Overview
April Bentley has been practicing business and family immigration law since 2003. She has nearly 20 years of experience working with businesses and corporate immigration clients. April’s experience also includes administrative law matters.
April advises clients on compliance with the government’s I-9 verification requirements and the E-Verify process, as well as provides defense of workplace enforcement actions. She facilitates the admission of foreign nationals into the United States for employment purposes in a variety of non-immigrant classifications (including E-1/E-2 treaty traders/investors, H-1B specialty occupations, H-2A agricultural and H-2B seasonal workers, L-1 intra-company transferees, O-1 extraordinary ability aliens; P-1 international athletes and TN NAFTA professional workers).
Moreover, April assists employers with the sponsoring of foreign national employees for legal permanent residence status (including extraordinary ability petitions, outstanding researchers and professors, multinational executives and managers, foreign nationals with advanced degrees and the labor certification process). She also counsels clients regarding the immigration options available for foreign physicians, including J-1 waivers for foreign medical graduates and national interest waivers, and family-based immigration options.
Dedicated to serving as a diligent, meticulous counselor who strives to provide the highest quality legal counsel and work product, April is also skilled in managing the personal stress associated with immigration issues and its direct impact on the individuals and companies she serves. April seeks to be ever-steadfast in her attention to detail and to her client’s often unique needs and situation in order to realize the right result on their behalf. A team player at heart, April strives to exceed the expectations of everyone around her while also delivering timely and on-point strategic legal solutions that are considered both practical and actionable.
April is a native of Tallahassee, Florida and enjoys spending time with her family, staying involved with her children in the equestrian sports of dressage and hunter-jumpers, and running marathons (when she is not injured) in her spare time.
News & Insights
- “Employment Eligibility Verification in the Digital Era – Opportunities and Obligations for Employers: The New Form I-9, Compliance & Federal Updates,” co-presenter, December 6, 2023
- “The Top “10” H-1B Issues in Physician Immigration You Should Know,” presenter, IMGTaskforce 2023 Physician Immigration Law Institute, Washington D.C., December 4, 2023
- “Employment Eligibility Verification in the Digital Era – Opportunities and Obligations for Employers: The New Permanent Virtual Verification Option, the New Form I-9 & Federal / State of Florida Updates,” co-presenter, October 26, 2023
- “Employment Eligibility Verification in the Digital Era – Opportunities and Obligations for Employers: The New Permanent Virtual Verification Option, The New Form I-9 & Federal / State Updates,” co-presenter, September 18, 2023
- Practice Pointer: “The New Form I-9 and Alternative Document Review Option,” co-author, AILA Verification and Documentation Committee, August 24, 2023
- “Employment Eligibility Verification in the Digital Era – Opportunities and Obligations for Employers: The New Permanent Virtual Verification Option, The New Form I-9 & Federal / State Updates,” co-presenter, August 15, 2023
- Gunster Immigration Alert: “Permanent Virtual Inspection Option for “Qualified” Employers & New Form I-9,”co-author, July 25, 2023
- “Remote and Hybrid Workforce Issues and Trends,” presenter, AILA National Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, June 21, 2023
- Gunster Immigration Alert: “Effective July 1, 2023, FL Bill 1718 Mandates E-Verify for All Florida Employers With 25 or More Employees,” co-author, May 23, 2023
- "Employment Eligibility Verification in the Digital Era - Opportunities and Obligations for Employers," co-presenter, TPG Legal and Compliance Network May Presentations, May 3, 2023
- “Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) Compliance in the New Era of Broadened Immigration Enforcement,” co-presenter, March 30, 2023
- “Complex & Trending Labor Certification Issues,” presenter, AILA South Florida Chapter’s 44th Annual Conference, Miami, FL, February 9, 2023
- “PERM in the Age of Facebook and the Normalized Remote Workforce,” presenter, AILA Central Florida Chapter’s 36th Annual Conference, Clearwater, FL, October 28, 2022
- “The Alphabet Soup of Nonimmigrant Visas: Part II,” AILA National Annual Conference, New York, NY, June 15, 2022
- “Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) Compliance in the New Era of Broadened Immigration Enforcement,” co-presenter, Inc., April 26, 2022
- “Hot Topics in Immigration Law,” AILA Central Florida Chapter’s 35th Annual Conference, Clearwater, FL, October 22, 2021
- H-1B Online Course Faculty: Module 5, “Meeting the Requirements: Specialty Occupation and the Beneficiary’s Degree,” 2021
- “Alternatives to PERM: Extraordinary Ability, National Interest Waivers, Schedule A, Group II,” AILA Central Florida Chapter’s 34th Annual Immigration Conference, October 2020
- “Utilizing the H-2B Temporary Visa Program: A Practical Guide to Navigating the Process,” AILA National Annual Conference, June 18th, 2020
- “Navigating the Legal Waters – Immigration: What Florida Paralegals Need to Know,” the Big Bend Chapter of the Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc., March 7th, 2020
- “Smoother Sailing? Recent Immigration Changes Affecting Higher Education and the Road Ahead,” Florida Association of International Education, February 26, 2021
- “The New Public Charge Rule (INA 212(a)(4)) is Back,” AILA Central Florida Chapter, February 2020
- “J-1 Waivers & Immigration Options for Family & Employment Based Immigration,” AILA Central Florida Chapter, January 24th, 2020
- “A Practical Guide to Navigating the H-2B Visa Process,” AILA Central Florida Chapter’s 33rd Annual Immigration Law Conference, October 25th, 2019
- “Changes Anyone? Regulatory, Policy Memoranda, & Adjudicatory Trends Affecting Business Immigration,” AILA Central Florida Chapter’s 33rd Annual Immigration Law Conference, October 26th, 2019
- “Counseling Employers on the DACA Workforce,” AILA National Annual Conference, June 20th, 2019
- “The Fundamentals of Immigration Law in Higher Education,” Legal Training for CIE (Commission for Independent Education) Licensed Schools in Florida, March 25th, 2019
- “Immigration Law Every Employer Must Know: I-9 Employer Compliance,” Legal Training for CIE (Commission for Independent Education) Licensed Schools in Florida, March 25th, 2019
- “Preparing for H-1B Cap Season FY 2020: Filing Tips & Pitfalls to Avoid,” AILA Webinar, January 31st, 2019
- “H-1B RFE’s & Denials: Our New Reality,” AILA Central Florida Chapter’s 32nd Annual Immigration Law Conference, October 2018
- “Alternatives to PERM: Extraordinary Ability, National Interest Waivers, Schedule A, Group II,” AILA Central Florida Chapter’s 32nd Annual Immigration Conference, October 2018
- “Immigration Under President Trump’s Administration,” H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Center’s Office of General Counsel, Business Managers, and Human Resources, June 27th, 2017
- “J-1 Waiver’s for Foreign Medical Graduates,” AILA Central FL Chapter, April 20th, 2017
- “Immigration Law Every Employer Must Know: I-9 Employer Compliance,” Messer Caparello’s Healthcare Seminar, March 24th, 2016
- “The ABC’s of Immigration: Employment of International Physicians & Medical Graduates,” Messer Caparello’s Healthcare Seminar, March 24th, 2016
- “The ABC’s of Immigration: Immigration Law Every Employer Must Know,” SHRM, June 10th, 2015
- “The ABC’s of Immigration,” Adams and Reese LLP, April 2nd, 2015
- “Immigration Issues Affecting Foreign National Patients,” H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Center’s Social Worker Department, International Patient Department, Office of General Counsel, July 24th, 2014
Publications
Involvement
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Florida Bar, 2002-present
- Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section
- Maine State Bar Association, 2003-present
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), 2006-present
- ALA National Verification and Documentation Committee, 2022-2023
- AILA National Political Taskforce Committee, 2022-2023
- AILA National United States Department of Labor Committee, 2022-2023
- AILA National Board of Governors, 2022-2023 and 2021-22
- AILA National H-1B Online Course Committee, 2020-21
- AILA National USCIS Texas Service Center Liaison Committee, 2019-20
- AILA National Distance Learning Committee (Business), 2018-19
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Central Florida Chapter, Member, 2011-present
- Chapter Chair, 2022-2023 and 2021-22
- Advocacy / National Day of Action Committee, Chair, 2023-2024, 2022-2023, 2021-22
- AILA Central Florida Committee Chair for: The 1st and 2nd Annual Superheroes 5K Run For Justice at AILA’s 2023 and 2022 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida
- Awards Committee, Chair, 2021-22
- Chapter Executive Vice-Chair. 2020-21 Term, 2019-20
- Board Member, 2018-19
- Educational Vice-Chair, 2017-18, 2016-17
- AILA National Day of Action Committee, Chair, 2020-19, 2019-18
- AILA AC19 Host Committee, Chair, 2018-19
- Educational Committee, Chair, 2018-19
- International Medical Graduate (IMG) Taskforce, Member
- Penobscot County Bar Association (Maine), President, 2008-09, VP, 2007, Secretary/Treasurer, 2006
- John Waldo Ballou American Inns of Court, Secretary and Treasurer, 2009-10
- Maine Migrant Health Program, Board of Directors, 2008-10
Practices
Education
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, MI, J.D., magna cum laude, 2002
- Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, Bachelor of Science Degree in Business (Risk Management – Insurance), 1998
Admissions
- Florida Bar, May 2002
- Maine Bar, May 2003
- United States District Court for the District of Maine, 2005
- United States District Court for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, 2013
