April 7, 2013
Kirk Carter: Attorney, Fletcher Tilton, Framingham
Matt Volpini
By Taryn Plumb
When many of us think of immigration, we might envision a political argument. But immigration has huge ramifications for businesses of all sizes.
Helping companies navigate myriad regulations to bring foreign workers to the region has been attorney Kirk Carter's focus for the past 23 years.
Where many areas of law can be confrontational — with someone winning, someone losing, and someone inevitably unhappy — Carter, who chairs Fletcher Tilton's immigration law group in Framingham, described his practice as "very rewarding."
"I enjoy the people I work with," Carter said.
STEM Shortage Creates Need
About 80 percent of his business involves employers trying to secure work visas, treaty trader or treaty investor visas (for citizens of countries that maintain commerce or navigation treaties with the U.S.), verifying employee eligibility or ensuring that companies are paying the required amount for certain jobs.
Carter said because there's a shortage of U.S. workers skilled in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), companies often have to recruit from outside the United States, whether that means transferring workers from affiliates abroad or very aggressively courting foreign graduate students.
On the family side, meanwhile, Carter deals with green card applications, marriages between citizens and foreign nationals, and U.S. citizens looking to sponsor relatives who want to emigrate.
"We help with family reunification," he said.
A longtime client, Rajat Bhakhri, CEO and founder of Westford-based Aeturnum, described Carter as very detail-oriented and a "subject matter expert."
"He knows the law very well — and not just the law, the latest bulletins, rulings, guidelines from the government," said Bhakhri, whose company specializes in information technology services and has offices in Bedford, Australia, Dubai, and Sri Lanka.
Also, Carter has a "great sense of humor. There's not always a grim look on his face. He relaxes you and then gives you good information," Bhakhri added.
Beyond his practice, Carter is an active member of the community — he's a trustee of Danforth Art, the Bridge of Central Massachusetts, and Salisbury Singers, as well as vice president of the board of directors of Music Worcester and a member of the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce's board of directors.
Immigration Perceptions
In his more than two decades in practice, Carter has dealt with clients in more than 60 countries and met thousands of people.
And one thing he has noticed is that many people have what he views as misconceptions about immigration.
Some people think that immigrants are "somehow bad people, a danger to society, or that they don't want to blend in," he said. "Every immigrant I've met has been hard-working, industrious and entrepreneurial. They're highly motivated individuals who truly want to make a difference, and want to contribute to society and be Americans. I find that uplifting."
Looking forward, Carter hopes Congress "does the right thing," and ultimately "solves the issue of the 10 million to 12 million undocumented (people) in the United States who live in limbo."
"I'm hoping those people will be able to come out of the shadows," he said.
On the business side, he'd like to see Congress revamp the way visas are issued, and also increase their numbers to cut down on often-lengthy waiting lists.
"I'm hoping that there's an approach that tries to tailor the system more to the needs of the economy, and that is less reactionary," Carter said. "We want to continue to foster innovation in the U.S., and we need foreign talent to do so." n
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