I’ve been a licensed attorney since 2010 and I’ve been practicing immigration law since 2017.

​

U.S. Visa Officer Experience:

 

In 2021 I joined the State Department as a consular officer, a position that specializes in issuing visas. For six months I went through training, including ConGen, the rigorous course that teaches the requirements necessary for issuing a visa. Specifically, I learned to identify the requirements of each visa type, ensure cases are documentarily qualified, spot ineligibilities, process clearances, and conduct interviews.

 

During the summer of 2021 I also had the opportunity to work at the Office of the Legal Adviser. This is the unit that gives legal advice to visa officers who need help with complicated legal issues. I became familiar with the slow process used by the agency to deal with legal issues and developed a plan to best avoid that process all together.

 

In July of 2021 I was sent to Mumbai, India, where I worked as a visa officer in one of the busiest consulates in the world. I briefly assisted with visa interviews for tourists, students, and employees, but ultimately ended up in the Immigrant Visa section (where family visas are processed). My consulate handled the immigrant visas for all of India. While in the unit I conducted thousands of interviews, helped streamline their documentation processing methods, and trained incoming visa officers. I learned the ins and outs of the visa office and formulated a method to prepare my clients to have successful interviews. Although I ultimately had to resign because of family reasons at the beginning of 2022, I learned a great amount while working as a visa officer and can now use that knowledge to help you get a visa.

​

Immigration Law Experience:

 

Before working for the State Department, I ran my own immigration firm for two years. I provided effective legal representation before USCIS and the State Department, and helped numerous clients get the immigration benefits that they deserved, whether it was a visa, naturalization, green card, or asylum. I got my start in immigration law in 2017 by taking on Pro Bono cases from the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, volunteering at the monthly free legal clinic at El Centro de La Raza, and volunteering at Citizenship Days. In 2018 I learned immigration law by working at a small immigration firm where I handled a variety of cases, including adjustments of status, asylum, naturalization, consular, U and T-visas, DACA, and defensive cases with EOIR (immigration court).

 

Criminal Law Experience:

 

Before I switched to immigration law, for six years I was a Deputy District Attorney in San Mateo County, California. I handled thousands of cases, tried numerous jury trials, and passionately advocated for the rights of crime victims. My time as a prosecutor made me an effective, meticulous, and zealous advocate.