Kripa Upadhyay’ practice lies in the intersection of Immigration, Corporate/Business Law, Foreign Direct Investment and Employment Law.

Ms. Upadhyay assists clients in guiding strategies for establishment of subsidiary/affiliate offices in the US; movement of key individuals/employees of foreign entities into the US; recruiting and retaining foreign talent, and providing immigration plans for international mergers and acquisitions. This includes representation of foreign executives (EB-1C); Exceptional Ability employees/individuals (EB-1A; NIW, O-1 and L-1)

She advises and guides individuals interested in investing in the US in entities either established or expanding to the US and for Investors seeking Immigration benefits via investment in the US.

She helps companies address the challenges of U.S. immigration compliance and has worked with major corporations to build out compliant immigration visa programs, securing a variety of short-term and long-term visas/residency for their global employees. She also spends time on I-9 employment verification matters as well as H-1B and LCA compliance, including internal and external audits and reviews to minimize employer liability.

Awards and Honors

• Chambers USA, Immigration Law, 2024
• EB5 Magazine as Top 10 Rising Star, 2023
• Washington State Bar Association’s (WSBA) Community Service Award, 2011
• Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine for Immigration Law, 2014 – 2018.

Professional Involvement

• Member, AILA’s National committee for EB-5 (investor-based immigration)
• Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association- AILA (Washington State chapter)
• Chair of Programs, Executive Committee
• Chair, Continuing Legal Education Committee
• Vice Chair, Continuing Legal Education Committee
• Chair, Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)Committee
• Chair, Citizenship Day Committee
• Vice Chair, Citizenship Day Committee
• Charter Member, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE)Seattle chapter

• How Chinese EB-5 investors can deal with money transfer restrictions