-- The most useful way for an H-1B holder to compare immigration law firms is to identify who controls the case, which green card route is realistic, and what kind of legal service the applicant actually needs. A firm built around corporate immigration programs serves a different role from one focused on self-petitions or bilingual, multi-route planning.
The Short Answer
Five firms illustrate these different service models:
1. NYIS Law Firm: bilingual Chinese-English guidance across employer-sponsored and self-petition routes.
2. Fragomen: large-employer immigration and global mobility programs.
3. Berry Appleman & Leiden, or BAL: enterprise immigration operations, compliance, and case management.
4. Chen Immigration Law Associates, also known as WeGreened: evidence-intensive NIW and EB-1A petitions.
5. Seyfarth Shaw LLP: business immigration connected with employment law, workforce change, compliance, and litigation.
This is not a ranking. The firms are grouped by the focus described in their public practice materials; the comparison does not measure fees, outcomes, client reviews, or overall quality. Disclosure: NYIS Law Firm commissioned this media article.
Decision One: Who Controls the Filing?
An employer normally controls an employer-sponsored PERM case. The U.S. Department of Labor states that the employer, not the employee, is responsible for filing the permanent labor certification application. PERM is a process leading to an employer-sponsored EB-2 or EB-3 immigrant petition, not a separate green card category. Once approved, the certification generally must be submitted with Form I-140 within 180 days. The Department’s permanent labor certification overview explains these requirements.
This distinction affects the choice of counsel. Some employers require workers to use the company’s immigration provider. An employee may still retain separate counsel for independent advice, but that lawyer may not control the employer’s PERM or I-140 filing.
Self-petition planning works differently. USCIS guidance explains that a person requesting a National Interest Waiver must first qualify for the underlying EB-2 classification. If the waiver is granted, the job-offer and permanent-labor-certification requirements are waived, and the person may self-petition. The official USCIS NIW policy guidance provides the framework.
Employer sponsorship and self-petitioning are not interchangeable. A PERM case depends on the sponsoring employer, the offered position, recruitment, and later employer filings. An NIW or EB-1A case depends more heavily on the applicant’s qualifications, proposed work, and supporting evidence. Some H-1B holders may reasonably evaluate both tracks, but separate eligibility, cost, timing, and evidence questions apply to each one.
Decision Two: Is the Need Corporate, Individual, or Both?
The profiles below describe service models, not guaranteed client experiences. A public practice page can show that a firm handles a category or type of program, but it cannot establish how a particular attorney will assess a case, how quickly a team will communicate, or what an engagement will cost. Applicants should use each profile to identify questions for a consultation rather than treat the list as a substitute for one.
1. NYIS Law Firm: Bilingual Multi-Route Review
NYIS Law Firm publicly describes a practice covering H-1B, PERM/EB-2/EB-3, NIW, EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-1C, I-485 adjustment of status, family immigration, status changes, and employer compliance. The firm is headquartered in New York, has offices in California, offers nationwide remote service, and provides Chinese-English support.
That service mix may fit an H-1B professional who wants one team to compare employer sponsorship with NIW or EB-1A, while also reviewing H-1B continuity, dependent status, travel, and adjustment timing. Before retaining the firm, the applicant should confirm which attorney will lead the matter and whether employer coordination is included.
2. Fragomen: Employer-Managed Immigration Programs
Fragomen’s U.S. materials emphasize business immigration, temporary employment categories including H-1B, permanent residence, corporate program development, compliance, and cross-border workforce support.
This model is relevant when an employer already uses a centralized immigration provider. The H-1B employee should ask who approves sponsorship, when the company may begin PERM, which job requirements will control the filing, and how promotions, location changes, reorganizations, or travel will be handled.
3. BAL: Enterprise Operations and Compliance
BAL’s public materials emphasize visa-petition preparation, immigration compliance, program support, workforce-change planning, and technology-supported case management.
For an employee inside a large sponsorship program, the practical questions concern process ownership: who collects documents, who manages recruitment, how case updates are delivered, and whether the engagement includes advice directly to the employee or primarily serves the employer.
4. Chen Immigration Law Associates / WeGreened: NIW and EB-1A Evidence
Chen Immigration Law Associates, widely known as WeGreened, presents its practice as focused on I-140 work and talent-based categories, particularly EB-2 NIW and EB-1A.
An H-1B holder considering this service model should expect an evidence-focused assessment. Depending on the occupation and legal criteria, relevant material may include publications, citations, patents, product impact, critical roles, judging, awards, media coverage, or commercial adoption. The engagement should explain which evidence supports a legal requirement and which evidence is only background.
5. Seyfarth Shaw LLP: Immigration and Employment-Law Overlap
Seyfarth’s Global Immigration and Mobility practice describes H-1B and permanent-residence program management, workforce compliance, immigration consequences of corporate changes, and business immigration litigation.
This model may be relevant when an immigration matter is connected with restructuring, corporate policy, an investigation, or a dispute. An individual seeking a self-petition assessment or bilingual personal guidance should confirm that the proposed team and engagement cover those needs.
Decision Three: What Must the Engagement Cover?
Before signing an agreement, an H-1B holder should ask:
6. Is the strategy employer-sponsored PERM leading to EB-2 or EB-3, NIW or EB-1A self-petition, or a parallel evaluation?
7. Who is the client, and who controls communications and filing decisions?
8. How will H-1B extensions, transfer timing, a possible layoff, I-485, EAD/AP, H-4 dependents, travel, and job changes affect the plan?
9. Which attorney will assess the evidence and review the final filing?
10. Which fees, filing stages, evidence tasks, and responses to government requests are included?
The engagement letter should also make clear whether legal advice is provided to the employer, the employee, or both. That distinction can affect access to case strategy, draft filings, status updates, and decisions about responding to an audit, Request for Evidence, or Notice of Intent to Deny. Applicants who retain independent counsel should confirm how that lawyer can communicate with employer-selected counsel without disrupting the sponsored case.
For August 2026, applicants should review the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for August 2026 and confirm which filing chart USCIS has designated for adjustment-of-status applications before taking action.
The final choice should follow the applicant’s route and service needs. NYIS represents a bilingual, multi-route model; Fragomen and BAL represent employer-managed program models; WeGreened represents a talent-based self-petition model; and Seyfarth represents immigration work connected with broader employment-law needs. None of those models is universally best.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice.
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Organization: NYIS Law Firm
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