2026 AILA Midwinter Conference and Webcast

Join AILA President Jeff Joseph and BAL’s Rusty DeMoss at the 2026 AILA Midwinter Conference and Webcast in Costa Rica.

Jeff will kick off the Hot Topics: Examining Year One of the Trump Administration panel, offering a timely look at the first year of Trump 2.0 and its impact on business immigration. The discussion will cover a wide range of critical issues, including PERM, RFI trends, processing times and key lessons learned from denials. Attendees will also gain insights into the latest worksite compliance trends, such as I-9, LCA and FDNS, as well as cutting-edge topics in business-focused litigation—like creating the record, the aftermath of RFE and denial, and the evolving relationship between business and removal defense. The panel will conclude with a forward-looking perspective on what lies ahead in the field.

Rusty DeMoss will present on the Advanced Topics: NIVs panel, where he and fellow experts will dive into what’s hot in nonimmigrant visas (NIVs). This dynamic session will explore strategies for navigating today’s most pressing NIV challenges, including requests for evidence across visa categories O-1, H-1B, L and cases involving criminal issues. Panelists will also address evolving H-1B concerns, such as: cap regulatory changes; Standard Occupational Classification code updates; student visa issues, including SEVIS and OPT; and the complex interplay between NIV denials and removal defense, including the issuance of notices to appear.