José Miguel Marina

About

I lead a boutique practice advising businesses, individuals, and families on U.S. immigration. My work spans employment-based visas, permanent residence, and complex consular matters, with a particular focus on founders, investors, and companies hiring international talent. I have over a decade of experience across private practice and government. Before entering private practice, I spent four years as a U.S. consular officer in Mexico and Colombia, adjudicating more than 50,000 immigration applications. That experience informs my work on filing strategy, consular processing, visa interviews, prior refusals, and waivers of inadmissibility. I welcome referrals across U.S. immigration, including unusual matters and cases where the right path is not yet clear. The services below describe common areas of my work, rather than every type of matter I handle. My style is to be highly communicative with clients and manage matters proactively. I speak fluent Spanish.

Practice Areas

Services

• Business and employment immigration

  Immigration counsel for employers, founders, investors, and professionals, from initial visa planning through permanent residence. Matters include hiring and transferring international talent, starting or investing in a business, extraordinary ability petitions, and employment-based green cards.
  Contact
• Consular processing and complex visa matters

  Advice and representation in visa matters at U.S. embassies and consulates, including interview preparation, prior refusals, administrative processing, and waivers of inadmissibility. My approach draws on four years as a U.S. consular officer in Mexico and Colombia.
  Contact
• Immigration strategy and case review

  Case assessments and strategic advice for clients and referring attorneys, including unusual fact patterns, prior immigration problems, and matters that do not fit neatly into a standard category. If you do not see a particular matter listed, I welcome an inquiry.
  Contact

Work

• 
  Associate, Labor, Employment, Benefits, and Immigration

  Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

  Feb 2022 - Jul 2025
• 
  U.S. Immigration Attorney

  PwC

  Jan 2019 - Jan 2022
• 
  Consular Fellow / Vice Consul

  U.S. Department of State

  Feb 2015 - Jan 2019

Education

• Georgetown University Law Center
  J.D. • 2012
• New York University
  B.A., Politics • 2002