Important Updates
Important Updates
January 15, 2026 | MalaysiaMalaysia: Minimum Salary Requirements for Employment Pass To Be Increased
January 16, 2026 | Republic of Korea (South Korea)South Korea: Longer Processing Times and Increased Security of D-8 and D-9 Visa Applications
January 16, 2026 | United KingdomUnited Kingdom: Hong Kong SAR Chinese and Taiwan Youth Mobility Scheme Ballot to Open February 10, 2026
January 15, 2026 | GuyanaGuyana: Approval Validity Reduced, Work Authorization Timelines Tightened
January 15, 2026 | KuwaitKuwait: New Immigration Rules Increase Residency and Visa Stay Periods, Clarify Visit Visa Conversion, Relax Passport Requirements, Increase Fees
January 15, 2026 | MalaysiaMalaysia: Minimum Salary Requirements for Employment Pass To Be Increased
January 16, 2026 | Republic of Korea (South Korea)South Korea: Longer Processing Times and Increased Security of D-8 and D-9 Visa Applications
January 16, 2026 | United KingdomUnited Kingdom: Hong Kong SAR Chinese and Taiwan Youth Mobility Scheme Ballot to Open February 10, 2026
January 15, 2026 | GuyanaGuyana: Approval Validity Reduced, Work Authorization Timelines Tightened
January 15, 2026 | KuwaitKuwait: New Immigration Rules Increase Residency and Visa Stay Periods, Clarify Visit Visa Conversion, Relax Passport Requirements, Increase Fees
January 15, 2026 | MalaysiaMalaysia: Minimum Salary Requirements for Employment Pass To Be Increased
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Porthole Headshot image of Fragomen [SanDiego][Associate][RuthSpillane]

Partner

Ruth Spillane

Landscape hero image of Fragomen [SanDiego][Associate][RuthSpillane]
Porthole Headshot image of Fragomen [SanDiego][Associate][RuthSpillane]
  • People

Partner

Ruth Spillane

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Get in touch

Languages

  • English

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 858 793 1600

F:+1 858 793 1686

San Diego, CA

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

5355 Mira Sorrento Place, Suite 750

San Diego CA 92121

United States

Connect via Linkedin

Get in touch

Languages

  • English

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 858 793 1600

F:+1 858 793 1686

San Diego, CA

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

5355 Mira Sorrento Place, Suite 750

San Diego CA 92121

United States

Connect via Linkedin

Get in touch

Languages

  • English

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 858 793 1600

F:+1 858 793 1686

San Diego, CA

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

5355 Mira Sorrento Place, Suite 750

San Diego CA 92121

United States

Connect via Linkedin
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Clients seek Ruth’s advice on the policies that guide and define their immigration programs. This work involves deep analysis of her clients’ business objectives, which she translates into a set of policy principles that serve both the individual immigrant employee and the company as a whole.

She is also a skilled tactician, offering practical, day-to-day guidance that balances clients’ business objectives against the external variables that impact the immigration process, including turmoil caused by economic tumult, shifts in regulatory policy and public health crises. Her obsession with detail and tireless oversight of her clients’ projects often yield strategic opportunities that would otherwise remain overlooked.

As a result, she’s forged long-term, highly cooperative relationships with clients, many of whom have worked with her for more than a decade and have come to regard her counsel as an integral part of their evolving business strategy. Her largest single client—a Fortune 500 technology company—has relied on her advice and positive influence through 15 years of company-altering transactions, economic downturns and recoveries, and whipsaw changes in immigration policy.

Ruth was inspired to pursue a career in immigration law by the experiences of her father, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland in his early 20s, and a law school internship with the Legal Aid Society through which she worked on refugee and asylum cases. These early encounters with the process introduced her to the unique human experience of the immigrant—a concern that remains at the core of her work to this day.

She continues to represent disadvantaged and marginalized people as a volunteer attorney for the Casa Cornelia Law Center, where she assists with the preparation of Violence Against Women Act petitions for immigrant victims of domestic violence and U visa petitions to provide immigration benefits to victims of criminal activity.

She also proudly serves on the board of the San Diego County Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the San Diego County Bar Association, an organization that advocates for communities impacted by poverty, abuse and discrimination.

Ruth was inspired to pursue a career in immigration law by the experiences of her father, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland in his early 20s, and a law school internship with the Legal Aid Society through which she worked on refugee and asylum cases. These early encounters with the process introduced her to the unique human experience of the immigrant—a concern that remains at the core of her work to this day.

She continues to represent disadvantaged and marginalized people as a volunteer attorney for the Casa Cornelia Law Center, where she assists with the preparation of Violence Against Women Act petitions for immigrant victims of domestic violence and U visa petitions to provide immigration benefits to victims of criminal activity.

She also proudly serves on the board of the San Diego County Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the San Diego County Bar Association, an organization that advocates for communities impacted by poverty, abuse and discrimination.

Education

  • Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2008
  • Florida Atlantic University, Bachelor of Arts, 2004

More from Ruth

Admissions

Bar Admissions: California

Practice Limited to Federal Immigration & Nationality Law

Awards

Listed in San Diego Business Journal’s Women of Influence in Law, 2025

Named to Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, 2024

Inn of Court Pro Bono Publico Award, Casa Cornelia Law Center’s 10th Annual La Mancha Awards, 2019

Listed among “Top 40 Under 40,” Daily Transcript, 2019

Listed in Super Lawyers as “Rising Star,” 2016 to 2018

San Diego County Top Attorney Finalist in Immigration Law, 2013

Professional accomplishments

Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)

Member, California Bar Association

Member, San Diego Bar Association

Member, Lawyers Club of San Diego

Board Member, San Diego County Bar Foundation

Experience

Represents companies across various industries in structuring and managing NIV and permanent residency programs, including providing strategic solutions to complex issues, advising on travel and consular issues and I-9 compliance.

Oversight of NIV programs, including H-1B, L-1, TN, E-3 and O-1 filings. This includes coordinating high volume H-1B cap lottery registration and filings for large global corporations as well as smaller-sized industry leaders.

Management of permanent residency programs, including PERM, immigrant petitions and green card filings This oversight includes providing guidance relative to policy decisions, updates on procedures and trends and training with corporate clients’ internal immigration teams.

Strategically manages immigration updates from mergers and acquisitions, including coordinating requisite filings with internal teams, communication to employees and developing strategies for complex cases.

Publications and lectures

Quoted, “How Trump's Latest Suspension of Worker Visas Could Affect Tech Industry.” The Recorder, 23 June 2020.

Quoted, “Employment Authorization Delays Leave Businesses in Lurch.” Law360, 26 March 2019.

Quoted, “ICE Work-Site Enforcement Likely to Borrow from Obama, Bush.” Bloomberg Law, 5 February 2018.

Ruth’s insights

July 8, 2025 | Awards

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger Named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in LawRead more

August 19, 2024 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 31st Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more

August 17, 2023 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 30th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more
More related insights

Ruth’s insights

July 8, 2025 | Awards

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger Named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in LawRead more

August 19, 2024 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 31st Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more

August 17, 2023 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 30th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more
More related insights

Ruth’s insights

July 8, 2025 | Awards

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger Named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in LawRead more

August 19, 2024 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 31st Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more

August 17, 2023 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 30th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more
More related insights

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Get in touch

Languages

  • English

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 858 793 1600

F:+1 858 793 1686

San Diego, CA

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

5355 Mira Sorrento Place, Suite 750

San Diego CA 92121

United States

Connect via Linkedin

Ruth’s insights

July 8, 2025 | Awards

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger Named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in LawRead more

August 19, 2024 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 31st Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more

August 17, 2023 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 30th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more
More related insights

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Get in touch

Languages

  • English

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 858 793 1600

F:+1 858 793 1686

San Diego, CA

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

5355 Mira Sorrento Place, Suite 750

San Diego CA 92121

United States

Connect via Linkedin

Ruth’s insights

July 8, 2025 | Awards

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger Named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in LawRead more

August 19, 2024 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 31st Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more

August 17, 2023 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 30th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more
More related insights

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Get in touch

Languages

  • English

Contact information

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 858 793 1600

F:+1 858 793 1686

San Diego, CA

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

5355 Mira Sorrento Place, Suite 750

San Diego CA 92121

United States

Connect via Linkedin

Ruth’s insights

July 8, 2025 | Awards

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger Named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in LawRead more

August 19, 2024 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 31st Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more

August 17, 2023 | Awards

Fragomen Attorneys Recognized in the 30th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America™Read more
More related insights

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Explore more at Fragomen

Media mentions

Westlaw Today: US Green Card by Investment: EB-5 and Gold Card Options for Middle Eastern Investors

Partners Isha Atassi and Rahul Soni discuss US investment-based immigration options for Middle Eastern investors.

Learn more

Blog post

Why Degree Equivalency Matters in the UAE 

Partner Ali Haider, Director Shoaib Khaleeli, Manager Ruaida Hussein and Senior Immigration Consultant Katerina Hornickova examine why degree equivalency has become mandatory in the United Arab Emirates and how the process affects employment, professional licensing and visa eligibility.

Learn more

Video

Applying for German Citizenship: A Guide to Naturalization

Senior Associate Isabel Schnitzler explains key eligibility requirements for naturalization in Germany, including residence, language proficiency and financial self-sufficiency, as well as family eligibility considerations.

Learn more

Media mentions

Global Mobility Lawyer: Wage-Weighted H-1Bs Will End “Level Playing Field”

Partner Bo Cooper explains the impact of wage‑weighted selection on H‑1B registration and compliance.

Learn more

Media mentions

The PIE: What Maduro’s Seizure Means for Venezuelan Students Abroad

Partner Aaron Blumberg explains how heightened government scrutiny affecting students from countries such as Venezuela is shaping travel guidance for those studying in the US.

Learn more

Media mentions

Lexology Pro: H-1B Programme Braces for New Rules and Uncertainty in 2026

Partner K. Edward Raleigh highlights how recent H-1B changes are shaping employer compliance strategies.

Learn more

Media mentions

The Irish Times: Number of Work Permits Issued Last Year Drops by Almost a Quarter

Practice Leader Colm Collins explains that processing delays, shifting demand in information and communication technology (ICT) and renewal cycles contributed to last year’s drop in work permit approvals.

Learn more

Media mentions

Canadian Lawyer Magazine: Canada's Immigration System Is Reaching a Breaking Point: Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association

Partner Rick Lamanna examines current pressures on Canada’s immigration system, including processing delays, reduced admissions and policy uncertainty and the implications for applicants and employers.

Learn more

Blog post

Employer of Record and Body Leasing in Switzerland: Compliance Risks and Key Updates

Manager Mihaela Dumitru outlines how Swiss authorities assess Employer of Record and body-leasing models, highlighting key compliance risks, licensing requirements and a regulatory update affecting EU and EFTA nationals effective 1 January 2026.

Learn more
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Media mentions

Gazeta Prawna: Cudzoziemców też chroni konstytucja

Partner Karolina Schiffter discusses how courts in Poland are reinforcing timely processing and constitutional protections for foreigners.

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2025年12月 アメリカ移民法ダイジェストLearn more

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Westlaw Today: US Green Card by Investment: EB-5 and Gold Card Options for Middle Eastern Investors

Partners Isha Atassi and Rahul Soni discuss US investment-based immigration options for Middle Eastern investors.

Learn more

Blog post

Why Degree Equivalency Matters in the UAE 

Partner Ali Haider, Director Shoaib Khaleeli, Manager Ruaida Hussein and Senior Immigration Consultant Katerina Hornickova examine why degree equivalency has become mandatory in the United Arab Emirates and how the process affects employment, professional licensing and visa eligibility.

Learn more

Video

Applying for German Citizenship: A Guide to Naturalization

Senior Associate Isabel Schnitzler explains key eligibility requirements for naturalization in Germany, including residence, language proficiency and financial self-sufficiency, as well as family eligibility considerations.

Learn more

Media mentions

Global Mobility Lawyer: Wage-Weighted H-1Bs Will End “Level Playing Field”

Partner Bo Cooper explains the impact of wage‑weighted selection on H‑1B registration and compliance.

Learn more

Media mentions

The PIE: What Maduro’s Seizure Means for Venezuelan Students Abroad

Partner Aaron Blumberg explains how heightened government scrutiny affecting students from countries such as Venezuela is shaping travel guidance for those studying in the US.

Learn more

Media mentions

Lexology Pro: H-1B Programme Braces for New Rules and Uncertainty in 2026

Partner K. Edward Raleigh highlights how recent H-1B changes are shaping employer compliance strategies.

Learn more

Media mentions

The Irish Times: Number of Work Permits Issued Last Year Drops by Almost a Quarter

Practice Leader Colm Collins explains that processing delays, shifting demand in information and communication technology (ICT) and renewal cycles contributed to last year’s drop in work permit approvals.

Learn more

Media mentions

Canadian Lawyer Magazine: Canada's Immigration System Is Reaching a Breaking Point: Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association

Partner Rick Lamanna examines current pressures on Canada’s immigration system, including processing delays, reduced admissions and policy uncertainty and the implications for applicants and employers.

Learn more

Blog post

Employer of Record and Body Leasing in Switzerland: Compliance Risks and Key Updates

Manager Mihaela Dumitru outlines how Swiss authorities assess Employer of Record and body-leasing models, highlighting key compliance risks, licensing requirements and a regulatory update affecting EU and EFTA nationals effective 1 January 2026.

Learn more
Generic Insights

Media mentions

Gazeta Prawna: Cudzoziemców też chroni konstytucja

Partner Karolina Schiffter discusses how courts in Poland are reinforcing timely processing and constitutional protections for foreigners.

Learn more

Fragomen news

2025年12月 アメリカ移民法ダイジェストLearn more

Fragomen news

Cosmina Morariu Named Managing Partner of Fragomen’s Canadian PracticeLearn more

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