Practice Area(s)

 

Education
  • South Texas College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1980)
  • University of Texas (B.S., with high honors, 1975)
Janet H. Cheetham Member Janet is one of the most experienced Seattle immigration lawyers and has practiced exclusively in the area of immigration and nationality law since 1981. She serves as Chair of the Immigration Group. She represents and advises businesses and individual clients on all aspects of immigration matters. Janet has extensive experience in processing E-1 treaty trader, E-2 treaty investor, F-1 students, H-1B professionals, H-2B temporary workers, K-1 fiancé, K-3 U.S. citizens and L-1 intra-company transferee nonimmigrant visas. She also processes immigrant visas involving marriage and adoption petitions, citizenship petitions, labor certifications under the PERM regulations, employment based petitions, EB-2 and EB-3. Janet represents clients in a broad range of industries including fisheries, marine, freight forwarding, computer technology, banking, real estate, import-export, and forestry. She also advises corporate clients on employee sanctions, I-9 and E-verify issues. Janet was selected to be Special Assistant for the State of Washington's immigration matters.
Admitted to Practice
  • Washington
  • Texas
Honors and Awards
  • Rated 10/10 on Avvo.com
  • Martindale Hubbell AV® Preeminent 5.0 out of 5
  • Washington Law & Politics' Super Lawyers®, (1998-present)
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America, (2003-present)
  • Who's Who of Business Lawyers, (2009)
  • Top 50 Women Lawyers in Washington State, Washington Law & Politics, (2008, 2010)
  • Seattle's Best Immigration Lawyers, Seattle Magazine, (2007)
  • Two Thousand Notable American Women, (2003, 2004)
  • Chambers USA - Ranked #1 in International Immigration
Professional and Community Activities
  • Washington State Bar Association
  • King County Bar Association 
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), frequent speaker and committee member
  • Chair, Seattle USCIS Liaison Committee
  • Certified by Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Immigration and Nationality Law, (1986-present)
Publications and Speaking Engagements
  • Speaker, NAFTA & TN Issues, American Immigration Lawyers Association Conference, (2009)
  • Speaker, Immigration Institute, Washington State Bar Association, (2009)
  • Editor-in-Chief, Immigration Practice & Procedure Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, American Immigration Lawyers Association, (2006)
  • Speaker, “Reality of Business Immigration,” PERM processing, AILA Midyear Conference, (2006)
  • Writer, Edition of "Reality of Business Immigration", AILA Publication, (2006)
  • Speaker, "Employer Compliance for Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification)", Lorman Education Services, (2005)
  • Speaker, "Consular Issues," American Immigration Lawyers Association Conference, (2004)
  • Speaker, "Navigating the Smart Border," Pacific Corridor Enterprise Council, (2004)
  • Speaker, "Hot Topics on Immigration," King County Bar Association, (2003)
  • Speaker, "Consular vs. Adjustment," American Immigration Lawyers Association Annual Conference, (2003)
Background

Having practiced immigration law for over 20 years, Janet finds immigration law to be one of the most challenging and rewarding areas of law. Her goal is to seek out the solution to clients' requests in the most timely and efficient manner. She strives to ensure clients obtain the immigration benefits to which they are entitled. Each day brings such success stories: a permanent resident becomes a U.S. citizen, a loving couple celebrates the residency approval of the spouse, a nonimmigrant visa is approved, a labor certificate is approved and in-depth research reveals a solution to a client's problem. Janet looks forward to serving all of our clients' needs.