December 18, 2024
Introducing Carolina Regales! Carolina has been a valued member and attorney with KILP for three years, though working in immigration for 17 years! She is a member of the corporate immigration team, primarily focusing on healthcare and university clients. She supports these clients in filling in-demand jobs that serve local communities in healthcare. As an immigrant herself, Carolina uses her own experience to connect with and support foreign national clients going through the complex and stressful process of accomplishing their American dream. Read below to learn more about Carolina!
- How long have you been at the firm?
By end of January, I will have been with the firm for 3 years, and working in immigration for 17 years in January. I began as an intern during my LLM program, then did a paralegal position and later became a licensed attorney. - What is your current role?
I am a senior associate working with a wide diversity of clients. A big part of my practice is to assist healthcare clients. The U.S. has a shortage of registered nurses. We file Schedule A petitions for foreign nurses and ensure they meet all education and admissibility requirements. Among other healthcare professionals we assist are physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists. Aside from healthcare, I also work with universities, assisting them with the immigration needs of their faculty, researchers, staff, and students. I enjoy working with universities very much as many cases tend to be for outstanding researchers and professors, persons with extraordinary ability, or persons with the knowledge and skills to obtain a national interest waiver. Through these cases, I have the opportunity of learning about new developments in scientific, business, medical and other fields. Finally, I also work with clients in the financial sector, and we partner with them to develop immigration policies and fulfill all their immigration needs through different nonimmigrant visas as well as the green card process for their foreign national employees. - How did you get started and what attracted you to working in immigration?
When I initiated in the immigration field, I was doing my internship for my Master of Laws program. I was then offered the possibility to remain working in the position of a paralegal, specifically a PERM paralegal. I soon began doing all types of cases: I-140, Immigrant Petitions of all types, nonimmigrant work visas, family cases and removal cases. As an immigrant myself, my role was eye opening. I was now an active player in assisting others achieve their American dream. Once I became a licensed attorney, my role to assist may be similar, but now with more responsibility. Being a licensed attorney allows me to engage with clients more, assist with strategies and ultimately continue growing my area of practice. - What do you value most about working at KILP?
The teamwork. Since joining the firm, I have found every member of the firm always ready to collaborate and assist. I also need to highlight my own team. Our team works well together both professionally and personally. We understand the best way to work as a team is to support each other. While we all work remotely, we take time meet regularly to review work, discuss issues and concerns, and engage personally with one another. - What has been one of the more challenging times?
A challenging time during my career was the COVID-19 pandemic. March 2020 came with uncertainty not only for the workplace, when almost all firms went remote, but also in the immigration context. We had to go through several adjustments – filing with copies of signatures, which was not previously allowed, filing without DOL’s blue paper for labor certifications, and so forth. The whole world was changing, and decades of practices as well, and we had to navigate it patiently and show support to our clients and their foreign national employees. - Anything else you want to share?
As an immigrant myself, I experienced firsthand the same immigration processes that the foreign national employees of my clients go through, and I had quite a few road bumps. I came to the U.S. as an F-1 student with a one entry visa after a difficult interview at the U.S. Consulate; I worked during the 2008-2009 recession when many employers thought twice about sponsorship; and my own PERM processing times were affected by a DOL investigation and settlement in 2008. It all worked out, though, and my goal is to help others navigate current times and challenges to achieve their immigration goals. I am thankful for my experience as it helps me understand the sacrifices, anxiety, and struggles many foreign nationals go through to immigrate to the U.S.
Stay tuned to our 20th Anniversary page for more updates and staff features!
