The 13 Best Immigration Lawyers in Chicago

Artists, athletes and content creators seeking O-1 visas will find McEntee Law Group set up for their cases. The firm keeps dedicated practice areas for arts and entertainment visas, sports immigration and startup founders, alongside family green cards, citizenship, humanitarian relief and removal defense. Ray McEntee is an Irish native, and the firm has offices in Chicago and Dublin and helps with Irish citizenship claims. For a musician or creator building a career in the U.S., that focus on talent visas is a practical advantage.

Borjas Law Group appeals to Spanish- and Tagalog-speaking families who want to meet a lawyer face to face without paying for the first visit. The firm offers a free in-person consultation at its downtown office, while phone consultations carry a fee. Managing attorney Xavier Borjas answers listeners' questions on a weekly Spanish-language radio show on WRLL 1450 AM. Its practice covers removal defense, crimmigration, family green cards, K-1 visas, asylum, DACA, U visas and VAWA. Families can get a first opinion at no cost.

Aparicio Immigration Law suits people facing deportation who want a lawyer close to the courtroom. Founder Victor Aparicio centers the practice on removal defense, asylum and cancellation of removal, from an office on West Jackson Boulevard minutes from the Chicago Immigration Court. The firm also files family petitions, waivers, U visas, VAWA petitions and Special Immigrant Juvenile cases. Support is offered in English and Spanish. Clients unsure which relief fits their situation can ask an attorney to review the options before choosing a path.

Clients from Eastern Europe and the Balkans will find Sverdloff Law Group a practical fit, since the team works in Ukrainian, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Spanish. Attorney Julia Sverdloff concentrates on family immigration, adjustment of status and consular processing, and the firm also handles asylum, TPS, VAWA and removal defense. Its pages address responses to requests for evidence and notices of intent to deny, as well as writs of mandamus for stalled cases. Consultations can be booked online, which speeds up the first contact.

Michael Ibrahim Law Office stands out for families who speak Aramaic or Syriac, with services in those languages as well as English and Spanish. From its office on South Blue Island Avenue in Pilsen, the firm handles citizenship, residency applications, removal defense and motions to reopen old cases. It also prepares clients for credible fear interviews in asylum cases. Clients in Indiana and Wisconsin are served as well. For an older relative more comfortable in Aramaic, the first meeting can take place in that language.

Minsky, McCormick & Hallagan covers nearly every branch of immigration law, which suits families and employers with more than one need. The firm has practiced since 1975 from South Michigan Avenue, and its team includes a retired judge. Practice areas run from family green cards and naturalization to H-1B visas, PERM labor certification, employer I-9 compliance, asylum and removal defense. The website works in English, Spanish and Polish. A consultation fee applies, so clients should budget for that first meeting.

Cipolla Law Group works well for Chinese-speaking clients and for professionals pursuing work or investor visas. Its lawyers speak Chinese, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian, and team members come from China, Hong Kong, Mexico, Argentina, Italy and Brazil. The practice covers marriage and fiancé cases, H-1B and L-1 visas, EB-1A and national interest waiver petitions, E-2 treaty investor visas and the EB-5 program. With offices in the Loop and Lincoln Park, meetings can happen downtown or on the North Side.

Gilliam Law suits families whose case crosses between USCIS and the immigration court. The family-operated firm concentrates on complex family immigration, deportation defense, detention and bond hearings, waivers and pardons. Its main office is on West 47th Street in Back of the Yards, with a second Illinois office in Addison and a third in Franklin, Tennessee. The team includes native Spanish speakers, and the Chicago office opens on Saturday mornings. Working families can meet without taking time off during the week.

Milla & Associates fits employers and skilled workers navigating H-1B visas and labor certification. Robert C. Milla has practiced immigration law since 2006, and of counsel Justin Hoefflicker concentrates on employment-based cases. The firm also handles family petitions, removal defense, naturalization, asylum, DACA, waivers and appeals to the AAO and the Board of Immigration Appeals. Its office on West Wacker Drive is a short trip from the USCIS field office. Applicants preparing for citizenship also get guidance on the civics test and interview.

Zneimer & Zneimer suits Turkish, Bulgarian, Russian and Azerbaijani speakers, as well as researchers and skilled workers seeking employment green cards. Attorneys Peter and Sofia Zneimer handle H-1B and O-1 visas, PERM, EB-1 and national interest waiver petitions, family green cards, waivers, TPS and naturalization, and the firm runs a personal injury practice alongside. Its pages also address J-1 waivers and the particular challenges LGBT foreign nationals face. The office near Irving Park and Western has free parking, which makes in-person visits simple.

Complex or high-stakes cases are the natural territory of Scott D. Pollock & Associates, including denaturalization, expedited removal and appeals. The firm has practiced immigration and nationality law for more than 30 years from West Madison Street. Beyond removal defense, it handles family visas, DACA, international adoption, divorce and immigration, employment green cards from EB-1 to EB-5, and worksite fraud detection visits. Secure video and phone consultations are available, so clients outside Chicago can work with the firm without traveling.

Families pursuing a relative petition through a U.S. consulate get clear step-by-step guidance from Ahlgren Law. The firm has worked in immigration since 1973, and its site walks clients from the I-130 petition and National Visa Center fees to the provisional unlawful presence waiver and the consular interview. It also handles removal defense, naturalization, DACA, U visas and appeals. Its resources include Know Your Rights material and a red card request form. Appointments are recommended, as walk-ins are not guaranteed.

Detained immigrants and their families should look at Kriezelman Burton & Associates, whose litigation team challenges ICE detention and seeks bond hearings in federal court. Founded by Jeffrey Kriezelman in 1974, the firm also handles family green cards, asylum, U visas, Special Immigrant Juvenile visas and a full range of employment and investor visas. Besides its West Adams Street office, it has locations in Northbrook and Libertyville. The website runs in English, Spanish and Polish, which helps families in the northern suburbs.