Immigration Law Practice Areas
Practice Areas
- Family: Marriage Based Immigration - Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (IR1, CR1); Spouse of a U.S. Citizen awaiting approval of an I-130 immigrant petition (K-3); Fiancé(e) to marry U.S. Citizen & live in U.S. (K-1);
- Family: Certain OTHER Family Members Immigration: Of U.S. Citizens (IR2, CR2, IR5, F1, F3, F4); Of Lawful Permanent Residents (F2A, F2B)
- Temporary Employment Visas, including speciality occupations (H1B) intracompany transferees (L1), Cultural Exchange (J-1), Treaty Trader and Investor (E1/E2); and more
- Permanent Employment Visas: First Priority, including Priority Workers (E1) such as Extraordinary Ability, Outstanding professors and researchers, and Multinational Managers and Executives,
- Permanent Employment Visas: Second Priority, Professionals with Advanced Degrees and Persons of Exceptional Ability (E2) with labor certification or National Interest Waiver
- Permanent Employment Visas: Third Priority, Skilled workers are persons whose jobs require a minimum of 2 years training or work experience that are not temporary or seasonal; Professionals are members of the professions whose jobs require at least a baccalaureate degree from a U.S. university or college or its foreign equivalent degree; Unskilled workers (Other workers) are persons capable of filling positions that require less than two years training or experience that are not temporary or seasonal.
- Permanent Employment Visas: Fourth Priority, Special Immigrant Visas for International Organizations such as the World Bank and IMF, Juveniles, and Religious Workers.
- Asylum, Withholding, and CAT, including affirmative and defensive asylum cases, Protection Under the Convention Against Torture ("CAT"), and Withholding of Removal
- Waivers of inadmissibility - for Criminal Related grounds, Misrepresentation or Fraud, Provisional (unlawful presensence) Removal/deportation, Family Unity, National Interest, and more
- Temporary Protected Status - affirmatively, in immigration court, and DACA
- Immigration Court representation - Deportation or removal defense - taking a critical look at the charges against you and assisting with forms of relief (i.e. requests for benefits that if successful, would allow you to stay in the U.S. )
- Violence Against Women immigration benefits - either as a petition with USCIS or as cancellation of removal in removal proceedings (immigration court)
- U.S. Federal Agency experience - Departments of: State, Labor, Homeland Security and Justice
Immigration Law Team
Lynn Garfinkel, Managing Attorney
Ms. Garfinkel completed her undergraduate studies at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. After studying abroad in France and South Korea, she self-designed her undergraduate degree in international development. After working for two years at national organizations advocating for low income families, Ms. Garfinkel went on to earn her Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Northeastern University School of Law in Massachusetts.
During law school, Ms. Garfinkel was a teaching assistant and participated in a prisoner's rights and death penalty Certiorari clinics. As part of her school’s work program, she interned at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division and the Office of the Federal Public Defender for DC.
Lynn Garfinkel advocates for clients seeking lawful permanent residence (green cards), temporary visas, and employment based petitions and visas, including people with extraordinary abilities (EB-1), professors (EB-1), researchers (EB-1), managers (EB-1), intracompany transferees (L-1), specialty occupations (H-1B), and more. Ms. Garfinkel has experience with a wide variety of family visas, spousal petitions, fiance petitions, waivers of inadmissibility, requests to reapply after removal, deportation defense, naturalization, asylum, and benefits for survivors of abuse, special juvenile immigrant visas, and much more. Ms. Garfinkel represents clients at consulates around the world.
Finally, Ms. Garfinkel is currently a member in good standing of the Maryland Bar and the District of Columbia bar. She previously served as Chair of the Asylum Office Liaison Committee for the AILA for three years. She also served as the Vice Chair for the AILA Washington Immigration Court Liaison Committee. Finally, Ms. Garfinkel engaged in volunteer human rights advocacy work for Amnesty International's Mid-Atlantic Regional Office. For five years, she served as the Representative to the Special Initiatives Grant Committee.
Ms. Garfinkel, who is from an immigrant family, is dedicated to helping foreign nationals, proposing strategic solutions, and providing effective and innovative representation for all her clients.
Eduard Barker, Paralegal
Mr. Barker obtained his Jurist Specialist Civil Law Degree at Baltic State University of Immanuel Kant degree in his native Russia. After coming to the United States, he earned an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts, with a Concentration in Government and Political Science. Prior to starting at Garfinkel Immigration Law, Mr. Barker worked at two other law firms where he gained invaluable experience on immigration cases, civil litigation, administrative, organization, and management skills. Mr. Barker also gained experience navigating federal immigration agencies.
Mr. Barker has been a paralegal at Garfinkel Immigration law since 2016. As our paralegal and office manager, Mr. Barker is essential to the workings of the office. After a client's initial strategy session with the attorney, Mr. Barker works directly with clients to get the key information we need to move the case forward, to address questions you may have, and to connect you with the attorney.
Mr. Barker is familiar with all aspects of immigration case processing. His extensive experience includes temporary employment for foreign workers in specialty occupations, extraordinary ability, spousal, fiance, and other family petitions, asylum cases, removal defense, waiver cases, other employment based cases, Violence Against Women cases, waivers, and more.
Mr. Barker is passionate about immigration law and is an indispensable resource for our clients.
