We Are a Silicon Valley Immigration Firm Serving Clients Globally.
Personalized Service: | We take a holistic, individual approach to every case. |
Over 2000 approvals: |
With customized empathetic strategy, we aim for the highest chance of success. |
Broad Experience: |
From start-ups to scientists & artists, we have the expertise to serve diverse clients. |
About Ashima Duggal

Since 2004, Ashima has successfully represented many hundreds of clients from around the world. Throughout her career, she has obtained approvals in over 2000 applications. Based in Silicon Valley, CA, her practice focuses exclusively on U.S. immigration law.
Her clients have ranged from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups; entrepreneurs and investors; physicians and scientists; and professionals from fields such as technology, finance, law, arts and journalism.
Education:
- Juris Doctor degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law
Activities & Honors: Recipient of the American Corporate Counsel Larry Margolies Memorial Fellowship, Thomas Tang Moot Court 3rd Place Winner, Officer of Asian- American Law Students Association; Fellowship with Dallas County District Attorney’s Office
- Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies and Philosophy from University of Texas-Austin, Minor in Economics
Activities & Honors: Asian Studies Honor’s Graduate and Scholarship, Resident Manager
Notable Experience and Volunteer Roles
- Lead Immigration Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor on the PERM program
- Associate Attorney at two global corporate immigration firms, prior to starting her own practice
- Llesiant: Served in various roles at a software company that provided business intelligence services to BigLaw; Reported to CEO
- Documentary Film Production and Direction (Part-time Passion Project – 2013-2016)
- Advocate, The Sikh Coalition, a U.S. Civil Rights organization. Lobbied Congressman, Wrote Op-eds (Volunteer)
- Program Management, DAWN Worldwide, whose mission is to end gender-based violence and advance gender equality (Volunteer)
- Intern, U.S. Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service
Hobbies
- As a passion and before starting her law practice, Ashima helped produce/direct documentary films that give voice to previously unheard narratives
- Ashima has practiced Vipassana Meditation since 2007
Bar Admissions
- New York, 2007
- Texas, 2005
As U.S. Immigration is federal law, I am able to practice in all 50 states.
Professional Accomplishments
- Chair, American Immigration Lawyers Association-Santa Clara Valley Chapter, 2021-2022
- Author, Visiting the United States for Work or Pleasure: What Are the Rules, and How Can I Effectively Counsel My Clients? (American Immigration Lawyers Association Border Conference 2022)
- Author and Speaker, Introduction to H-1B Specialty Occupation Worker Visa (LexisNexus Expert Video series, 2022)
- Author and Speaker, Introduction to L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visa (LexisNexus Expert Video series, 2022)
- Author and Speaker, Leveraging Alternative Wage Surveys: A Practical Introduction, H-1B, PERM, H-2B (American Immigration Lawyers Association Web Conference, 2021)
- Author and Speaker, Diversity and Inclusion: Understanding the Current Conversation (American Immigration Lawyers Association, California Chapters Conference, 2020)
- Author, Impact of Layoffs And Salary And Hours Reductions On Foreign National Employees (University of Texas Conference on Immigration and Nationality Law, 2009)
- Program Chair, American Immigration Lawyers Association-Texas State Conference, 2009
- Houston Coordinator, American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2008-2009
Meet our team
Jacqueline Duzgun
Senior Case Manager
Jacqueline has over 24-years’ experience in immigration law, including in business immigration, family immigration and naturalization applications. She has successfully assisted companies, their employees, families and entrepreneurs obtain the American dream. She has served clients across many industries, including technology, art and entertainment, healthcare, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, higher education and research institutions.
As an immigrant herself, Jacqueline brings first-hand experience and knowledge of the struggles that many immigrants face. Through this perspective, she is able to bring a unique and admirable passion to her work. Jacqueline graduated with a bachelors’ degree from Chestnut Hill College. In her free time, she loves international travel, hiking and raising money for organizations dedicated to cancer treatments and cures.
Elizabeth Kays
Senior Writer
Elizabeth Kays is a senior writer with a background in science who specializes in finding creative, engaging ways to tell complex stories. She earned a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Oxford and worked in solar power research for a year before returning to the U.S. and focusing on immigration writing.
Since 2016, she has been writing high-level support letters for NIW, O-1 and EB-1 “Extraordinary Ability” immigration petitions, particularly in science & technology fields.
Desire Lance
Legal Writer
Ms. Lance has focused on business immigration since 2014. Beginning her career in London, UK, Ms. Lance is experienced both with petition based and consular matters. She is experienced in many areas, including EB1, EB2 permanent residence categories and in various nonimmigrant visas. She has specific in-depth experience with investor visas, extraordinary ability classification and intracompany transfers for multinational companies.
Ms. Lance’s experience touches an abundance of industries, including technology, retail, engineering, manufacturing, for startups and established businesses alike. Ms. Lance holds a JD from the John Marshall Law School, Chicago and is licensed in both Illinois and California.
Paige Halfmann
Legal Writer
Paige is experienced in various employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant petitions. Prior to Duggal Law, she worked at two prominent global corporate immigration firms. She has significant experience in many areas, including O-1 nonimmigrant petitions; EB-1 immigrant petitions for outstanding researchers and individuals with extraordinary abilities in the sciences, arts, and business; and National Interest Waivers.
She earned her JD from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. As a law student, she served on the Editorial Board for Jurimetrics, a peer-reviewed journal produced by the American Bar Association Science & Technology Law Section.
Beata McCann
Legal Writer
Beata is highly experienced in business-based and investor-based visas, with over 8 years of experience in both non-immigrant petitions such as E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1, P-1, P-3, and TN nonimmigrant visas; and in immigrant petitions such as EB-1A, EB-1C, EB-2 NIW, EB-2 with PERM, and EB-3 with PERM. She is also experienced in replying to Requests for Evidence; filing appeals to the AAO, PERM appeals, and BALCA reviews; assisting with consular processing issues; and filing federal court complaints.
In addition to her legal education and experience, she has 23 years of experience in corporate accounting and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Illinois. With decades of experience in accounting, coupled with intimate knowledge of U.S. business-based immigration law, allows Beata McCann to better understand her clients’ businesses and explain their financial complexities in petitioning for visas. She has a BS in accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MS in taxation from DePaul University, and a JD from Loyola University Chicago.
Jason Kyriakides
Senior Associate
Jason is an attorney focusing exclusively on immigration matters since 2015. Jason has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America in 2020, 2021, and 2022. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, families, and highly skilled individuals in technology, oil and gas, education, the arts, and the natural sciences. He has experience in a wide range of visa types, including H-1B, L-1, E-2, O-1, J-1, and R-1, as well as immigrant visa matters like PERM, EB-2 NIW, EB-1A/B/C, and family-based immigration cases.
Jason earned Bachelor’s degrees in Government and Asian Studies cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009, and he earned a Juris Doctor from The University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 2013. In 2010, Jason accompanied former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter to China at the invitation of the Chinese government to help with local election monitoring. During law school, he completed an Externship with Honors with the Asian Law Caucus, where he represented a respondent in immigration court as a student under supervision of an attorney.
Jason is motivated by seeing his clients build successful, happy lives in the United States.
Sara Rohani
Legal Writer
Sara Rohani has many years of experience working on a variety of employment-based immigration petitions. Ms. Rohani has extensive experience handling O-1 nonimmigrant visa and EB-1 green card cases based on extraordinary ability on behalf of notable artists, musicians, producers, scientists, technology entrepreneurs, business executives, and well-known experts in many areas of specialty. She also has extensive H-1B and L-1 visa experience, and has represented asylum clients in immigration court.
As a law student, Ms. Rohani worked with several nonprofit organizations working on various family-based immigration cases, including marriage-based green card cases, asylum cases, and adjustment of status and naturalization petitions. Ms. Rohani was English Editor and Co-Author of the book Pursuing the American Dream: A Legal Handbook for New Immigrants to the United States, published by World Journal in both Chinese and English. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Hofstra University Honors College in 2011 and her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2014. Ms. Rohani speaks English and Farsi and has a working knowledge of French.
Sue Patel
Paralegal
Sue Patel has worked on immigration matters for Fortune 500 companies, small companies and individuals for nearly 15 years. She has worked for global corporate law firms where she gained high-volume immigration across many industries and many areas, including employment-based matters, such as H-1B, E-3, E-2, L-1A, L-1B, TN, O-1, and green card cases including PERM, EB1 and EB2. Sue earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Depaul University in Chicago and a Paralegal Certificate from Roosevelt University.
As a passion, Sue is a Climate Reality Leader, personally trained by former Vice President Al Gore to educate on climate change. If she is not presenting to business or groups of people, she is at home with her two rescue cats or she is enjoying the outdoors on a hike or bike ride.

Immigration Services
Immigration laws are complex, and they’re changing every day. We provide clarity, expertise and unmatched service.
Temporary Visas
- O-1 Extraordinary Ability
- E-2 Investors, Founders and Employees
- E-3 Specialty Occupation
- TN Trade NAFTA
- H1B Specialty Occupation
- L-1A Intracompany Transferee
- L-1B Specialized Knowledge
- K-1 Fiancées
- K-3 Spouse of United States Citizens
- P-3 Culturally Unique Artist or Performer
- J-1 Exchange Visitor
Permanent Residency
- Marriage Green Card
- Family Green Card
- PERM Labor Certification
- EB-1A Extraordinary Ability Petition
- EB-1B Outstanding Researcher
- EB-1C Multinational Manager
- EB-5 Individual Business and Regional Center
- EB-2 National Interest Waiver
- Asylum
U.S. Citizenship
- Citizenship Applications
- Naturalization Interview
- Preparation & Representation
Upcoming Webinars
April 21
EB1A Green Card and O1 Visa
What’s the difference and do you qualify?
May 12
NIW Green Card
Are you eligible under the 3-part Dhanasar test?
In The News
For her legal expertise, Ashima has been interviewed and quoted by journalists.
What Clients Are Saying

The team at Duggal Law firm is very professional. We worked with them on different cases at a company level to sponsor extra ordinary employees. Ashima gave us very detailed advice, and assisted every single one of us with extreme tailored attention. She has expertise, she knows all the details, pros and cons of every type of visa and the different application processes, she is good at explaining each one of them and finding the best one for your particular situation.
Thanks! Strongly suggest to work with her.
-Federico Dubini

Ashima and her firm has been helpful in advising me on my visa application. She’s organized all process with Spanish Embassy in Madrid and I have got the visa as she planned. The communication is always easy and fast. Very professional. I really recommend her firm.
-Xavier Simo

Ashima was incredibly helpful in helping my co-founder and I get our O1 visas approved!
-Raphael Danilo