Matthew W. Hoyt

Experience

Healthcare Immigration

• Represents regional healthcare organizations in visa matters, green card sponsorships, and J-1 physician waivers.
• Conducts leading-edge work with cap-exempt H-1B visa petitions for hospitals, nonprofit healthcare organizations, and for-profit physician practices.
• Assists foreign nation physicians in obtaining O-1 extraordinary ability work visas, J-1 visa waivers, H-1B visas, and green cards (PERM, NIW). Also assists healthcare providers and business professionals in obtaining O-1s, H-1Bs, TNs, and green cards.

Sports and Entertainment Immigration

• Obtains P-1 visas for athletes and essential support personnel in the IndyCar and NASCAR auto racing series and in e-sports.
• Represents world-renowned competitive sailors and coaches, including for the U.S. Olympic team, in obtaining O-1 visas.
• Acquires O-1 visas and green cards for artists and entertainers.

Other Business Immigration

• Works with executives and managers to obtain O-1, L-1, H-1B visas and green cards.
• Handles process of acquiring E-2 visas for foreign investors and their employees.
• Obtains H-1B, E-3, and L-1 work visas for specialized knowledge workers in information technology, consulting, hospitality, manufacturing and many other industries.

Immigration Appeals & Litigation

• Handles administrative appeals and federal court litigation in cases where government agencies (e.g. U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) have wrongfully denied an immigration benefit.

I-9 and E-Verify Compliance

• Provides day-to-day counseling for employers with difficult I-9 and E-Verify scenarios, training of HR staff, and assistance with internal audits and remediation.

Worksite Investigations

• Defends companies in government I-9 investigations and enforcement proceedings, against allegations of citizenship status discrimination, and in wage and hour investigations.

Employment Litigation

• First-chaired jury trials and administrative hearings against alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accusations of workplace defamation, and alleged race and sex discrimination.
• Achieved a defense verdict in one of the first jury trials under the ADA to involve the “cat’s paw” theory of liability after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Staub v. Proctor Hospital.

Business Litigation

• Obtained temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and favorable settlements for companies victimized by departing employees’ misappropriation of trade secrets and violations of noncompetition, non-solicitation and other restrictive covenants. One matter resulted in immediate injunctive relief after a company’s local manager coordinated a mass, unannounced resignation of nearly his entire office staff and started a competing business bearing a similar trade name.

Advice and Counsel

• Counsels employers on compliance with workplace laws and regulations, negotiation and termination of employment agreements, employee onboarding and discharge, and other human resources matters. 

Memberships

• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• American Health Lawyers Association
• American Bar Association
• Ohio State Bar Association
• Columbus Bar Association

Community

• Advocating Opportunity: Pro Bono Legal Services Provider for Victims of Human Trafficking
• Worthington Youth Boosters: Travel Soccer and Basketball Coach
• Southeast Health Care Services: Former Board President
• Judicial Release Coalition: Pro Bono Legal Services Provider