Fragomen in Baltimore: Business Immigration and Employment-Based Visa Services

Fragomen is a multinational immigration law firm with a Baltimore office specializing in corporate and business immigration, handling visa sponsorship, employment-based green cards, international employee mobility, and immigration compliance for mid-market and large employers across the Mid-Atlantic.

What Fragomen actually is

Fragomen is a 2,000-plus-attorney firm headquartered in New York, with the Baltimore location embedded in a regional presence that includes Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia offices. The Baltimore practice focuses on employer-based immigration: sponsoring skilled workers for H-1B, L-1, EB-3, and other employment visas; advising on I-9 compliance; navigating PERM labor certification; and managing international transfers and relocations. The firm does not typically handle individual or family-based immigration matters (such as spousal petitions or asylum). This distinction matters because employers needing representation for visa programs have a different service model from individuals sponsoring relatives.

Scope of services and fee structure

Fragomen offers tiered engagement for employers. A basic visa sponsorship package for an H-1B petition typically runs $3,000 to $5,000 per visa case, covering filing preparation and government submissions. A PERM labor certification (the precursor to employment-based green cards) costs substantially more, often $10,000 to $20,000 depending on complexity, because the process involves advertising positions, recruitment, and extended Department of Labor interaction. Multinationals managing dozens of visa petitions annually often negotiate a retainer model, typically $500 to $1,500 per month, rather than per-case fees. Initial consultations are frequently complimentary for employer prospects. Fees vary by case complexity and case volume; confirm current pricing by calling the Baltimore office directly.

An employer sponsoring a single engineer on an H-1B visa will pay toward the lower end of case fees. One managing global talent transfers across a dozen countries will structure fees as an annual retainer with per-transaction surcharges. Neither model is inherently cheaper; the retainer locks in predictability for large companies; per-case pricing suits smaller operations with irregular needs.

How Fragomen compares to other Baltimore immigration options

Baltimore has two other significant immigration law practices: Kramer Levin (with an office in the Harbor East area) and Miles & Stockbridge, a regional firm. The key difference is scale and practice focus. Kramer Levin and Miles & Stockbridge maintain broader immigration practices that include both employment and family matters. Fragomen is employer-focused; if a small nonprofit needs help with an individual visa petition or family sponsorship, Kramer Levin or Miles & Stockbridge may be better suited and may not require the overhead of a global firm.

Fragomen's advantage lies in corporate clients with complex, recurring needs. Its PERM expertise and database of previous cases mean faster labor certification processing. If a Baltimore pharmaceutical company needs to sponsor 50 researchers annually on H-1B visas and coordinate their reassignments between Baltimore and San Francisco, Fragomen's infrastructure and retainer model are hard to replicate locally. If an individual engineer needs a one-time H-1B filing, Kramer Levin (local, mid-size) may provide equally competent service at potentially lower total cost, without the global-firm overhead.

Who this suits and who it does not suit

Fragomen suits mid-market to large employers with recurring immigration needs, particularly those operating across multiple states or countries. Companies sponsoring 5 or more visas per year, or those navigating PERM certifications, benefit from retainer efficiency and case-tracking infrastructure. Pharmaceutical, biotech, software, and financial services companies in the Baltimore region commonly use Fragomen.

It does not suit individuals seeking green card sponsorship through a family member, asylum seekers, or those requiring immigration advice unrelated to employment. It also may not suit a one-person startup with a single visa need, where a solo practitioner or smaller firm could be more cost-effective and responsive.

What the first engagement involves

A typical first meeting for an employer starts with a scoping call: the company describes visa needs, employee profiles, anticipated filing volume, and any pending cases. Fragomen identifies whether the company requires PERM labor certification, whether employees are already working (potentially in valid status) or need sponsorship before arrival, and what timeline the company needs. The firm may recommend a phased approach: H-1B filings immediately, green card sponsorships layered in once the visa is approved. Many employers sign a retainer agreement at this stage; smaller companies may proceed case-by-case. The firm then assigns a dedicated case manager and begins drafting petitions.

Hours, location, and logistics

Fragomen's Baltimore office is located at 100 Light Street (the Legg Mason Building), in downtown Harbor East, with street and validated parking available. The office operates during standard business hours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Most interactions occur by phone and email after the initial consultation, and documents are exchanged electronically; site visits are not required except for complex corporate audits.

Fragomen's corporate scale and employer-focused practice give it authority in PERM certification and multistate visa coordination that smaller Baltimore firms cannot easily match, making it the clearer choice for companies managing steady immigration volume.