Attorney at Law
Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law
Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California
IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES
Asylum/Withholding/Convention Against Torture
Outstanding researchers and professors/school administrators and teachers
Petitions to Remove Conditions I-751
See Legal Notice, bottom of this page
My office provides expert assistance in the preparation of every kind of green card application.
Since I opened my own practice in 1991, I have relished the difficult cases. I specialize in complex family petitions and adjustment applications, including those that involve non-viable marriages, government challenges to paternity, and cases with difficult identity issues.
Of course, I also handle straightforward cases. Our commitment to clients is to prepare applications carefully and file them quickly. Cases do not get lost in the shuffle or forgotten amongst hundreds of others. We offer personalized services to clients, and they always know that I will be the lawyer appearing with them at their interview view or hearing.
I have successfully represented numerous appellants before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. I have won appeals at the Ninth Circuit on behalf of individuals whose motions to reopen were denied by the immigration judge as well as the Board of Immigration Appeals, thereby permitting my clients the opportunity to truly have their day in court. I have won BIA and Administrative Appeals Unit appeals in asylum cases, 212(c) cases, motions to reopen, and LIFE Act cases.
Asylum/Withholding/Convention Against Torture
Asylum is not limited to people from certain countries. I have represented applicants for asylum, withholding and Convention Against Torture (CAT) from all over the world. I have assisted clients who were persecuted because of their sexual orientation from Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, the former Soviet Union, and Tajikistan. I have helped political and women’s rights activists and former political prisoners win asylum from Bangladesh, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Sudan. U.S. asylum law protects people who were persecuted in the past, or fear persecution in the future based on certain grounds – race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
Whether a case involves custody status, admission, removal or recission, immigration court proceedings can be very complicated. It is an adversarial proceeding. If you have a case in immigration court, the Department of Homeland Security is your adversary, and will have its own attorney in court to oppose you. That attorney will look for weaknesses in your case by challenging your credibility and the credibility of your evidence and witnesses. He or she will conduct an aggressive cross-examination of you and your witnesses with the object of rebutting and refuting your evidence. For these reasons, and because changes in the law have made it harder for noncitizens to win in immigration court, spend some time making sure you find the most knowledgeable and experienced lawyer around. It can make a big difference.
When I am asked whether an attorney is needed to file a naturalization application, my answer is that a straightforward, complication-free application may be filed without an attorney. A person may choose to retain an attorney so as to avoid the inconvenience of preparing and filing the application and supporting documentation. A consultation with an attorney may be helpful to make absolutely sure no undetected problems exist.
U.S. immigration law provides that the child of a parent or parents includes any child adopted by the parent before the child turns 16. Also, the child must have been in the legal custody of, and have resided with his or her adoptive parents for at least two years. We can help adoptive parents who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents by filing the appropriate applications for lawful permanent residence for their child. The U.S. Department of State now has an intercountry adoption website that is intended to provide an overview of the intercountry adoption process and the Hague Adoption Convention. It is a very helpful resource to people considering adopting.
The number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States continues to climb. In the 2007/2008 school year, more than 600,000 international students attended universities in the United States, 7 percent more than the previous year.
Enrolling in a course of study requires locating an institution that has been certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Such a school is authorized to issue Forms I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Student Status, to prospective students. The State Department web site provides a 173-page list of SEVP certified schools authorized to issue Forms I-20.
Beginning with the application for the I-20, to the application for the student visa, to handling deviations from the full-course-study requirement, to dealing with Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) violations, we handle all issues faced by persons from other countries who are studying in the United States. We have assisted people in preparing their applications for F-1 and M-1 visas. We have helped transition from student to another immigration status based on profession, and helped out-of-status students regain immigration status.
Outstanding researchers and professors/school administrators and teachers
Petitions to Remove Conditions I-751
The information provided on this site is NOT a substitute for competent legal counsel. If you have a legal problem, immigration or otherwise, seek the advice of competent legal counsel. Nothing in this site constitutes legal advice and no attorney-client relationship is created as a result of use of this website, or contacting our office. The attorney client relationship commences with the signing of a written agreement for legal services. Unless and until such a written agreement is properly executed by both parties and returned to our office, there is no attorney-client relationship. Links to government agencies or other web sites are provided as a convenience only and no guarantee is made regarding the accuracy of information contained on those web sites. Processing times for government agencies are based on public notices by the government agency and should NOT be relied upon as processing times are subject to change.
