Hiring people is one of the most heavily regulated things a business does, and most of the rules have nothing to do with the job itself. Who is authorized to work. What paperwork you kept. Whether the person you sponsored four years ago is still in status. Kanu & Associates, P.C. helps companies across Arizona and New Mexico handle employer immigration needs as part of a wider business law practice — formation, contracts, and ongoing compliance.
We work with employers of every size, from a single-location business hiring its first foreign national to companies with established sponsorship programs. The approach is the same either way: understand what the business is actually trying to do, explain the options in plain terms, and get the filings right the first time.
Where Employers Get Caught Out
The problems we see most often are not bad faith. They are gaps — a form filled in by someone who was guessing, a file that was never updated, a visa expiration nobody was tracking. By the time it surfaces, the easy fixes have usually expired with it.
- I-9 forms completed incorrectly, late, or with documents that should never have been requested
- No consistent system for tracking work authorization expiration dates
- Managers asking employees for specific documents, which can create a discrimination problem
- Sponsorship filings prepared without checking whether the role and the wage actually support the petition
- Reorganizations, relocations, or job title changes that quietly invalidate an approved petition
- Corporate changes — new entity, merger, name change — that were never reflected in immigration filings
Most of these are fixable. All of them are cheaper to fix before someone outside the company is asking about them.
What We Help Employers With
Employer compliance sits where our immigration practice and our business practice meet. We file before USCIS, appear in immigration court before EOIR, handle consular matters, and advise companies on the business-side decisions that drive those filings.
- Employment-based and investment visa petitions, including E-1 visas for treaty traders
- I-9 practices: how to complete them, who should handle them, and what to keep
- Internal reviews of existing I-9 files and personnel records before anyone else looks at them
- Written hiring and verification procedures your managers can actually follow
- Advising on job offers, contracts, and role changes with immigration status in mind
- Entity formation and corporate housekeeping so your filings match your actual structure
- Guidance when an employee's status lapses or a family member needs separate help
When an employee's own immigration matter becomes urgent — a removal case, an asylum claim, a family petition — we can represent them directly as well, so the employer is not left coordinating between two firms.
Why Employers Work With Us
Dr. Kanu brings more than two decades of legal experience and is admitted to practice in Arizona, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, with membership in the State Bar of New Mexico. He is a Board Member of the State Bar of Arizona's Immigration Law Section, was named one of the Top 20 Solo Practitioners in Arizona by the State Bar of Arizona in 2012, and was recognized as an Excellent Lawyer by Avvo in 2011 and with Client's Choice in 2020.
The firm holds a 4.3 out of 5 rating from 152 reviews. Clients tend to mention the same thing: the detail work gets done.
The very best Immigration attorney out there. Excellent and very exceptional. What sets Dr. Kanu apart is his meticulous attention to detail and commitment to his clients' success.
That attention to detail is the whole point in compliance work. Employer immigration cases are won and lost on paperwork, dates, and consistency — not on argument.
Talk to Us Before There's a Problem
If you are about to sponsor someone, restructure, or you simply have no idea what shape your I-9 files are in, that is the right moment to call. Reach us at (602) 324-5320 or email solomon@kanulaw.com. Our office is at 15150 W Pk Pl Ste 215-2064, Goodyear, AZ 85395, open Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm.
We will tell you honestly whether you have an issue, what it would take to fix, and what it is likely to cost — before you commit to anything.