At LPY Law Group, our attorneys not only like to keep up-to-date on the latest changes in immigration policy but also stay actively involved in the discussion and evolution of these policy changes. On January 27, 2017, Attorney Kellie Pai contributed to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) seminar focused on National Interest Waiver (NIW). This was a 90-minute “Late-Breaking Seminar” discussing how, after 18 years of relying on Matter of New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the Department of Homeland Security designated a new NIW case as precedent on December 27, 2016.
Attorney Kellie Pai was among the expert panelists explaining the new case, Matter of Dhanasar, and the new legal framework it establishes for NIW petitions. Other speakers included the AILA President William A. Stock, the attorney for the Dhanasar case at the appeal Gerard M. Chapman, and New York Attorney Nathan A. Waxman. The featured topics on which Kellie Pai presented included objectives of the new precedent, national scope as a matter beyond geography, the beneficiary’s qualifications, redefining national interest, and outweighing the labor certification requirement. As the changes to the NIW framework continue to be refined, LPY Law Group will continue to meet the new demands and expectations.