Parastoo Golesorkhi Zahedi is a licensed attorney in the state of Virginia with an office located in Tyson’s Corner Virginia. She has been a solo practitioner with the Law Offices of Zahedi PLLC since 1993.

After graduating from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1988, she was employed as an Associate for a number of Law Firms in the Washington DC Metropolitan area before setting up her own practice, which exclusively deals in the area of Immigration & Nationality Law.

She represents both businesses and individuals in immigration matters throughout the United States before the United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Justice Executive Office of Immigration Review and the United States Department of State.

She has successfully represented clients in matters involving adjustment of status and naturalization, asylum and refugee status, detention and bond, cancellation of removal, waivers of inadmissibility, immigration consequences of criminal convictions, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions, and federal court litigation. She has also handled business immigration matters in the context of obtaining both nonimmigrant visas(L1A/L1B, H1B/H3, H2B,  O, P, E) as well as immigrant petitions for all employment categories including the Extraordinary Ability category.

As an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, she has served as the DC Chapter President for the Washington DC Chapter [2007-2008] as well as holding other executive positions for this organization. She is a frequent speaker at national and local conferences on the topic of immigration law as well as serve as Liaison with government agencies on behalf of other attorneys and members of AILA. I In addition she serves as an AILA Mentor in the area of Asylum & Refugee Law for other immigration attorneys nationwide.

Listed in The International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers, 2009-2018

Listed in The Washingtonian magazine as one of the top immigration lawyers in Washington, D.C., December 2009, December 2011, December 2013, December 2015, January 2018

AILA DC Chapter, Liaison of the Year Award, 2014

 

In addition she has served as speaker/ authored and published as follows:

  1. AILA National Conference, June 2018” Lying, Cheating, and Stealing: When and How to Use INA §212(i) and §212(h) Waivers”
  2. AILA National Conference, June 2016 “Oops, I Did It Again! Complicated Marriage Issues”
  3. AILA National Conference, June 2015 “Leaving but Not Departing-Advance Parole After Arrabally/Yerrabelly”
  4. “What Every Lawyer Should Know About Immigration Law Series 2013, Part 2: Employment Based Immigration, Nonimmigrant Visas”, April 16, 2013 published by the District of Columbia Bar , Continuing Legal Education
  5. “Family-Based Immigration Law: A Lawyer’s Guide, Chapter on “Adjustment of Status”, July 1, 2013 published by the District of Columbia Bar, Continuing Legal Education
  6. “Navigating the Road to Naturalization”, DC Bar Continuing Legal Education, November 3, 2011
  7. AILA National Conference, June 2012 “I fight Authority, Authority Always Wins-Arrests, Bonds & Detentions”
  8. AILA National Conference June 2008 “I 751 Waivers”
  9. AILA 2013 Paralegals Conference ” Citizenship & Naturalization Procedures”
  10. Forms & Fundamentals Manual, AILA Publications 2012-2015: “Completing Form I290B, Notice of Appeals or Motions” and “Completing Form I730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition”
  11. Jurisdictional Mandamus Victory against USCIS: Assadi v. Beers, US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, case No: 1:13-cv-01253 related Associated Press article at http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-easing-immigration-rule-terrorist-support.
  12. AILA DC Chapter Fall Conference 2004, “I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag-Naturalization Issues”
  13. AILA DC Chapter Fall Conference 2006, “Till Death Do Us Part: K-1 and K-3 Visa Issues”
  14. AILA DC Chapter Fall Conference 2008, “Family: Advanced Issues’ “The Marriage Game”
  15. AILA DC Chapter Fall Conference 2009-“Overcoming Hurdles to Sponsoring Relatives”
  16. AILA DC Chapter Fall conference 2013-“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” PERM Process with US Department of Labor
  17. AILA DC Chapter Fall Conference 2015-“Ethical & Practical Considerations when representing clients with Diminished Capacity”
  18. Fairfax Bar Association Immigration Business & Criminal Law Conference: “Relief in Removal Proceedings”, March 21, 2000
  19. ILW Seminar July 2010 “Family Immigration for Experts”
  20. Speaker, Northern Virginia Regional Commission meeting: “Review of Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2007”

 

She has served in both local and national committees as follows:

 

AILA National:

 

AILA National State Department Liaison Committee- 2008-2009

AILA National ICE Liaison Committee-2009-2011

AILA National Conference Committee-2014-2015

AILA National USCIS Benefits Committee-2015-2016

AILA National USCIS Field Ops Committee-2016-2017

AILA National USCIS Field Ops Committee-2017-2018

Asylum & Protection Mentor-2005 to present

Message Center Moderator-2015 to present

 

DC Chapter activities:

 

Liaison Chair, Washington District USCIS Office-2016-2018; 2011-2015; 2003-2005

Liaison Chair, Baltimore District USCIS Office-2015-2016

Liaison Chair, EOIR, Arlington Immigration court-2017-2018

Litigation Committee Member

Social Media Liaison Chair

Advocacy Committee Member

Conference Committee Member