It's all about building a plan to meet your business initiatives and your family’s needs. As a nationally recognized expert in business and family immigration law, I bring successful immigration advocacy to companies, entrepreneurs and individuals worldwide.
It's all about building a plan to meet your business initiatives and your family’s needs. As a nationally recognized expert in business and family immigration law, I bring successful immigration advocacy to companies, entrepreneurs and individuals worldwide.
Applying two decades of experience, I bring an elevated level of expertise to each unique case. Complexity becomes navigable — I look into every possibility of hiring and timing to ensure your US immigration strategy fits your business objectives.
Applying two decades of experience, I bring an elevated level of expertise to each unique case. Complexity becomes navigable — I look into every possibility of hiring and timing to ensure your US immigration strategy fits your business objectives.
Whether you’re an individual or a Fortune 500 company, it’s important to understand your business and what you’d like to accomplish in the US, so we may work together to design an immigration plan that achieves your goals.
Technology industry
The US is the nexus of global technology innovation; it’s important to establish your presence within this essential market. Building a progressive immigration strategy to match the dynamic technology industry can be the foundation of your success.
Corporations
Whether you’re a US Corporation recruiting international employees or an international corporation expanding within the US market, I evaluate your business objectives and guide you through the vast network of immigration options.
Entrepreneurs & startups
Initiating your business involves multiple stages of planning critical to your success. Using my expertise in US immigration and vast experience working with entrepreneurs across diverse industries, I build immigration into the foundation of your US business plan.
Law firms & organizations
I am nationally sought as counsel for complex immigration cases, strategically advising law firms, organizations and international chambers of commerce.
International businesses
We’ll evaluate your US expansion plan and build an immigration strategy that complements it. That approach is further strengthened by my connection to business trends, freeing you up to focus on extending your business and enhancing your brand in the US marketplace.
Musicians & entertainers
US immigration is not a “hurry up and wait” situation. The show must go on, so it’s important to arrange timing for talent and their families. I work one-on-one with artists, musicians and entertainment companies to take care of all visa arrangements, freeing you up to focus on your art.
Temporary
Nonimmigrant (or temporary) categories for business travelers, students and specialized workers cover the alphabet soup of US immigration, from B-1/B-2 Visitors to F-1 and M-1 Students to E Treaty Traders/Investors, H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers, H-3 Trainees, I Media Representatives, J-1 Exchange Visitors, L-1 Company Transfers, O-1 Extraordinary Ability Workers, P-1 Artists/Athletes/Entertainers, R-1 Religious Workers, and TN NAFTA Professionals.
Permanent residence
Immigrant categories that pave the path for permanent residence (green card) based on employment include: EB-1 Extraordinary Ability, Outstanding Professors and Researchers, and Multinational Executives and Managers, EB-2 Advanced Degree or Exceptional Ability Workers, EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers, and EB-4 Religious Workers.
Immigrant categories for permanent residence (green card) through other means include family-based categories and humanitarian categories.
Naturalization
Permanent residents can seek citizenship through the naturalization process, an important decision to obtain the right to vote and secure your residence in the US.
Immigration guidance
Essential foundations of immigration strategy and compliance include: I-9 and E-Verify compliance, H-1B compliance with Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the immigration impact of mergers, among many others.
WHO WE ARE
WHO WE ARE
I’ve always been drawn to the expansive possibilities brought by travel and cultural immersion. For this reason, I fell in love with immigration law as a way for me to help share diverse ideas, remarkable talent, and innovative products through the world of international business. Every case is its own unique adventure, driving me further to understand and master the blended worlds of business and US foreign policy.
That’s how I became a national advisor on immigration law. My counsel is sought by companies of all sizes, individual entrepreneurs, and law firms, as well as industry and governmental organizations. Meeting your needs is my priority. We collaborate together, examining every possibility of hiring, timing, deadlines and business objectives. Then I build your immigration policy around that blueprint.
National speeches & articles for:
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Lorman, and The Knowledge Group
Pro-bono commitment
Throughout my entire career, I have helped immigrant survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and violent crimes through case work, and by coordinating training programs and volunteer opportunities for other attorneys.
Associations & leadership
More than a decade of service for national AILA committees, liaising with government agencies and resolving key issues for immigration practitioners
Former Chair of the Young Lawyers Division of AILA
Former Chair of the Atlanta Chapter of AILA serving on the national Board of Directors
Board of Directors for the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL)
Board of Directors for the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce
Top Atlanta immigration attorney, Amna Shirazi grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and studied for her undergraduate degree at American University in Washington, DC. In 2000, she received a Bachelor’s and Juris Doctor from Georgia State University in Atlanta. She also received her LLM with a focus on Democratic Governance from the Emory University School of Law. She was selected as outstanding alumna of Georgia State University, one of 2 people who are selected each year who are mid-career professionals who have trailblazed a prominent career. Ms. Shirazi was selected for this prestigious honor in 2017.
As a well-known community educator, Ms. Shirazi is a constant and reliable source to Atlanta area newspapers who frequently publish her remarks about current immigrant issues and immigration policy. Ms. Shirazi also teaches seminars, writes op-ed pieces on immigration issues and has appeared in televised interviews in both Atlanta and Charlotte. An active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2001, she has been on panels and done work to assist within her local chapter. Further, Ms. Shirazi was selected to accompany President Carter as an election monitor in Sudan with the Carter Center. She served in Khartoum. She has worked and continues to work with our US Military actively assisting Afghans who were left behind in the wake of the United States withdrawal after the fall of Kabul.
Ms. Shirazi has a successful immigration practice focusing on deportation defense, detention, asylum/human rights, family immigration, domestic violence and consular issues, and handles all manners of appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals as well as litigation in the federal courts. Amna Shirazi has been admitted to the State bar of Georgia; Supreme Court of Georgia; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.
Ms. Shirazi is an active member of her community and is on the Steering Committee of the International Rescue Committee, an Advisory Board member of the Department of Religion at Georgia State University and on the Board of Mental Health America. She commits her time to numerous local charitable organizations and political causes. Ms. Shirazi has been awarded several peer reviewed and prestigious awards for her outstanding work in immigration, the Fulton County Daily Report “Rising Star” award, Georgia Trend Magazine’s 40 under 40, Super Lawyers and Georgia Trend magazine’s legal elite. In 2023, she received an “AV ” rating from Martindale Hubbell for “Preeminent Peer Rated Recognition for the highest level of professional excellence”. In addition, Amna was elected to Superlawyers for the eighth straight year and was featured in the annual editorial magazine with this article as one of the most prominent lawyers of the year. Last but not least, Ms. Shirazi has received recognition as a “Best Lawyer”, another very highly rated peer reviewed and nominated honor. This means Ms. Shirazi has been consistently recognized as being an elite lawyer in her field by not just her fellow attorneys, but by the community she serves as well. Ms. Shirazi is continually humbled by the support and recognition her work receives.
Ms. Shirazi was elected to be in the 2016 class of Leadership Georgia, one of the nation’s oldest and most respected nominated leadership programs that focuses on selecting the most prominent future leaders across the state of Georgia. She also teaches immigration law and speaks on educational panels around the state about immigration, especially to other bar associations such as criminal defense bars around the state educating them about the immigration consequences of taking plea deals in a criminal setting.
Amna worked on an international pro bono project assisting former members of the US Army help evacuate Afghans who worked with the US Military after the fall of Kabul. They were successful in negotiating several rescue missions and flights to bring people to safety. Ms. Shirazi is the current liaison from AILA to CBP at the Atlanta airport (the busiest airport in the world).
In addition to having a passion for helping lawful immigrants, Ms. Shirazi is married to an immigrant from Hamburg, Germany. Her husband is also a lawyer and is a partner in the corporate practice group at Smith, Gambrell & Russell in Atlanta. They share two children. Amna has a passionate interest in world politics, international relations, the culinary world in all of its aspects, current events and world travel.
Use this link to set up a call with Aimee to talk about your immigration and compliance needs. You can also send an email or make a call directly below. Let’s chat and see how we can best get started!