An Atlanta attorney has published a book on H-1B visas to fill what she sees as a void in accessible and reliable sources on the subject.

Karen Weinstock, managing attorney at the Atlanta office of Siskind Susser Bland PC, authored the 380-page "The H-1B Book 2008-2009 Edition" to help employers and their legal representatives understand the intricacies behind the primary visa by which U.S. companies hire foreign professionals.

The book started as an in-house project but expanded into a "labor of love" as Ms. Weinstock and her supervisors realized its potential for educating companies and lawyers asking the government for the coveted visas, she said.

"There was no real resource that was comprehensive and also basic enough that outsiders like employers, HR departments and even starting lawyers or paralegals doing those petitions could refer to," Ms. Weinstock told GlobalAtlanta.

The H-1B issue is fraught with complications and has been a source of tension for U.S. companies trying to legally attract the qualified talent they need from abroad.

The U.S. government caps the number of H-1Bs awarded per fiscal year at 65,000, a quota that hasn't been changed since 1990, Ms. Weinstock said.

Cross-border recruiting presents its own challenges, which are compounded by the fact that H-1Bs require that employers have to deal with two government agencies, the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Ms. Weinstock said the book's segmented approach makes it simple enough that professionals looking for visas could understand it, but its target audience is employers and their legal advisers.

The book is published by Immigration Law Weekly, a top publisher of immigration-related content. It will be available at www.ilw.com. 

Siskind Susser Bland immigration law firm is based in Memphis, Tenn., but has its largest office in Atlanta and offices in Nashville, Tenn., and New York.  The firm's Internet newsletter has 30,000 subscribers, and its Web site, www.visalaw.com, is a widely read source for immigration news and advice.