Reston, Virginia
Immigration Lawyer in Reston, VA
Reston sits on the Dulles corridor, among the technology and consulting employers between Tysons and the airport. If you are on a temporary work visa and want a path that does not depend on one employer — or your green card is the next step rather than the first — this page is about employment-based routes.
Altius Immigration Law is an immigration-only practice in Georgetown, working in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.
Employment-Based Immigration
- EB-2 National Interest Waiver — the self-petitioned green card. No employer sponsor, no labor certification. It is the path that matters most to a consultant or specialist whose work is their own, because it does not tie the case to a single job description.
- O-1 for people at the top of a field — researchers, technical specialists, founders. Filed by a U.S. employer or a U.S. agent, never self-petitioned; the agent structure is what makes it workable for independent people.
- H-1B questions — transfers, extensions, and what happens to a pending green-card case when a job changes.
- Other employment green cards — see our employment-based immigration services.
One note specific to this corridor: immigration status and security clearances run on separate tracks. We handle the immigration side and coordinate timing when a clearance process is also underway.
Family Cases
Employment is the emphasis here, not the limit. Spouses, parents and children are the other half of most people's immigration story, and we handle those too — see family-based immigration.
Northern Virginia Practicalities
- Northern Virginia's immigration courts sit in Annandale and Sterling (EOIR's court list) — Sterling is the nearer of the two to Reston.
- USCIS field offices are appointment-only, and since 18 May 2026 USCIS requires attorneys to attend field-office interviews in person rather than remotely.
- Fees and processing times change, so they are not printed here: the USCIS fee schedule (G-1055) and the processing times tool hold the current figures.
Reston Immigration FAQ
I'm on an H-1B. Is there a green-card path that isn't tied to my employer?
Often the EB-2 National Interest Waiver, which you file yourself. Whether your work clears its three-part test is exactly what a first consultation establishes — schedule one here.
My employer's lawyers handle my visa. Why would I need my own?
Your employer's counsel represents your employer. On a self-petitioned case, or when you are weighing a job change against a pending petition, the interests are not identical and having your own lawyer is the point.
Do you meet clients in person?
Yes, in Georgetown, and most of a case runs remotely. For a USCIS interview we attend with you, which since May 2026 is the only way an attorney can be there at all.