Our Washington D.C. Immigration Law Firm

PROXIMITY TO IMMIGRATION

We are located close to immigration relevant institutions: the United States (U.S.) Passport  Office, (www.travel.state.gov),  the World Bank  (www.worldbank.org),  the White House (www.whitehouse.gov) ,  the Embassy of the Philippines, (www.philippineembassy-usa.org), other embassies, and U.S. government agencies.

WE OFFER UNIQUE VALUE

We provide first-class legal services to clients in D.C.  Virginia, Maryland, other states, and to immigrants from Asia, Europe, and Africa. We have a particular expertise for the needs of clients from the Philippines (Filipinos/Filipino-Americans). The Filipinos,  along with the Mexicans, Chinese and Indians, comprise the four largest immigrant groups, as  listed in the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Bulletin (www.travel.state.gov). These groups generally suffer long wait for their visa priority dates to become current, or to ripen to green card issuance. That is  why, we constantly refine our approach  and abilities to find shorter  legal paths for Filipinos, Filipino-Americans and  also for  all other clients.
The American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (www.aila.org), the premier organization for the profession, publishes some of our Firm’s most novel , compelling, path breaking cases. (Read more). AILA also publishes in the Infonet, our legal articles on immigration and ethics. 

WE LIVE THE TRUE IMMIGRANT SPIRIT

Our immigration practice was built in true immigrant spirit by the owner and principal attorney, Miriam Bustamante Riedmiller. Born and raised in the Philippines, she was herself an immigrant who naturalized as a U.S. citizen, living her dream to become an American licensed lawyer since she was admitted to the Ohio State Bar in 1994 and then in the D.C. Bar in 2005. She was elected President of the Philippine-American Bar Association of Greater Washington, D.C. Inc.,  in the silver jubilee years of the association in 2002 and 2003. From then on, she became more entrenched in the  mainstream legal world. (Read more her profile). As such, Ms. Riedmiller is highly in tune with, and devoted, to the needs and predicaments of aspiring immigrants and citizens, in the United States.

WE CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF FILIPINO IMMIGRATION

On the 100th  milestone  of Filipino immigration to the United States, Ms. Riedmiller wrote a legal  article on the three waves of Filipino immigration, and analyzed the unique laws that applied to Filipino immigrants from 1906 to 2006. It was published  in 2006 by the Immigration Lawyers on the Web (www.ilw.com). In 2007, AILA published  Ms. Riedmiller’ article “Why , Filipinos Call this Country Home,” at the Immigration Law  Today (ILT, July/August 2007) (Read more ).Ms. Riedmiller analyzed the phenomenon of a century of Philippine immigration to the U.S. , shaped by special ties, including colonial, political  and economic connections between the U.S. and the Philippines. The article emphasized the  gift of victory the Philippines contributed to the U.S. through Filipino World War II  U.S. Veterans who fought side by side with American soldiers, only to be denied by the Rescission Act  of promised benefits. Filipino-American (Filam) Veterans continue to this day to fight for  rights  especially at the Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) debate in 2010. 

SPEAKING AT THE SMITHSONIAN ON IMMIGRATION STORIES

On the Firm’s 15th year in 2010, Ms. Riedmiller received a certificate of appreciation, and a letter of commendation from the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Center (http://www.folklife.si.edu/),  for her role as  immigration speaker, representing Filipino-Americans, at the 44th Folklife Festival at the National Mall in Washington D.C.  She is the first immigration attorney to speak to a national and international audience, on the first “Talk Story Stage” of the Festival, with the Asian Pacific American (APA) panel. Her topic: “Local Lives; Global Ties/ Immigration Stories: How We Got Here.”  In her speech, Ms. Riedmiller recounted first, the Philippines’  100 –year immigration history, then shared her personal ,and her Firm’s immigration success stories. She emphasized such values as  continuing legal education, strong work ethic, professionalism, tenacity, experience, and strong ties with the legal and immigrant community. Ms. Riedmiller’s  “immigrant community” embraces the American mainstream --U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents -- who sponsor  foreign born  relatives or workers, for unification in the U.S. She calls the U.S. -- a nation of immigrants in a global world—sheltering victims of violence and disasters; drawing and cultivating technology, talent, wealth and strength  in many forms from immigrants, especially those who serve U.S. national interest, in the categories of extraordinary and exceptional ability aliens.

IMMIGRATION AND COPING WITH THE  ECONOMIC RECESSION

On our 15th  year, Ms. Riedmiller was faculty/speaker and  legal article writer at the AILA’s 2010  Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., speaking on the Exceptions to the Affidavit of Support Requirement under INA Section 213 A, and ethical considerations. Her focus was to help immigrants comply with financial capacity requirements, and find available remedies, in the light of the economic recession(Read more).

WE SUPPORT PUBLIC SERVICE BY LAWYERS

Also in 2010, Ms. Riedmiller accepted her appointment on a second term, as alternate member of the District of Columbia’s Board on Professional Responsibility, Hearing Committee (www.dcbar.org). From 2007 to 2010 and from 2010 to 2013, Ms. Riedmiller’s role supports the DC Bar’s public service and consumer protection  mission, under Rule XI  Section 5(a) of the DC Court of Appeals Rules Governing the Bar. Our Firm supports the Bar and the legal profession.

 

WHAT OUR CLIENTS AND PEERS SAY: KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

“I would like to express  my gratitude for the invaluable counsel you gave me           regarding my family's            attempt to bring a relative to the United States from Bosnia. As a      journalist who has covered the incredibly complex and often arcane world of immigration      law... I was so impressed with the breadth of your knowledge and experience. Your ability to strategize and approach a case from a variety of directions is equally impressive.Clearly, you are extremely skilled in your field and a top-notch professional (Lisa  Hoffman, Journalist, Washington, D.C.).

WHY WE LIVE THE TRUE IMMIGRANT SPIRIT

Our Law Firm is built on the vision of our founder, Miriam B. Riedmiller, a Philippine-born attorney, who worked for the Philippine Senate and  major law firm.  She  immigrated to the United States,  naturalized to a U.S. citizen, became a U.S. licensed attorney starting in  1994, (first in Ohio and then in Washington D.C.) -- living  the true immigrant spirit of tenacity, hard work, learning and compassion; she worked in the U.S. legal arena, and started this practice, premised on public service to America and the immigrants. She was President of the Philippine American Bar Association of Greater Washington D.C., Inc (PABA-DC, Inc.), and is a second term-appointee by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Board on Professional Responsibility as an alternate member of the Hearing Committee  (Read more our Profile, Honors and Awards).
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PEER REVIEW by Joel Stewart, Editor, PERM Book; Lawyer, Fowler, White Boggs, PA; General Counsel, Brazilian Embassy, Florida)

      “  Regarding the case for a Household Cook which I published at my BALCA Summaries……you overcame the burden of proof and established a bona fide job opportunity with extensive, persuasive, and probative documentation”.

  About Mr. Stewart: He is the editor of The Perm Book, the definitive authority on the subject of PERM processing of labor certifications. He also served as editor/author of The Perm Quarterly, a professional journal for attorneys and employers. Mr. Stewart also maintains a Blog on PERM matters accessible through the website of ILW.COM. In addition, Mr. Stewart has been writing the BALCA Case Summaries for AILA and Immigration Law Today, as well as ILW.COM, since 1987 and authors official AILA articles and publications such as the Visa Processing Guide fowwwr Procedures at U.S. Consulates and Embassies in Brazil and Portugal (www.joelstewart.org) .
We  have continued commitment  to  winning case precedents for the immigrant and legal community. (http://search.aila.org/searchresults.aspx) . We  continue to  help clients transform their simple or complex cases into  success stories

BALCA Case Summaries 12/97 PUBLISHING THE “HOUSEHOLD COOK”  LABOR CERTIFICATION CASE BY MIRIAM B. RIEDMILLER (http://search.aila.org/searchresults.aspx)

by Joel Stewart

Recipe Yields One Perfect Cook

File Ref: Labor Certification – General
In a response to an NOF, The U.S. Department of Labor recently approved a labor certification application for a domestic cook based on a Rebuttal to a Notice of Findings filed by the employers. Throwing in everything but the kitchen sink, the Rebuttal included lifestyle which involves frequent entertaining at home, an extended family who regularly celebrate Jewish and American holidays, special events and personal occasions, and a family owned business that required the employers to hold business related parties and meetings at home. Counsel submitted an affidavit of the employers attesting to their ownership of a business and two homes, as well as the existence of an extended family. Also, counsel submitted a list of extended family members and usual guests totaling almost 10, recipes and menus for various occasions categorized as follows: (1) ordinary menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner; (2) Jewish holidays; (3) American Holidays (Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, etc.), and, special dinners for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Other evidence included a daily time schedule of the employers’ activities. Also submitted was an additional and more detailed letter from the employers, showing that a live-in requirement is necessary for the cook to perform her work in a reasonable manner owing to the following: (1) the cook must report at two locations (at the principal and summer house); (2) overtime work on an unpredictable basis is demanded by the frequency of parties held and the long and tedious nature of cooking required; (3) growing business of employers’ leaving them less time for supervision, and (4) need for access to cook to effectively communicate complicated instructions on food preparation, procurement of supplies, etc. Other evidence in support of business necessity included a statement on common problems encountered with day workers such as miscommunication, no show etc. (Courtesy of Miriam B. Riedmiller, AILAInfoNet). However, at BALCA, the cooks are less than perfect: Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Maldonado, 95-INA-224 (BALCA, September 30, 1997) (Remanded for more specific NOF); Sizzler Restaurant, 95-INA-605 (BALCA, October 28, 1997) and Pacifica Del Mar, 96-INA- 207 & 96-INA-214 (October 28 & 29, 1997) (Denial, Spanish language held restrictive); Harry Korn, 96-INA-023 (BALCA, October 29, 1997) ( Denial, low-fat, low-salt diet); Vivian Shulman 96-INA-239 (BALCA, October 28, 1997) (Remanded for business necessity of Kosher Cook).

(About Mr. Stewart: He is the editor of The Perm Book, the definitive authority on the subject of PERM processing of labor certifications. He also served as editor/author of The Perm Quarterly, a professional journal for attorneys and employers. Mr. Stewart also maintains a Blog on PERM matters accessible through the website of ILW.COM. In addition, Mr. Stewart has been writing the BALCA Case Summaries for AILA and Immigration Law Today, as well as ILW.COM, since 1987 and authors official AILA articles and publications such as the Visa Processing Guide for Procedures at U.S. Consulates and Embassies in Brazil and Portugal (www.joelstewart.org).

"Information provided courtesy from AILA's InfoNet (www.aila.org). Copyright ©( 1997) Association."

Immigration Expertise

FIANCE/E VISA

We serve standard, simple cases. We also serve clients with special handling needs such as waivers of grounds of inadmissibility:

  • I-601 Waiver for fraud and material misrepresentation
  • National interest waiver for extraordinary and exceptional ability aliens
  • Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
  • Fiancee Visa ( K Visa)
  • B-1, B-2, Business and Visitor Visas
  • Working Visas (H1B, L, I, G etc.)
  • J-1 Section 2-12(e) Waivers