Photo of Christopher Wendt

Counsel

Christopher L. Wendt

Photo of Christopher Wendt
Photo of Christopher Wendt
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Counsel

Christopher L. Wendt

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Get in touch

Languages

  • English
  • Russian

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 480 305 2820

Fragomen in Minneapolis, MN

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

3033 Excelsior Boulevard, Ste 300

Minneapolis MN 55416

United States

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Languages

  • English
  • Russian

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Email

[email protected]

T:+1 480 305 2820

Fragomen in Minneapolis, MN

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

3033 Excelsior Boulevard, Ste 300

Minneapolis MN 55416

United States

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Get in touch

Languages

  • English
  • Russian

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 480 305 2820

Fragomen in Minneapolis, MN

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

3033 Excelsior Boulevard, Ste 300

Minneapolis MN 55416

United States

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With nearly three decades of experience at the intersection of immigration law and healthcare, Christopher advises health care institutions, research organizations and academic medical centers on the full range of U.S. immigration matters affecting physicians, allied health professionals and international scholars. His practice spans every stage of the immigration process, from nonimmigrant status through permanent residence, including clinical care and research waivers.

Christopher’s experience includes 23 years at Mayo Clinic, where he served as in-house immigration counsel supporting one of the world's leading academic medical centers. This gives him a practical, institution-level perspective on the workforce, compliance and operational challenges facing healthcare organizations. He understands firsthand how immigration decisions affect patient care, research continuity, regulatory obligations and long-term talent strategy.

Clients describe Christopher as a strategic advisor who anticipates issues before they arise and structures guidance around what organizations are building, not only what they need today. They value his judgment under pressure and his ability to advocate clearly and directly when outcomes are uncertain, while remaining focused on the human impact of immigration decisions.

Christopher advises on program design, process improvement and risk management and has led the restructuring of internal and external immigration functions at large health systems. He holds a silver certification in business process analysis and has helped organizations build immigration programs that are efficient, scalable and aligned with long-term workforce planning.

His approach is also informed by personal experience navigating immigration systems, including international work and the challenges of maintaining lawful status, as well as later sponsoring a family member through the U.S. immigration process. Christopher maintains a longstanding commitment to access to justice and has provided pro bono representation to asylum seekers, permanent residence and naturalization applicants, advised nonprofit organizations and delivered training for churches through the Minnesota-Dakota AILA Chapter's faith-based taskforce.

For more than 15 years, Christopher also chaired the pro bono committee within Mayo Clinic's legal department, coordinating service opportunities across multiple legal disciplines. In 2025, he was appointed the inaugural chair of the Minnesota Board of Civil Legal Aid, an independent judicial branch agency responsible for ensuring access to high-quality civil legal services across all Minnesota counties.

Christopher speaks English and Russian.

Christopher advises on program design, process improvement and risk management and has led the restructuring of internal and external immigration functions at large health systems. He holds a silver certification in business process analysis and has helped organizations build immigration programs that are efficient, scalable and aligned with long-term workforce planning.

His approach is also informed by personal experience navigating immigration systems, including international work and the challenges of maintaining lawful status, as well as later sponsoring a family member through the U.S. immigration process. Christopher maintains a longstanding commitment to access to justice and has provided pro bono representation to asylum seekers, permanent residence and naturalization applicants, advised nonprofit organizations and delivered training for churches through the Minnesota-Dakota AILA Chapter's faith-based taskforce.

For more than 15 years, Christopher also chaired the pro bono committee within Mayo Clinic's legal department, coordinating service opportunities across multiple legal disciplines. In 2025, he was appointed the inaugural chair of the Minnesota Board of Civil Legal Aid, an independent judicial branch agency responsible for ensuring access to high-quality civil legal services across all Minnesota counties.

Christopher speaks English and Russian.

Education

  • University of Michigan Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1998
  • Beloit College, B.A., cum laude, 1993

More from Christopher

Admissions

Bar Admissions: Minnesota

Practice Limited to Federal Immigration & Nationality Law

Awards

Named an Emerging Leader, Minnesota Supreme Court Legal Services Planning Committee, 2010-2011

Named an “Up and Coming Attorney”, Minnesota Lawyer, 2008

Hessel E. Yntema Award, 1997-1998

Professional accomplishments

Special Certifications:

Policy Fellow Certificate, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2015

Christopher’s insights

June 17, 2026 | Media mentions

Michigan Law’s Law Quadrangle: Christopher Wendt, ’98: At the Intersection of Immigration and Health Care WorkersRead more

June 16, 2026 | Fragomen news

Fragomen Welcomes Christopher Wendt as CounselRead more

Christopher’s insights

June 17, 2026 | Media mentions

Michigan Law’s Law Quadrangle: Christopher Wendt, ’98: At the Intersection of Immigration and Health Care WorkersRead more

June 16, 2026 | Fragomen news

Fragomen Welcomes Christopher Wendt as CounselRead more

Christopher’s insights

June 17, 2026 | Media mentions

Michigan Law’s Law Quadrangle: Christopher Wendt, ’98: At the Intersection of Immigration and Health Care WorkersRead more

June 16, 2026 | Fragomen news

Fragomen Welcomes Christopher Wendt as CounselRead more

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Get in touch

Languages

  • English
  • Russian

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 480 305 2820

Fragomen in Minneapolis, MN

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

3033 Excelsior Boulevard, Ste 300

Minneapolis MN 55416

United States

Connect via Linkedin

Christopher’s insights

June 17, 2026 | Media mentions

Michigan Law’s Law Quadrangle: Christopher Wendt, ’98: At the Intersection of Immigration and Health Care WorkersRead more

June 16, 2026 | Fragomen news

Fragomen Welcomes Christopher Wendt as CounselRead more

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Get in touch

Languages

  • English
  • Russian

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 480 305 2820

Fragomen in Minneapolis, MN

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

3033 Excelsior Boulevard, Ste 300

Minneapolis MN 55416

United States

Connect via Linkedin

Christopher’s insights

June 17, 2026 | Media mentions

Michigan Law’s Law Quadrangle: Christopher Wendt, ’98: At the Intersection of Immigration and Health Care WorkersRead more

June 16, 2026 | Fragomen news

Fragomen Welcomes Christopher Wendt as CounselRead more

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Get in touch

Languages

  • English
  • Russian

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 480 305 2820

Fragomen in Minneapolis, MN

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

3033 Excelsior Boulevard, Ste 300

Minneapolis MN 55416

United States

Connect via Linkedin

Christopher’s insights

June 17, 2026 | Media mentions

Michigan Law’s Law Quadrangle: Christopher Wendt, ’98: At the Intersection of Immigration and Health Care WorkersRead more

June 16, 2026 | Fragomen news

Fragomen Welcomes Christopher Wendt as CounselRead more

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
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Partner Rick Lamanna said Canada’s expanded citizenship rules could make hundreds of thousands if not millions of people eligible while moving against a global trend of tighter citizenship laws.

Learn more

Video

United Kingdom eVisa Process | #MobilityMinute

In this Mobility Minute, Senior Immigration Analyst Nicole Dobromirova discusses updates to the UK visitor visa process, including the shift from visa stickers to electronic visas and how travellers can access their digital immigration status.

Learn more

Media mentions

Bloomberg Law: Justices’ Migrant TPS Ruling Undercuts Pending Court Challenges

Partner Daniel Pierce discussed the implications of the US Supreme Court's latest Temporary Protected Status ruling.

Learn more

Blog post

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In this blog, Senior Counsel Jo Antoon explores what multinational employers need to know about pay transparency, cross-border workers and mobility-related compensation differences as implementation unfolds across the EU. 

Learn more

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The PIE: UK Unis Must Treat Compliance as “Strategic Institutional Risk”

Immigration Supervisor Sanjay Parmar discussed how recent UK Basic Compliance Assessment changes are driving universities toward more data-led, proactive compliance management.

Learn more

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In this blog, Fragomen’s Nadine Barnole, Jonathan Hill, Anastasia Vasiljeva and Nicole Williams examine how higher Skilled Worker salary thresholds, rising sponsorship costs and proposed Graduate Route changes are making it harder for employers to attract and retain international engineering talent.

Learn more

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Practice Leader Colm Collins explains how Ireland's employment permit updates can help employers address workforce shortages while strengthening the country's ability to attract global talent.

Learn more

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Senior Associate Arta Djahanschiri and Associate Iris Barthel discuss how EU-Turkey Association Law, including Association Council Decision No. 1/80, can provide Turkish employees and their family members in Germany with residence and labor market rights that may extend beyond protections available under the German Residence Act.

Learn more

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Learn more
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Important Updates
Important Updates
July 6, 2026 | Slovak RepublicSlovakia: New Visa Processing Framework and Residence Permit Rules Forthcoming
July 6, 2026Belgium: New Additional Fee for Single Permit Applications in Flanders Forthcoming
July 6, 2026 | BrazilBrazil: Electronic Visitor Visa Now Available for Chinese Nationals
July 6, 2026 | 🌐Middle East - The Latest News on Mobility and Travel Considerations
July 6, 2026 | CanadaNRC: Iedereen met een Canadese voorouder kan nu staatsburgerschap aanvragen – vooral Amerikanen doen dat
July 6, 2026 | Slovak RepublicSlovakia: New Visa Processing Framework and Residence Permit Rules Forthcoming
July 6, 2026Belgium: New Additional Fee for Single Permit Applications in Flanders Forthcoming
July 6, 2026 | BrazilBrazil: Electronic Visitor Visa Now Available for Chinese Nationals
July 6, 2026 | 🌐Middle East - The Latest News on Mobility and Travel Considerations
July 6, 2026 | CanadaNRC: Iedereen met een Canadese voorouder kan nu staatsburgerschap aanvragen – vooral Amerikanen doen dat
July 6, 2026 | Slovak RepublicSlovakia: New Visa Processing Framework and Residence Permit Rules Forthcoming
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