Debra A. Schneider

Debra A. Schneider is a Shareholder at Fredrikson and leads the firm’s extraordinary ability immigration practice. Based in Minneapolis, she advises employers and individuals on employment-based immigration, permanent residence, work authorization, I-9 compliance, audits, investigations, and immigration policies. Schneider works with universities, healthcare organizations, technology and medical device companies, multinational businesses, entrepreneurs, physicians, researchers, professors, and other professionals whose work may involve complex immigration requirements.

Schneider earned a B.A. in History from the University of Nebraska in 1994, graduating magna cum laude. She completed Graduate Course Work at the University of Amsterdam in 1995 and received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2001, also graduating magna cum laude. Her academic background supports a practice that requires close analysis of federal immigration rules, supporting documentation, eligibility standards, and the employment or professional circumstances of each client.

Schneider handles matters involving O-1 extraordinary ability petitions, national interest waiver and physician national interest waiver cases, EB-1 matters, employer sponsorship, permanent residence, and entry to the United States. She also counsels employers on I-9 compliance and government investigations. Her work extends to sectors such as healthcare, medical technology, information technology, energy, higher education, sports, and entertainment, and she has also handled family-based, asylum, naturalization, and removal-related matters.

Debra A. Schneider has received recognition from Minnesota Monthly and has been named a North Star Lawyer. She also speaks on immigration topics and participates in professional legal education. Schneider’s practice combines individual immigration strategy with employer-focused compliance counseling, allowing her to address both a person’s immigration pathway and the organizational obligations surrounding sponsorship. Her work helps clients plan for mobility, respond to government requirements, and manage immigration issues that affect careers, hiring, and business operations.

Law Office Affiliations

• Shareholder, Fredrikson & Byron P.A.
• Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
• Board President and Vice President, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (2005-2014)
• Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), MN/Dakotas (2001-Present)
• Board, Present, Loan Repayment Assistance Program

Licensed State

• Minnesota

Education

• University of Minnesota Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD) Magna Cum Laude
• University of Amsterdam
  Graduate Course Work
• University of Nebraska
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History Magna Cum Laude

Awards & Badges