work across regions on non-U.S. visa matters.
Support the full life cycle of the Green Card process in collaboration with HR Business Partners, immigration lawyers, and internal stakeholders.
Own U.S. employment-based immigration programs and consult on programs, timelines, and requirements for each visa type.
Collect and review documentation, job descriptions, resumes, and other relevant information for immigration cases.
Create monthly reports and updates for ministries on immigration trends and costs, and estimate annual accruals for immigration law firm case expenses.
Track and maintain Associates’ immigration statuses and keep Public Access Files up to date.
Arrange immigration consultations and support employee work permit and visa processes, including timelines and updates on visa issuance and arrival.
Provide I-9 guidance to employees and training to HR team members and other stakeholders.
Ensure audits and compliance with Standard Operating Procedures.
Coordinate and maintain FICA-exempt reports.
Support team members implementing immigration process changes.
Create and review Service Level Agreements; track and benchmark practices and recommend improvements.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, managers, and clients, and work effectively in a matrix environment.