Stelmakh & Associates

07/04/2026

Another inspiring event in the books! 🚀

Our Senior Associate Attorney, Samriddhi Upadhyaya**, had an incredible time representing Stelmakh & Associates at Immigrant Founders Lightning Pitch Night.

Equally great to see our Business Immigration Paralegal, Kevin Quintanilla, engaging with founders, entrepreneurs, and future clients throughout the evening.

It was exciting to meet founders, investors, and innovators who are building the next generation of global companies. From inspiring startup pitches to meaningful networking, the evening was filled with valuable conversations and new connections.

One of the biggest highlights? Our U.S. Immigration Guide for Founders was a huge hit! 📘 Founders were eager to learn more about the visa and green card options available to help them launch, grow, and scale their businesses in the United States.

We're grateful to everyone who stopped by to connect with us. We look forward to continuing these conversations and supporting more entrepreneurs on their journey to building across borders. 🌎✨

See you at the next event!

06/22/2026

⭐ Client Success Story ⭐

Nothing speaks louder than the experience of the founders, entrepreneurs, and companies we have the privilege to support.

We're grateful for the trust that Sharekh and the team at CleverX have placed in us over the years. From securing employment-based visas, including **O-1A** and **EB-1A**, to supporting team growth through **H-1B visas**, our goal has always been to provide strategic immigration solutions that help innovative companies scale with confidence.

At **Stelmakh & Associates LLC**, we don't just prepare immigration cases—we become long-term partners in our clients' growth journeys.

Thank you for your trust and for allowing us to be part of your success story. 🚀

If you're a founder, startup, scientist, or tech professional exploring U.S. immigration options, our team is here to help.

📩 Contact us to learn more about your visa and green card opportunities.

06/19/2026

Last night, our team had the privilege of attending Ukraine Tech Night @ VivaTech 2026 in Paris—an inspiring evening dedicated to innovation, entrepreneurship, and the strength of the Ukrainian tech ecosystem on the global stage. 🇺🇦🚀

The event brought together visionary founders, investors, corporate leaders, and ecosystem builders to foster meaningful conversations and create new opportunities for cross-border collaboration.

At Stelmakh & Associates LLC, we are proud to support entrepreneurs, startups, scientists, and exceptional professionals as they expand their impact and pursue opportunities in the United States through strategic immigration solutions.
A sincere thank you to the organizers, partners, and supporters for creating a platform that celebrates resilience, innovation, and international cooperation. We look forward to building on the connections made and continuing these conversations throughout VivaTech.

05/26/2026

✅We’re excited to share our latest updates, speaking engagements, conferences, and industry events for 2026.

At Stelmakh & Associates, we continue to stay actively involved in conversations shaping the future of business immigration, global mobility, entrepreneurship, and legal innovation. From immigration strategy discussions to international legal and tech conferences, this year is already bringing important developments across the industry.

📍Explore where our team will be speaking, attending, and connecting throughout 2026:
https://stelmakhlaw.com/blog/2026-events/

02/25/2026

Barcelona, see you at ! Meet Stelmakh & Associates team at Hall 8.0, Stand D36.6 (Fira Gran Via), March 2–5.

We’re also hosting a 🤩Happy Hour🍷 on Wednesday, March 4, for founders and tech professionals interested in U.S. expansion. Reach out for the invitation

02/17/2026

EB-1A in 2025: More filings. More scrutiny. More Final Merits denials.
We analyzed official USCIS data (Q1–Q3 2025 vs Q1–Q3 2024), and the numbers show:
• EB-1A filings increased by 53.6%
• Pending cases nearly doubled
• Denials increased
• RFEs remain common
But the biggest shift is not volume.

It’s this:
You can meet 3, 4, even 5 EB-1A criteria — and still be denied under Final Merits.

We are seeing more cases where:
• O-1A is approved
• The same credentials are used
• EB-1A is denied
This is not about checking boxes anymore. It’s about proving sustained acclaim at the very top of the field — clearly, credibly, and without overloading the record.

We break down the data and the adjudication trends here:
🔗 https://stelmakhlaw.com/blog/eb1a-uscis-adjudication-trends-2025/
If you're considering EB-1A or responding to an RFE, strategy matters more than ever.

Denials and RFEs surged in 2025, but filings rose too. Learn how USCIS adjudication trends, final merits scrutiny, and strategy have changed.

01/30/2026

The uncomfortable truth about EB1A, EB2 NIW, and O1A statistics: many people fixate on the approval rate. It feels objective.

But the USCIS does not adjudicate averages. The USCIS adjudicates YOUR FILE.

So here is the metric that matters even more than raw approvals: Resilience.

What happens when your case hits an RFE, a NOID, or even a denial?

In 2025, we filed 156 petitions across EB1A, O1A, and EB2 NIW.
86 were approved with no RFE, no NOID, and no refiling.
17 were approved after deeper advocacy through an RFE, a NOID, or a refiling.
51 are currently in process at that stage.

Over 30 percent of our approvals came after extra scrutiny, where strategy made the difference.

Before you hire an attorney, ask this:
1) How do you prepare RFE and NOID responses?
2) Is that work included in the fee, or billed separately?
3) If a case is denied, do you reassess and refile at a reduced cost?

One more honesty check: some firms inflate statistics by including routine filings where approval is close to automatic, or by counting pending cases as wins. We do neither. We count success only when a case is approved.

01/20/2026

⏸️ What EB1a and EB2 NIW Immigrant Visa Applicants Should Know:
Based on recent US Dep of State announcements, consular processing is paused for citizens of 75 countries. This occurs AFTER the consular interview.

🌏 What’s important for applicants abroad:
Processing is continuing. The National Visa Center (NVC) and U.S. embassies/consulates are still reviewing cases and conducting immigrant visa interviews as scheduled. For affected applicants, visa issuance may be temporarily paused following the consular interview while additional review takes place.

❗ If you are abroad and eligible to proceed with your EB-1A or EB-2 NIW case, do not delay document submission or interview preparation.
▶️ When your immigrant petition is approved, proceeding with the NVC case and being interview-ready will ensure you are best positioned when visa issuance resumes.

▶️ This policy update does NOT affect applicants in the U.S. who are filing Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status).

11/29/2025

BONUS! Question number 4, probably the most critical question, because law firms' approach to this really varies: What's included in your total attorney fee? Do you charge a flat fee? Do you charge per hour? What's the scope of representation?

At Stelmakh & Associates, we think it's fair to charge flat fees; we never charge by the hour.
Our flat fee includes the initial thorough preparation of your petition and filing with the USCIS. It includes responding to any RFE (Request for additional evidence) and NOID (Notices of Intent to Deny).

Highly unlikely with us, but if your petition is initially denied by the USCIS officer, we'll make sure to improve it and ask for more facts from you and more evidence of achievements that have happened since you first applied. And we'll refile it with a very nominal attorney fee.

If you're curious to learn more about our proven petition preparation process, please DM us to schedule a free evaluation session.

11/24/2025

Secure Your EB-1A I-140 Approval ASAP! Major EB-1A Regulation Changes Expected in Early 2026

The proposal has not yet been released; it is expected to be published very soon, potentially in January.

The proposal may:
😱 Increase the number of required EB-1A criteria from 3 to 5
😱 Add new evidentiary burdens
😱 Make the standard for “extraordinary ability” stricter

If these changes take effect, EB-1A will become harder to qualify for. This is why December 2025 and January 2026 are critical filing months.

Once the proposal is published, it will likely go through a mandatory 60-day public comment period before becoming effective. This means that even if the announcement comes in January, the regulations will likely take effect around March 2026.

Filing your EB-1A petition before the new rules take effect protects you under the current, more favorable EB-1A regulations.

MOST APPLICANTS CAN STILL MAKE IT UNDER THE CURRENT EB1A RULES IF THEY BEGIN THE PROFILE-BUILDING ACTIVITIES NOW.

😎 With over 20 years of experience securing EB-1A approvals for experienced professionals, I’ve seen how the right EB-1A strategy transforms a strong background into a winning petition.

Once you decide to proceed, your case will be supported by a highly specialized and dedicated legal team, composed of a Managing Attorney, Senior Attorney, Associate Attorney, Law Clerk, and Paralegal, who will craft a compelling, customized legal narrative that highlights your extraordinary ability by describing your impactful work projects in detail.

Here’s what you can expect from us:
✔ A tailored EB-1A legal strategy designed to maximize your approval chances
✔ Fast communication — all your questions are answered within 48 hours
✔ Profile building and evidence advice to strengthen your chances of approval
✔ Preparation of a thorough I-140 petition and strong legal argument, typically within 2 months (or more, depending on your current record of achievement)
✔ A 7-day full money-back guarantee, allowing you to begin the process risk-free

If you are ready to move forward, please schedule a FREE ASSESSMENT CALL with one of our Client Success Managers to review your profile, go through our process, and get started.

Book a consultation with an immigration attorney Katya Stelmakh – Seattle, Washington, USA.