What This Practice Covers
Michael L. Walker began his career at a boutique immigration law firm in Manhattan before opening his Bay Ridge practice in 2008. Immigration has been part of the office's work ever since.
Immigration matters are unusual in one respect: the paperwork is the case. A misunderstood question on a form, a missing document, or a notice that arrived at an old address can change the course of an application. Careful preparation is not a formality here — it is the substance of the work.
The office has represented clients before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Mr. Walker is also admitted before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Seventh Circuits and the federal district courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Bay Ridge and the surrounding neighborhoods are home to families from many countries, in many different immigration situations. The first conversation is about understanding which situation you are actually in, because that determines everything that follows.
Situations That Bring People to an Immigration Attorney
Immigration matters are unusually document-driven. The situation you are actually in — not the situation it feels like — determines which paths exist. These are the circumstances that most often start the conversation.
A notice arrived from USCIS or the immigration court
Notices from immigration agencies frequently contain response windows, and they are sometimes sent to an address that is no longer current. Keep the notice, keep the envelope, and note the date you received it. Bring all of it, including the pages that look like boilerplate — receipt numbers and hearing dates are usually buried in them.
Removal proceedings have begun
Removal defense operates on the immigration court's schedule. What relief may be available depends on the specific history: entries and departures, prior applications, family relationships, time in the United States and any criminal record. That history has to be reconstructed accurately before anyone can say what the options are.
A family-based petition is being prepared
Family petitions look procedural until something in the record does not match — a prior filing, a name discrepancy, an entry that was recorded differently than remembered. Careful preparation at the start avoids requests for evidence and delays later, and sometimes reveals that a different path is the workable one.
A permanent resident is ready to naturalize
Naturalization is often straightforward, but it is also the point at which the whole immigration file is reviewed again. Prior filings, travel history and any criminal matter should be reviewed before an application is submitted rather than after a question is raised.
A prior filing was denied, or contains an error
A denial is not always the end of the matter, and an error in an earlier filing is usually better addressed deliberately than left in the record. Both require reading what was actually filed and what the agency actually said, which is why the paperwork matters more than the recollection.
Criminal matters and immigration matters interact. A criminal charge or disposition can affect an immigration case in ways that are specific to the charge and to the outcome. If you have both a criminal matter and an immigration matter, say so in the first conversation so they can be considered together rather than separately.
Immigration notices come with their own clock
If you have received a notice, a hearing date or a request for evidence, the useful next step is to have someone read the actual document.
Common Matters Handled
These are the kinds of matters the office handles in this area. Whether the firm can accept a specific matter depends on its facts, the jurisdiction involved and the results of a conflict check.
- Removal and deportation defense
- Family-based petitions and adjustment of status
- Employment-related visa petitions
- Naturalization and citizenship applications
- Responses to USCIS requests for evidence and notices
- Detention-related matters and bond questions
- Consular processing questions
- Reviewing prior filings and correcting the record
How These Matters Usually Proceed
- Bring every document you received. Notices, envelopes, receipt numbers, prior applications, passports and I-94 records. In immigration matters the exact document and the exact date frequently decide what options exist.
- Establish the timeline. Entries, departures, applications, denials, arrests and addresses. A written timeline prepared in advance saves considerable time and often reveals the key issue.
- Identify the available paths. Some paths are open, some are closed, and which is which depends on the individual history. The consultation is about learning that honestly rather than hopefully.
- File and follow. Preparing the filing, tracking the agency's response, and responding to requests for evidence or hearing notices within the time the agency allows.
What to bring to an immigration consultation
- Every notice you received, with the envelopes and the dates they arrived
- Passports, visas, I-94 records and any prior application receipts
- A written timeline of entries, departures, applications and denials
- Any court or hearing notice, including the date and location
- Documents about family relationships, if a family petition is involved
- Paperwork from any criminal matter, if one exists
Immigration Law — Frequently Asked Questions
I received a notice from immigration. What should I do first?
Keep the notice and the envelope it came in, note the date you received it, and contact an attorney promptly. Notices frequently contain response windows, and this website cannot tell you what yours is — only a review of your actual notice can.
Does an arrest affect an immigration case?
Criminal matters and immigration matters interact in complicated ways, and the interaction depends on the specific charge and disposition. If you have both a criminal matter and an immigration matter, tell the office about both in the first conversation.
Can the office help if my case is already in immigration court?
Bring the hearing notice and any documents you have already filed. Whether and how the office can assist depends on the stage of the case, the court's schedule and whether you currently have other counsel.
Does contacting the office put my information in front of an immigration agency?
No. A consultation request goes to the law office only. Nothing you send through this website is transmitted to any government agency. Please still keep website submissions general and leave out file numbers and other sensitive identifiers.
These answers are general and educational. They are not legal advice, they do not address your particular situation, and reading them does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws, deadlines and procedures vary by jurisdiction and by the facts of each matter.