Austin Fragomen Awarded Lifetime Service Award by Center for Migration Studies
October 26, 2016

Country / Territory
Related contacts
Related offices
Related contacts
Related offices
Related contacts
Related offices
Austin T. Fragomen, Jr., Partner and Chairman of Fragomen, is being honored with a Lifetime Service Award by the Center for Migration Studies (CMS) at its annual gala on October 26, 2016 in New York City.
The CMS is a think tank and educational institute devoted to studying international migration, promoting understanding between immigrants and their receiving communities, and creating and refining public policies that safeguard the dignity and rights of migrants, refugees and immigrants.
Currently best known as the primary leader of the world’s leading immigration services provider, Austin previously served as Staff Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and International Law. He also was an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University School of Law. He has testified before Congress on a range of immigration issues, including usage of the L-1 visa category by multinational companies. He is the founding co-author of a renowned series of immigration handbooks, which are published by Thomson Reuters/West and provide information on the best practices and latest developments in the field of business immigration. Austin also serves on the Board of Trustees of CMS.
Austin is currently the Chair of the Business Advisory Group of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), an inter-governmental consultative process where governments and others share national, regional and global experiences in migration and development. In July and again in September of 2016, Austin participated in meetings at the United Nations aimed at enhancing the dialogue between the private and public sectors regarding innovative strategies for labor migration policies and international skills mobility. As Chair of the Business Advisory Group, Austin is writing a report on the business view of migration which will be presented to more than 120 national governments attending the GFMD meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in December 2016.
Austin’s believes that all employees of the firm should give back to our local communities and he has made public service a central part of his personal mission and the mission of the firm. The Fragomen firm has long been a leading provider of pro bono legal services to indigent immigrants. In 2014, the firm launched a special nationwide pro bono initiative in the United States to support unaccompanied minors from Central America. That project has expanded to include on-site legal support for immigrant women and children detained in a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas.
Country / Territory
Related contacts
Related offices
Related contacts
Related offices
Related contacts
Related offices
Explore more at Fragomen
Media mentions
Partner Rajiv Naik highlights the importance of transparency, clear guidance and human oversight as AI use expands in UK immigration tribunals.
Video
Senior Associate Tuğba Özyakup outlines how Europe’s Entry and Exit System (EES) introduces digital tracking of non-EU short-stay travel across the Schengen Area, requiring more proactive planning, accurate record-keeping and awareness of increased border processing times to avoid delays and overstay risks.
Media mentions
Partner Chad Ellsworth discusses recent H-1B lottery changes, including salary-weighted selection and filing restrictions, and how they are influencing employer selection outcomes and hiring approaches for foreign talent.
Work authorization
Senior Associate Tracey Kimberly explores the recent increase in RFEs for EB‑5 I‑526E petitions, highlighting heightened USCIS scrutiny of source-of-funds documentation—particularly in cases involving loan-based investments and property sale proceeds.
Work authorization
Director Audrey Morew examines how Nordic immigration systems, while increasingly digital and efficient, can embed compliance risk earlier in the process—placing greater responsibility on employers to ensure data accuracy, internal controls and long‑term compliance from the outset.
Work authorization
Partner Rick Lamanna outlines Canada’s entry requirements for the FIFA World Cup 2026, highlighting visa and eTA processes, border expectations and special measures for participants to help travelers prepare for seamless entry during the tournament.
Media mentions
Partners Aaron Blumberg and Daniel Pierce discuss how a US pause on processing certain work permit applications including OPT creates uncertainty for international students and employers while early court rulings offer limited case-specific relief.
Fragomen news
Senior Counsel Jo Antoons, Senior Immigration Managers Manuela Birsan and Andreia Ghimis, Senior Manager Wout Van Doren, Associate Pauline Chomel and Immigration Supervisor Elisabeth Kamm contributed to the European Migration Network (EMN) Belgium report "Labour Migration in Times of Labour Shortages in Belgium."
Work authorization
Manager Pierangelo D'Errico explores how Italy’s Investor Visa is emerging as a strategic alternative to diminishing EU golden visa programmes, offering high‑net‑worth individuals flexible residence rights, deferred investment timing, Schengen access and a structured—though not accelerated—pathway to long‑term EU residence.
Media mentions
Partner Rick Lamanna discusses Canada’s expanded citizenship by descent rules extending eligibility to potentially millions of people worldwide with only distant ancestral ties.
Awards
Fragomen is recognised in Ibec’s Top 100 Companies Leading in Wellbeing Index 2026, highlighting its commitment to employee wellbeing and a supportive workplace culture.
Media mentions
Partner Rajiv Naik highlights the importance of transparency, clear guidance and human oversight as AI use expands in UK immigration tribunals.
Video
Senior Associate Tuğba Özyakup outlines how Europe’s Entry and Exit System (EES) introduces digital tracking of non-EU short-stay travel across the Schengen Area, requiring more proactive planning, accurate record-keeping and awareness of increased border processing times to avoid delays and overstay risks.
Media mentions
Partner Chad Ellsworth discusses recent H-1B lottery changes, including salary-weighted selection and filing restrictions, and how they are influencing employer selection outcomes and hiring approaches for foreign talent.
Work authorization
Senior Associate Tracey Kimberly explores the recent increase in RFEs for EB‑5 I‑526E petitions, highlighting heightened USCIS scrutiny of source-of-funds documentation—particularly in cases involving loan-based investments and property sale proceeds.
Work authorization
Director Audrey Morew examines how Nordic immigration systems, while increasingly digital and efficient, can embed compliance risk earlier in the process—placing greater responsibility on employers to ensure data accuracy, internal controls and long‑term compliance from the outset.
Work authorization
Partner Rick Lamanna outlines Canada’s entry requirements for the FIFA World Cup 2026, highlighting visa and eTA processes, border expectations and special measures for participants to help travelers prepare for seamless entry during the tournament.
Media mentions
Partners Aaron Blumberg and Daniel Pierce discuss how a US pause on processing certain work permit applications including OPT creates uncertainty for international students and employers while early court rulings offer limited case-specific relief.
Fragomen news
Senior Counsel Jo Antoons, Senior Immigration Managers Manuela Birsan and Andreia Ghimis, Senior Manager Wout Van Doren, Associate Pauline Chomel and Immigration Supervisor Elisabeth Kamm contributed to the European Migration Network (EMN) Belgium report "Labour Migration in Times of Labour Shortages in Belgium."
Work authorization
Manager Pierangelo D'Errico explores how Italy’s Investor Visa is emerging as a strategic alternative to diminishing EU golden visa programmes, offering high‑net‑worth individuals flexible residence rights, deferred investment timing, Schengen access and a structured—though not accelerated—pathway to long‑term EU residence.
Media mentions
Partner Rick Lamanna discusses Canada’s expanded citizenship by descent rules extending eligibility to potentially millions of people worldwide with only distant ancestral ties.
Awards
Fragomen is recognised in Ibec’s Top 100 Companies Leading in Wellbeing Index 2026, highlighting its commitment to employee wellbeing and a supportive workplace culture.


