The Immigration Lawyers Podcast | Discussing Visas, Green Cards & Citizenship: Practice & Policy

What really happens on the other side of the immigration system? In Episode 498, John Q. Khosravi, Esq. sits down with Nicholas Perry, Esq., a former government attorney who has worked at nearly every corner of the immigration bureaucracy: INS, ICE, USCIS, DHS Office of the General Counsel, EOIR and the State Department Visa Office. Nick shares what it was like to write the STEM OPT regulations, why the 2017 travel ban rollout was chaos from the inside, how the Dates for Filing chart came to life in the Visa Bulletin, and why TRIG exemptions are one of the most underused tools in immigration law. If you've ever wondered how the policies you deal with every day actually get made, this one is for you.
 
(1) Learn more about eimmigration: https://get.eimmigration.com/ILT
(2) Start your law firm Marketing: ImmigrationLawyersToolbox.com/Constellation
 
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Opening
00:33 Intro
01:21 Immigration Lawyers Toolbox Magazine
02:33 The new ILT Chrome extension
04:12 Meet Nicholas Perry, Esq.
05:03 From tour guide to congressional immigration caseworker
06:02 First job at EOIR
06:45 INS attorney in San Francisco and El Paso during 9/11
07:31 ICE and USCIS national security work
07:57 Seven years at DHS Office of the General Counsel
09:07 Writing the STEM OPT regulations
09:33 How a regulation actually gets made
11:03 Public charge, H-2A, H-2B and EB-5 rules
12:33 The new I-864 and skipping notice and comment
13:04 Working in the State Department Visa Office
13:47 The 2017 travel ban from the inside
15:42 Administrative processing and security advisory opinions
17:11 ILT Community and Constellation
18:37 Nebraska Service Center years
19:43 Changing administrations and early retirement
21:12 Launching Perry Immigration Law
22:36 How the Visa Bulletin works behind the scenes
23:55 Creating the Dates for Filing chart
25:58 How policy decisions reach the Visa Bulletin
26:46 TRIG and Iranian cases
27:25 What TRIG covers under INA 212(a)(3)(B)
28:33 TRIG exemptions and why they're underused
30:58 Final thoughts and how to reach Nick


Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Music | YouTube
Get a free website (first 10 sign-ups) and special pricing on marketing for your firm from Constellation

Follow eimmigration by Cerenade: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Start your Business Immigration Practice! (US LAWYERS ONLY - SCREENING REQUIRED):
E-2 Course

EB-1A Course

Get the Toolbox Magazine! 

Join our community (Lawyers Only)

Get Started in Immigration Law! The Marriage/Family-Based Green Card course is for you

Our Website: ImmigrationLawyersToolbox.com
Not legal advice. Consult with an Attorney. Attorney Advertisement.
#podcaster #Lawyer #ImmigrationLawyer #Interview #Immigration #ImmigrationAttorney #USImmigration #ImmigrationLaw #ImmigrationLawyersToolbox

In Episode 497 of the Immigration Lawyers Toolbox Podcast, John Q. Khosravi, Esq. sits down with Saman Movassaghi Gonzalez, Esq., a Miami immigration attorney with 23 years of experience who has grown her full service firm from 7 people during Covid to 65 employees today. Saman shares her story, from growing up in East Texas as the daughter of Iranian parents who came to the U.S. on student visas in 1971, to graduating law school at 22, closing her first firm because she wasn't ready yet, and relaunching it in 2009. She explains how she committed to posting a video every day on TikTok for three straight years, why being accessible to clients has been her biggest draw, and how hiring a COO, CFO, IT director and client relations team let her step away from day to day business decisions so she could focus on practicing law. She also talks about her firm's pivot into federal litigation for family based petitions and removal cases going into 2027.
(1) Learn more about eimmigration: https://get.eimmigration.com/ILT
(2) Start your law firm Marketing: ImmigrationLawyersToolbox.com/Constellation
Timestamps:
00:00 Opening
00:33 Intro
01:56 ILT Chrome Extension: N400 & I751 Calculators, PDF Creator
03:42 Growing Up in East Texas with Iranian Immigrant Parents
04:56 Choosing Immigration Law & Law School in Miami
06:54 NSEERS and the Post 9/11 Crackdown
07:41 Opening (and Closing) Her First Firm at 22
09:21 Relaunching Her Firm in 2009
10:17 Full Service: Every Practice Area Except Adoptions
11:34 How She Posts So Consistently on Social Media
14:52 TikTok, Covid & the Butcher Videos
17:06 ILT Community & Constellation
18:42 Posting Every Day for 3 Years Straight
19:54 Growing From 7 to 65 Employees
21:28 Hiring a COO, CFO & Business Team
24:40 Wearing the Lawyer Hat vs. the Business Hat
25:50 Pivoting to Federal Litigation Going Into 2027
27:42 How to Connect with Saman


Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Music | YouTube

Follow eimmigration by Cerenade: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Start your Business Immigration Practice! (US LAWYERS ONLY - SCREENING REQUIRED):
E-2 Course

EB-1A Course

Get the Toolbox Magazine! 

Join our community (Lawyers Only)

Get Started in Immigration Law! The Marriage/Family-Based Green Card course is for you

Our Website: ImmigrationLawyersToolbox.com
Not legal advice. Consult with an Attorney. Attorney Advertisement.
#podcaster #Lawyer #ImmigrationLawyer #Interview #Immigration #ImmigrationAttorney #USImmigration #ImmigrationLaw #ImmigrationLawyersToolbox

What happens when a law firm has no partners, every lawyer owns shares, and AI prepares the first draft of the petition? In Episode #496 of The Immigration Lawyers Toolbox Podcast, John Q. Khosravi, Esq. talks with Jeff Joseph, Esq., past AILA President and now President of Immigration Strategy at Manifest Law, about how the firm is changing the business of immigration practice. Jeff explains Manifest's two-part structure: a technology company, Manifest OS, and a separate law firm whose attorneys own shares in it. The company raised about $72 million in its Series A at a valuation of over $750 million. He also covers the ABS model, why immigration was the strategic choice, how AI reviews filings and cut human error rates by 15%, the plan to expand into removal defense and family immigration, and what solo and small firms need to do to stay competitive over the next 2 to 3 years.
 
Timestamps
00:00 Opening
00:33 Intro
03:05 Welcome Jeff Joseph, Esq.
03:11 From his own firm to BAL to Manifest
03:37 What is Manifest Law?
04:46 Two companies, one mission: Manifest OS and the law firm
05:28 Attorney-led marketing
06:23 How Manifest attorneys earn: salary, origination and production credits
07:11 Two disruptions: AI and the ABS model
07:55 Why Manifest chose immigration
08:41 W-2 vs. 1099: B2C and B2B attorneys
09:31 Inside the technology: an H-1B case walkthrough
11:01 Is USCIS using AI too?
11:12 ILT Community and Constellation
12:58 AI reduced human error by 15%
13:21 Jeff's role: President of Immigration Strategy
13:59 Growth strategy heading into 2027
15:02 Expanding into removal defense and family
15:14 How cancellation of removal compares to an O-1
16:33 EOIR and ICE attorneys are using AI in court
16:50 Will Manifest license its technology?
17:22 The next 2 to 3 years for solo and small firms
18:28 Guardrails, and letting AI take the work lawyers hate
19:32 Stepping away from case work
20:07 Immigration practice keeps reinventing itself
20:51 How to connect with Jeff
21:21 Outro


Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Music | YouTube
 Get a free website (first 10 sign-ups) and special pricing on marketing for your firm from Constellation

Follow eimmigration by Cerenade: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Start your Business Immigration Practice! (US LAWYERS ONLY - SCREENING REQUIRED):
E-2 Course

EB-1A Course

Get the Toolbox Magazine! 

Join our community (Lawyers Only)

Get Started in Immigration Law! The Marriage/Family-Based Green Card course is for you

Our Website: ImmigrationLawyersToolbox.com
Not legal advice. Consult with an Attorney. Attorney Advertisement.
#podcaster #Lawyer #ImmigrationLawyer #Interview #Immigration #ImmigrationAttorney #USImmigration #ImmigrationLaw #ImmigrationLawyersToolbox

Ruby Powers, Esq. returns to the Immigration Lawyers Toolbox Podcast to talk with John Q. Khosravi, Esq. about running an immigration practice today. They cover why many law firm owners find they are the bottleneck in their own firm, how to build a team culture that actually uses the tech you pay for, and how AI can help lawyers digest long regulations and compare new form versions. They also get into vicarious trauma and resilience, the lasting effects of detention, Federal Tort Claims Act claims, growing processing delays and when mandamus makes sense, USCIS denials without RFEs, and the move toward online filing.
Timestamps:
00:00 Opening
00:33 Intro
03:22 New DOS FOIA request form for community members
04:13 Ruby Powers joins the show
04:40 Inside the Denver law firm retreat
07:04 The big lesson: owners are the bottleneck
08:46 Tech stacks and tools firms aren't fully using
10:23 Small tech wins and building a kaizen culture
12:54 Keeping up with sudden policy changes
13:38 Form changes: I-864, I-485, I-539, I-765
14:19 Using AI to read regulations and compare form versions
16:19 AI and confidentiality concerns
17:04 AILA Fall Conference in Atlanta
18:26 AILA Texas chapter fall conference in Santa Fe
19:41 Wellness talk: saunas, steam rooms, and acupuncture
22:15 ILT community page and Constellation Marketing
23:49 Self care in a high-stress practice
24:46 AI and legal marketing: GEO vs. SEO
25:52 Tracking leads and marketing ROI
26:42 Why law firm owners should be on LinkedIn
28:52 Vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience
31:38 The trauma of detention and reentry
35:25 Federal Tort Claims Act claims
36:26 I-130 delays and mandamus
37:42 Immigration court and pending I-130s
38:55 The real cost of detention: habeas and bond
39:33 Voter registration and voting plans
41:33 Naturalization and adjustment delays
42:01 Myth: mandamus leads to retaliation
44:09 USCIS denials without RFEs
45:02 Moving to online filing
49:01 Outro


Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Music | YouTube
Get a free website (first 10 sign-ups) and special pricing on marketing for your firm from Constellation

Follow eimmigration by Cerenade: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Start your Business Immigration Practice! (US LAWYERS ONLY - SCREENING REQUIRED):
E-2 Course

EB-1A Course

Get the Toolbox Magazine! 

Join our community (Lawyers Only)

Get Started in Immigration Law! The Marriage/Family-Based Green Card course is for you

Our Website: ImmigrationLawyersToolbox.com
Not legal advice. Consult with an Attorney. Attorney Advertisement.
#podcaster #Lawyer #ImmigrationLawyer #Interview #Immigration #ImmigrationAttorney #USImmigration #ImmigrationLaw #ImmigrationLawyersToolbox

On this episode of The Immigration Lawyer's Toolbox Podcast, host John Khosravi sits down with Beatriz (Trillos) Ballerini, Esq., a Houston based immigration attorney, AILA Region 4 Director, and immediate past chair of the Texas AILA Chapter, to talk about the 54% NIW denial rate and why she's stopped taking new NIW cases, the growing uncertainty around adjustment of status and I-130 processing times, how she's rebuilt her retainer agreements for this administration, what's ahead for the Texas AILA Chapter including its November 18 to 20 conference in Santa Fe, the political shift underway in Colombia, and her own family's immigration story from Cali, Colombia to holding three passports today.
Timestamps:
00:00 Opening
00:33 Intro
03:58 Welcoming Beatriz to the show
04:20 Growing up in Houston and finding immigration law
04:49 Her earlier career litigating international plane crashes
06:31 Launching her own practice in 2006
08:14 From family cases to 80% business immigration
10:18 Firm size, staffing, and long-tenured team members
12:11 Why NIW cases are so stressful right now
13:04 Adjustment of status and detention risk uncertainty
16:00 Managing client expectations and putting it in writing
16:26 Retainer updates with ethics counsel Craig Dupzyk
18:08 AILA's lawsuits pushing back on policy changes
18:34 Her role as AILA Region 4 Director
19:26 Leading the Texas AILA Chapter
20:12 Texas Chapter conference, November 18 to 20 in Santa Fe
23:05 Coordinating a chapter spread across Texas, Oklahoma & New Mexico
27:44 A growing chapter and mentoring new members
29:20 What's stressing Beatriz: the 54% NIW denial rate
30:00 Worrying about approved EB-1A clients stuck in limbo
31:00 Colombia's political shift under President de la Espriella
32:13 Direct filing I-130s at consulates for exceptional circumstances
34:10 USCIS's overseas offices and the new Ethiopia unit
34:43 Deportations to third countries and the human toll
36:07 Increased ICE activity around Houston
37:14 Holding three passports and dual citizenship through marriage
38:22 Her family's immigration story from Colombia
39:15 Discovering her own immigration history through a FOIA request
40:52 Her father's decision to naturalize after being strip searched
41:13 Comparing notes on growing up in immigrant families
43:08 The unpredictability of 30 day RFE deadlines
44:33 Where to find and follow Beatriz Ballerini
44:50 Closing thoughts
Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Music | YouTube
Follow eimmigration by Cerenade: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
Start your Business Immigration Practice! (US LAWYERS ONLY - SCREENING REQUIRED):
E-2 Course

EB-1A Course

Get the Toolbox Magazine! 

Join our community (Lawyers Only)

Get Started in Immigration Law! The Marriage/Family-Based Green Card course is for you

Our Website: ImmigrationLawyersToolbox.com
Not legal advice. Consult with an Attorney. Attorney Advertisement.
#podcaster #Lawyer #ImmigrationLawyer #Interview #Immigration #ImmigrationAttorney #USImmigration #ImmigrationLaw #ImmigrationLawyersToolbox