January 6, 2021 – Ulmer & Berne LLP announced today the continued growth of its distinguished Immigration Law Group with the addition of Anastasia Tonello, who joins the firm as Counsel. A leader in the field of immigration law and former President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Tonello joins Ulmer’s New York office where she will represent clients in all areas of U.S. immigration law.
Tonello has more than 20 years of experience providing cutting-edge immigration counsel to individuals and corporations, including entrepreneurs, highly skilled professionals, entertainers, and artists, and overseas businesses on the commercial and practical issues they face as they conduct business in the United States. Having spent the first decade of her career practicing U.S. immigration and consular law in London, Tonello has unique personal and professional insight into the issues and obstacles encountered by highly skilled foreign nationals seeking to temporarily transfer to, build businesses in, or immigrate to the United States.
Admitted to practice in the state of New York and as a solicitor in England and Wales, Tonello’s broad experience in U.S. immigration, visa, citizenship, and consular law includes employment, family, and investor-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visas for L-1 intracompany executives, managers, and specialized knowledge personnel, highly skilled H-1B professionals, O-1 extraordinary ability professionals and scholars, E-1/E-2 treaty investors and traders, EB-11 extraordinary ability professionals and scholars, EB-2 individuals of exceptional ability who merit national interest waivers, and EB-5 immigrant investors. Tonello brings years of experience representing clients before U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, advocating on behalf of individuals with respect to waivers of inadmissibility, complex nationality and residency matters such as the transmission and loss of citizenship and maintenance of residence, and other intricate U.S. citizenship issues.
In addition to her robust immigration practice, Tonello has served in numerous leadership roles with AILA beyond her recent national presidency, including as AILA’s top liaison to the U.S. Department of State and as Charter Officer of the Rome District – European, Middle East, and Africa Chapter. She is a frequent speaker on immigration issues at national and international conferences and her analysis is often quoted in the media, including The New York Times, The Independent, BBC World News, Al-Jazeera America, and NPR’s All Things Considered. She also volunteers with Saint George’s Society of New York, a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the quality of life for people in need within the British and Commonwealth communities of New York.
Tonello has received multiple honors throughout her career for her skilled approach to complex immigration matters including her Band 1 ranking for Immigration by Chambers USA and her international ranking for Immigration from Chambers Global. She has also been named to the New York Super Lawyers list and to The Best Lawyers in America© for Immigration Law every year since 2016. Tonello earned her undergraduate degree from Indiana University, her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School, and passed her Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test with training from BPP University Law School to become a solicitor of England and Wales.
“We’re thrilled to have Anastasia join our team, especially now as the new presidential administration takes office and opportunities open once again for foreign nationals and corporations seeking to work, do business, and invest in America,” said David W. Leopold, Group Leader of Ulmer’s Immigration Law Group. “Anastasia’s extensive experience representing artists, entertainers, and investors adds muscle to our business practice and makes her a great fit with our team. Her dedication, skill, and commitment to providing effective immigration strategies is sure to be valued by our clients.”
Ulmer’s Immigration Law Group has a track record of success in nearly every aspect of U.S. immigration law, and brings decades of experience to immigration issues being faced by individuals and families, midsized businesses, universities, health care institutions, and multinational corporations. Offering full-service immigration, visa, and consular representation, ranging from alien labor certification and employment-based visa petitions to complex waiver and enforcement actions, Ulmer’s dedicated team of immigration attorneys takes a solutions-driven approach to helping clients achieve their goals.