Senior Attorney - Immigration Law
Craig Lebamoff
Senior Attorney, BIRG Law
Craig Lebamoff brings more than three decades of experience to BIRG Law, including senior government service with DHS / USCIS and the U.S. Department of State.
30+ Years in Government Service & Private Practice
Discuss Your Case
A rare view into how immigration decisions are actually made.
01 / Profile
Inside the agencies that decide immigration cases
Government service, consular practice and international business law in one career.
Craig Lebamoff is a senior attorney at BIRG Law. Craig's exceptional experience in public service as a senior attorney for DHS / USCIS as well as his work as Consular Officer for the U.S. Department of State has provided him with a rare and invaluable view into the workings of the DHS / USCIS and Consular Processing.Adjudicator, litigator, diplomat - then counsel.
Combined with his extensive experience in the private sector as a partner in a business immigration law practice and as an international business attorney at Ernst & Young, Craig Lebamoff offers the clients of BIRG Law a truly unparalleled depth of know-how and experience.
30+
Years of Legal Experience
11,000+
Visas Adjudicated Overseas
Fulbright
Fellow in Immigration Policy
3
Federal & NATO Service Awards
02 / Private Practice
Business immigration built on adjudication experience
Craig's private sector practice covers investment, employment and healthcare immigration, informed by the years he spent on the government side of the same petitions.
Investment & Executive Visas
EB-5, E-2, L-1 and EB-1C matters, including Regional Center work and direct investment structuring.
Healthcare & Employment
EB-3 nurses and physical therapists, H-1B specialty occupations and EB-2 / EB-3 PERM sponsorship.
Court & Cross-Border Matters
Immigration court, removal defense and asylum, along with TN visas for citizens of Canada and Mexico.
A summary of Craig Lebamoff's private sector immigration law and international business law practice.
Private practice
Partner and senior attorney, Roth & Lebe
Senior attorney and partner in a business immigration law practice, representing employers, investors and individuals across the full range of business-based petitions.
EB-5
Investor program, Regional Centers and green cards
Creating EB-5 Regional Centers, re-establishing dormant Regional Centers, facilitating direct Regional Center investment and obtaining EB-5 visa approvals.
EB-3 healthcare
Nurses and physical therapists
Representing over 100 nurses arriving in the U.S. on an immediate green card for nurses, and working directly with U.S. hospitals and recruiters to place nurses with hospitals.
H-1B
Specialty occupations visa
Providing legal representation to businesses, particularly to the healthcare industry, for healthcare professionals.
PERM
EB-2 and EB-3 labor certification
Representing companies in sponsoring employees for green cards through the Labor Certification process, with particular emphasis on H-1B and H-2B visa holders.
L-1
Intra-company transferee visas
Leveraging prior experience as a Consular Officer adjudicating L-1 visas to obtain L-1A and L-1B visas for clients.
EB-1C
Green cards for L-1A executives
Representing L-1A visa holders in their green card petitions.
E-2
Treaty investor visas
Representing investors in E-2 visa petitions, leveraging prior experience as a Consular Officer to provide exceptional legal representation.
O-1
Extraordinary ability in business, science, education, athletics and arts
Leveraging prior experience as a Consular Officer adjudicating O-1 visas to provide exceptional legal representation.
Court practice
Immigration court, removal defense and asylum
Representation in removal proceedings and asylum matters, alongside TN visa work for citizens of Canada and Mexico.
Ernst & Young
International business and tax law
Trans-national business law and tax strategies, regulatory audit response and compliance review as an attorney at Ernst & Young.
03 / Public Service
Three decades of government service
A summary of Craig Lebamoff's public service career with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State.
- Senior Attorney with DHS / ICE / OPLA / USCIS / Office of Chief Counsel
- ICE / OPLA attorney in the Federal District Court Litigation Division
- Habeas Corpus class action defense
- Summary judgments and motions against temporary and protective orders
- Repudiation of settlement agreements
- Legal review of NOID and NOIR cases
- Represented DHS before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR)
- Associate Counsel for National Security / USCIS Attorney Advisor
- USCIS Asylum Officer and advisor in Chicago, Illinois
- Attorney at the Office of Chief Counsel, National Security Law Division
- Refugee Officer in Iraq, Jordan and Nepal
- Immigration Officer in El Salvador and Mexico
- Advisor to the Afghan Interior Minister, "embedded" with NATO troops
- Attorney for the NATO Training Mission, Refugee Affairs and Post-Conflict Stability in Kabul, Afghanistan
- Fulbright Fellow in Immigration Policy in New Zealand
- Diplomat, Consular Officer and Foreign Service Officer
- Chief of Consular Section and Second Secretary
- General Services Officer, Visa Issuance Officer and Manager
- Attaché overseas adjudication officer
- Training and managing Consular Officers as Chief of Consular Section
- Adjudicating over 11,000 visas in Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan
- Special review of L-1 and O-1 cases
- Commissioned into the U.S. Foreign Service as a Management Cone Officer
Experience on both sides of the file - the government's and the client's.
04 / Credentials
Education, honors and admissions
Fulbright Fellow - NATO Civilian Medal - DHS Director's Heritage Award
Craig received his bachelor's degree from the Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina and his Juris Doctorate degree from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law. He is a Fulbright Fellow, a recipient of a prestigious, merit-based grant from the U.S. Government. Craig is also a recipient of NATO Civilian Medal and U.S. Department of Defense Civilian Service Medal for service in Afghanistan "embedded with the troops". He received DHS Director's Heritage Award for Service in Iraq under extreme and dangerous conditions. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and a Member of Illinois and Indiana Bar Associations. He is an Indiana Supreme Court Attorney.
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