List of Immigration Lawyers in San Francisco - 2025

San Francisco stands as California's immigration innovation hub, where 10.6 million immigrants call the state home, yet finding the right immigration attorney shouldn't mean choosing between impersonal law firms and outdated processes. Whether you're a tech founder pursuing an O-1 visa, a startup employee seeking an H-1B, or a researcher applying for an EB-2 NIW, San Francisco professionals deserve immigration services that combine legal expertise with modern technology and genuine understanding of your journey to achieve the American dream.

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

While San Francisco traffic and traditional office requirements consume valuable time, Alma revolutionizes immigration legal services through a comprehensive platform combining seasoned attorneys with cutting-edge technology. Serving San Francisco residents from SOMA startups to Sunset District families, Alma specializes exclusively in high-skilled employment immigration through personalized case management that traditional firms struggle to match.

What Sets Alma Apart:

Alma's technology-first approach transforms the typically opaque immigration process into a transparent, trackable journey. Unlike firms requiring quarterly office visits in Financial District towers, Alma provides multiple consultations included in pricing through their platform. The proprietary workflow system guides clients through complex applications, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks—a common issue when juggling multiple traditional law firm communications via scattered emails and phone calls.

San Francisco's tech professionals particularly benefit from Alma's specialization in O-1 extraordinary ability visas and EB-1A petitions. The platform's automated document collection and real-time case tracking eliminate the back-and-forth that delays traditional filings, while dedicated paralegals ensure every petition meets USCIS standards before submission. For Premium Processing, USCIS' adjudication clock is 15 business days for most I-129 classifications and many I-140 categories, and 45 business days for EB-1C and EB-2 NIW.

Service Philosophy:

• Transparent flat-rate pricing with no hidden fees—O-1 New at $8,000, H-1B Cap/Cap-Exempt at $3,500
• Streamlined document processing for faster case preparation
• Built-in compliance tracking and proactive alerts help manage deadlines
• Dedicated account management throughout the entire immigration journey
• Multiple consultations included in pricing

Specialties:

• H-1B specialty occupation visas for Bay Area tech and biotech professionals
• L-1 intracompany transfers for multinational managers and executives
• EB-2 NIW self-petitions for researchers and entrepreneurs at $10,000 (attorney/platform fees; government filing fees are additional)
• TN New visas for professionals under the USMCA at $3,000 (attorney/platform fees; government filing fees are additional)

Business Solutions:

For San Francisco's innovative companies, Alma's business immigration platform manages everything from 5 to 5,000+ cases with scalable workflows. The system provides real-time dashboards and spend projections that traditional firms can't match.

Cost: Transparent flat fees from $500 (H-1B lottery service fee; USCIS' separate registration fee is $215) to $10,000 (EB-1, EB-2 NIW); attorney/platform fees; government filing fees are additional; includes platform access and multiple consultations

Availability: Serves all San Francisco residents through secure online platform; legal services provided by attorneys through Alma Legal Services, P.C.

Contact: Start with a free consultation or explore visa options through comprehensive guides

2. KPB Immigration Law Firm - San Francisco

Operating from San Francisco, KPB Immigration Law Firm provides employment-based immigration, asylum, and removal defense services.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

KPB's expertise spans U/T humanitarian visas, naturalization, and consular processing, offering comprehensive immigration support.

Practice Considerations:

• Offers in-person consultations at their San Francisco office
• Traditional practice model with standard business hours may challenge busy professionals
• Broad practice areas from employment immigration to removal defense

While KPB's consular connections provide value, the traditional office-based model may feel dated compared to platforms offering instant document uploads, real-time case tracking, and streamlined processing.

3. Amie Miller Law - San Francisco

Amie Miller Law is led by a California Bar Certified Specialist in Immigration & Nationality Law. The practice focuses on naturalization, employer-based petitions, VAWA, and deportation defense.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

Amie Miller's board certification represents specialized expertise. The firm emphasizes LGBTQ+ client representation and complex hardship waivers, with testimonials highlighting successful challenging cases.

Service Reality:

• Certified specialist credentials provide depth of knowledge
• Offers in-person consultations at their San Francisco office
• Traditional billing structures without transparent flat fees
• Phone and email scheduling for virtual consultations available

Miller's certification and tenure suit complex immigration cases, though employment-focused professionals seeking specialized O-1 or EB-1A expertise may find broader platforms more aligned with tech sector needs.

4. Kerosky Purves & Bogue, LLP - San Francisco

A longstanding San Francisco firm, Kerosky Purves & Bogue handles business immigration, asylum, naturalization, and removal matters.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

The firm's history demonstrates stability, while government experience brings insider knowledge of agency decision-making.

Practical Limitations:

• Traditional law firm structure with scheduled office appointments
• Mixed practice across business and humanitarian cases may dilute specialized expertise
• San Francisco office location

While long-established, the firm's generalist approach and traditional service model may not provide the focused expertise and modern conveniences that tech professionals expect from immigration services.

5. Jewell Stewart Pratt PC - San Francisco

Jewell Stewart Pratt specializes in business immigration, global mobility, removal defense, and compliance.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

JSP regularly secures H-1B and PERM approvals for tech and healthcare clients. Their global mobility focus serves multinational companies.

Service Gaps:

• Corporate focus may prioritize business clients over individuals
• Offers in-person consultations at their San Francisco office
• Traditional billing without transparent flat-fee structures
• Limited public information about specific success rates or timelines
• No technology platform mentioned for case tracking or document management

Jewell Stewart Pratt's experience appeals to established corporations, though individuals may prefer smaller, technology-enabled practices.

6. Van Der Hout LLP - San Francisco

Van Der Hout LLP combines employment immigration with federal litigation expertise. The firm's State Bar certified Immigration & Nationality Law specialists bring notable wins in federal appeals and detained deportation defense cases.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

Van Der Hout's litigation experience provides exceptional depth for complex cases involving prior violations or removal proceedings. Their national recognition in deportation defense and federal appeals sets them apart for high-stakes matters.

Practice Focus:

• Primary emphasis on removal defense and litigation rather than routine employment petitions
• San Francisco office location
• Federal litigation background may overcomplicate straightforward visa cases
• Traditional billing structures likely reflect premium litigation expertise

The firm's litigation prowess suits cases requiring court experience, though routine O-1 or H-1B petitions may not need—and may not justify the cost of—such specialized counsel.

7. Minami Tamaki LLP - San Francisco

Minami Tamaki LLP offers business immigration, naturalization, humanitarian, and removal services. The firm has earned recognition in the San Francisco legal community.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

Minami Tamaki's institutional knowledge demonstrates depth, while their track record includes labor certifications and visas across tech and nonprofit sectors.

Evaluation Factors:

• Tenure suggests stability but may indicate traditional practices
• Broad practice areas from business to humanitarian cases
• Offers in-person consultations at their San Francisco office
• Limited public-facing information about processes, timelines, or technology tools

While experienced, the firm's traditional approach and limited online presence make evaluation difficult for prospective clients seeking modern, tech-enabled immigration services.

8. Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C. - San Francisco

Landerholm Immigration specializes in deportation defense, asylum, green cards, waivers, and U/T humanitarian visas. The firm has board-certified specialists on staff.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

Landerholm's board-certified specialists have secured successful deportation defenses and waivers, with frequent educational outreach to immigrant communities.

Practice Limitations:

• Primary focus on defensive immigration (deportation, asylum) rather than employment petitions
• Limited business immigration expertise apparent from practice description
• Offers in-person consultations at their San Francisco office
• No technology platform or modern case tracking tools mentioned
• Traditional service model without transparent pricing or timeline projections

While valuable for removal defense and humanitarian cases, Landerholm's defensive focus makes the practice less suited for employment-based petitions that San Francisco's tech professionals typically need.

9. Law Offices of Tricia Wang - San Francisco

Tricia Wang Law handles employment immigration, asylum, humanitarian, and removal matters. Wang is admitted to practice in California.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

Wang's direct immigration experience serves the Bay Area's diverse population. The practice has experience with complex I-601 hardship waivers for multi-country families.

Service Considerations:

• Solo practitioner model may limit capacity during high-volume periods
• Mixed practice across multiple immigration categories
• Traditional phone and email communication without platform technology
• San Francisco office
• No published pricing, success rates, or processing timeline projections

While experienced in diverse case types, the traditional solo practice model may not provide the scalability, technology tools, and specialized expertise that modern immigration platforms offer.

10. Law Office of Gene Sverdlov - San Francisco

Focusing exclusively on immigration, Gene Sverdlov Law handles business immigration, waivers, asylum, and deportation defense. The practice serves families, individuals, and companies.

What Makes Them Stand Out:

Sverdlov's immigration-dedicated practice demonstrates specialization, with successful defense in removal proceedings and green cards for complex backgrounds. California Bar membership confirms active legal standing.

Practical Factors:

• Immigration-only focus provides depth within the field
• Traditional practice model with phone, email, and online booking
• Limited information about case processing timelines or technology tools
• San Francisco office location

While immigration-focused, the practice's traditional service delivery and limited public information make it challenging to assess fit compared to platforms offering transparent pricing, projected timelines, and comprehensive case tracking.

Making the Right Choice for San Francisco Immigration

When evaluating immigration legal services, San Francisco residents face unique considerations shaped by the city's innovation culture and diverse immigrant population.

Technology Advantage: San Francisco's position as America's tech capital makes traditional paper-based law firms feel antiquated. Modern platforms like Alma can reduce geographic constraints while providing superior case tracking and communication tools essential for busy professionals managing immigration alongside demanding careers. Real-time dashboards, automated reminders, and instant document uploads replace the endless email chains and missed phone calls that plague traditional practices.

Specialization Matters: With California's immigrant population including significant numbers from Mexico, China, the Philippines, and India, representing major populations in San Francisco's tech and biotech sectors, specialized expertise in employment-based immigration proves crucial. General practitioners juggling asylum cases and business immigration often lack the depth needed for complex extraordinary ability petitions or national interest waivers.

Time Value: San Francisco's competitive job market means visa delays cost opportunities. Streamlined platforms can expedite case preparation versus traditional firms. While USCIS processing times vary by case type, attorney preparation speed varies dramatically.

Cost Transparency: Traditional hourly billing creates uncertainty—initial quotes can balloon with revisions and RFE responses. Alma's flat-fee structure eliminates surprises, with clear pricing from $500 for H-1B lottery service fees to $10,000 for EB-1 petitions (attorney/platform fees; government filing fees are additional), including multiple consultations typically billed separately at traditional firms.

The San Francisco Advantage: Why Now Is the Time

San Francisco's position as an immigration innovation hub creates both opportunities and challenges. The Bay Area's concentration of tech companies drives demand for specialized employment immigration services that traditional firms struggle to meet at scale.

Modern platforms designed for volume handle surging demand without sacrificing quality. Where traditional firms might take weeks to respond during busy seasons, technology-enabled services maintain consistent communication through automated updates and dedicated case managers who understand startup timelines and stock option vesting schedules.

The city's unique immigration landscape—from San Francisco's O-1 needs—O-1B for artists and many designers, O-1A for others depending on the role—to Silicon Valley's H-1B demand—requires specialized knowledge that generalist firms can't provide. Platforms focusing exclusively on employment-based immigration develop expertise through volume versus traditional firms' mixed caseloads.

For San Francisco's significant immigrant community, maintaining legal status requires proactive planning. Modern platforms' built-in compliance tracking and renewal reminders help clients manage deadlines.