List of Immigration Lawyers in New York - 2025

New York's status as America's immigration gateway, with millions of foreign-born residents navigating complex visa processes through overwhelmed USCIS offices, demands legal representation that transcends traditional law firm limitations. Whether you're a Wall Street professional pursuing an H-1B visa, an artist seeking an O-1B, or a startup managing international talent, New York residents need immigration services that combine proven legal expertise with modern efficiency and genuine commitment to their American dream.

1. Alma - Technology-Enabled Immigration Platform (Nationwide Service)

While New York's congested subways and packed law offices consume precious time, Alma transforms immigration legal services through a comprehensive platform combining elite attorneys with cutting-edge technology. Serving New York residents from Manhattan to Buffalo, Alma specializes exclusively in employment-based immigration, achieving a 99%+ approval rate through personalized case management that traditional firms struggle to match.

What Sets Alma Apart:

Alma's technology-first approach revolutionizes the typically opaque immigration process into a transparent, trackable journey. Unlike firms requiring monthly office visits across NYC's sprawling boroughs, Alma provides consultation and status calls through their secure platform. The proprietary workflow system guides clients through complex applications, preventing the documentation errors that plague traditional filings—particularly crucial given NYC's varying processing times across different field offices.

New York's finance and tech professionals particularly benefit from Alma's specialization in O-1 extraordinary ability visas and EB-2 NIW petitions. While traditional NYC firms take longer for case preparation, Alma guarantees 2-week document processing turnaround. The platform's automated document collection and real-time case tracking eliminate the endless email chains that delay traditional filings, while dedicated paralegals ensure every petition exceeds USCIS standards.

Service Excellence:

• Transparent flat-rate pricing with no hidden fees—O-1 petitions at $8,000, H-1B at $3,500
• Guaranteed 2-week document processing
• Built-in compliance tracking prevents costly mistakes common in manual processes
• Dedicated account management throughout your entire immigration journey

Specialties:

• H-1B specialty occupation visas for finance and healthcare professionals
• L-1 intracompany transfers for multinational executives
• EB-1A extraordinary ability green cards for researchers and business leaders
• TN visas for Canadian and Mexican professionals

Business Solutions:

For New York's innovative companies, Alma's business immigration platform manages everything from 5 to 5,000+ cases with scalable workflows. The system integrates seamlessly with HRIS platforms like Workday and BambooHR, providing real-time dashboards and spend projections that traditional NYC firms can't match. Startups benefit from special pricing through partnerships with Y Combinator and leading accelerators.

Cost: Transparent flat fees from $500 (H-1B lottery) to $10,000 (EB-1/EB-2 NIW); includes platform access, consultation and status calls, and administrative support

Availability: Serves all New York residents through secure online platform; cases handled by attorneys licensed in U.S. jurisdictions who practice immigration law

Contact: Start with a free consultation at tryalma.com or explore comprehensive visa guides

2. Wildes & Weinberg, P.C. - New York City

Operating from New York City as an established firm, Wildes & Weinberg handles family immigration, business immigration, asylum, O-1 visas, and EB-5 investor cases. Their practice serves individuals, families, and business entities throughout the metropolitan area.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

The firm supports NYC's diverse immigrant population growth. Their range spans from family reunification to complex business transfers, though this breadth may dilute specialized expertise needed for specific visa categories.

Service Considerations:

• Traditional office model requires in-person visits to their NYC location
• No transparent pricing structure necessitates individual fee negotiations
• Appointment scheduling may face delays during peak filing seasons

While their established presence provides credibility, the conventional service model may feel outdated for professionals accustomed to digital efficiency and transparent processes.

3. Law Office of Alena Shautsova - Brooklyn/Syosset

With offices in Brooklyn and Syosset, Alena Shautsova brings over a decade of immigration practice focusing on family/employment immigration, VAWA, U/T visas, deportation defense, and BIA appeals. The firm emphasizes that immigration matters can be complex, and the constantly changing Immigration regulations call for creative and immediate response.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

As a Russian-speaking attorney with NYSBA Special Committee membership and Superb Avvo rating, Shautsova serves Eastern European communities effectively. The practice reports hundreds of successful green cards, citizenship, and asylum cases, offering both in-person and Skype consultations.

Practice Limitations:

• Dual Brooklyn/Long Island locations may confuse scheduling
• Individual practitioner model limits capacity during busy periods
• Focus on removal defense may dilute business immigration expertise
• Traditional billing without published flat fees

The personalized service appeals to those seeking Russian-language support, though scalability concerns arise for complex corporate matters requiring team resources.

4. Law Office of Patricia M. Machado, P.C. - Manhattan

Based in Manhattan with 25+ years of experience, Patricia Machado specializes in green card applications with "deep familiarity with NYC USCIS Field Office procedures". The practice serves Spanish-speaking clients throughout the Manhattan area.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

Machado emphasizes that local green card lawyers are familiar with local procedures and typical field office practices that may affect application. This local knowledge proves valuable for Manhattan-specific processing.

Service Reality:

• Limited to Manhattan location despite NYC-wide clientele
• Focus primarily on green cards versus comprehensive visa services
• Traditional practice model requires office appointments
• No technology platform for case tracking mentioned

While local USCIS expertise adds value, the narrow service focus and traditional approach may not suit those needing diverse visa assistance or modern conveniences.

5. Musa-Obregon Law PC - Queens

Operating from Queens, Musa-Obregon combines immigration law with criminal defense expertise, serving clients throughout Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Rockland County, and Westchester County. They offer free consultations and serve clients from all countries.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

The firm's dual expertise in immigration and criminal defense proves crucial for cases involving both areas. Their diverse background and multi-borough service area accommodates NYC's varied immigrant communities.

Practical Considerations:

• Mixed criminal-immigration focus may dilute pure immigration expertise
• Queens location requires travel for non-borough residents
• No published success rates or approval statistics
• Broad geographic coverage may impact response times

While valuable for criminal-immigration intersections, routine employment petitions may not require such specialized—and potentially costly—dual representation.

6. Law Offices of Robert Tsigler, PLLC - New York City

With years of NYC immigration law experience, Robert Tsigler handles immigrant visas, citizenship, green card issues, and deportation defense. The firm acknowledges what could be at stake when you are facing immigration proceedings and the other issues that commonly interfere with immigration in New York City.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

Comprehensive defense counsel for deportation cases provides critical support for those facing removal. The firm's NYC-specific experience addresses local challenges affecting immigration proceedings.

Service Gaps:

• Heavy deportation defense focus may limit business immigration resources
• No transparent fee structure published
• Traditional consultation model without modern conveniences
• Limited information about team composition and capacity

Tsigler's removal defense expertise suits those facing proceedings, though employment-based petitioners may prefer specialized business immigration counsel.

7. Cohen Forman Barone, PC - New York City

Cohen Forman Barone advertises competitive rates with a proven track record for green card applications. They highlight eight distinct paths to permanent residency including family-based, employment-based, and asylum-based options.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

The firm emphasizes their competitive pricing model while maintaining quality representation. Their systematic approach to different green card categories provides clarity for various eligibility paths.

Evaluation Factors:

• Limited public information about attorney credentials
• No technology platform or case tracking system mentioned
• Traditional office requirements for consultations
• Unclear specialization beyond general green card processing

While promoting competitive rates, the lack of transparent pricing and modern conveniences may frustrate those seeking efficiency and clarity.

8. Smotritsky Law Group, PLLC - New York City

Located conveniently next to NY Immigration Court, Smotritsky Law Group brings 15+ years of experience serving immigrants worldwide. The multilingual practice offers English, Spanish, and Russian services with payment plans available.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

The founding attorney's immigrant background provides personal understanding of client challenges. Strategic location near Immigration Court benefits those with removal proceedings, while multilingual capabilities serve diverse communities.

Practice Considerations:

• Immigration Court proximity suggests defensive focus over business cases
• Individual practitioner model may limit availability
• Traditional service delivery without digital innovations
• Payment plans indicate potentially high overall costs

The personalized immigrant-attorney connection appeals emotionally, though modern platforms offer superior efficiency for straightforward employment cases.

9. Prizant Law - New York City

Prizant Law operates as a boutique practice handling family petitions, marriage-based green cards, LGBT visa processing, and VAWA cases. The firm markets high level of personal service and dedicated representation with staff having personal immigration experience.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

Specialization in LGBT immigration and VAWA cases fills important niches. The boutique model promises personalized attention, while staff immigration experience adds empathy to representation.

Service Limitations:

• Family/humanitarian focus excludes most employment categories
• Boutique size may limit capacity during busy periods
• No pricing transparency requires individual negotiations
• Limited technology integration apparent

Prizant's specialized focus serves specific populations well, though business professionals need employment-focused counsel with scalable resources.

10. Feiner & Lavy Law Firm - New York City

AILA member attorneys at Feiner & Lavy handle work visas, green cards, citizenship, asylum, and deportation defense. The firm promises fast and effective solutions through legal system knowledge.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

AILA membership indicates commitment to best practices and continuing education. Their comprehensive service menu addresses various immigration needs from employment to humanitarian cases.

Practical Gaps:

• Broad practice areas may dilute specialized expertise
• No specific success metrics or approval rates published
• Traditional service model without modern conveniences
• Unclear attorney-client ratios affecting personalized attention

While AILA credentials add credibility, the generalist approach and traditional model may not optimize outcomes for specialized employment petitions.

Making the Right Choice for New York Immigration

When evaluating immigration legal services, New York residents face unique metropolitan challenges that modern solutions address effectively:

Technology Advantage: New York's fast-paced environment makes traditional paper-shuffling law firms feel archaic. Modern platforms like Alma eliminate subway commutes and office waiting rooms while providing superior case tracking essential for professionals managing immigration alongside Wall Street careers or startup launches.

Specialization Matters: With processing times varying across NYC field offices, specialized expertise becomes crucial. General practitioners juggling removal defense and employment petitions often lack the depth needed for complex extraordinary ability or national interest waiver cases that NYC's elite professionals require.

Time Value: New York's competitive market means visa delays cost opportunities. Platforms guaranteeing 2-week turnarounds can determine whether you secure that hedge fund position or miss the opportunity entirely. With attorney rates in NYC reaching premium levels, efficiency directly impacts total costs.

Cost Transparency: Traditional hourly billing creates uncertainty—initial quotes can balloon due to revisions and RFEs, especially with hourly billing. Alma's flat-fee structure eliminates surprises, with clear pricing from $500 for H-1B lottery registration to $10,000 for EB-1 petitions, including consultation and status calls typically billed separately elsewhere.

The New York Advantage: Why Timing Matters Now

New York's position as America's financial and cultural capital creates both opportunities and challenges. While over 1,600 AILA lawyers practice in the NYC area, finding specialized expertise for your specific needs remains surprisingly difficult. Traditional firms struggle to scale services for the city's diverse, demanding immigrant population.

Modern platforms designed for scale handle surging demand without sacrificing quality. Where traditional NYC firms might take weeks to respond during busy seasons, technology-enabled services maintain consistent communication through automated updates and dedicated case managers who understand New York's unique immigration landscape.

The city's varied processing times across field offices demands strategic planning that generalist firms can't provide. Platforms focusing exclusively on employment-based immigration develop expertise through volume, handling hundreds of similar cases monthly versus traditional firms' mixed caseloads.

For New York's substantial immigrant workforce, maintaining legal status while navigating career transitions requires proactive planning. Modern platforms' built-in compliance tracking and renewal reminders prevent devastating lapses that occur when relying on traditional firms' manual systems—critical given that deportation defense fees are expensive.