SSS Class of 2013 Alum, Ana Gabriela Urizar, Featured in Fall 2020 Manuscript

Immigration in the Workplace

As a corporate immigration attorney at the New York City law firm Fragomen, Ana
Gabriela Urizar assists large multinational corporations with immigrant petitions to
fill specialized employment needs. Most of her clients are technology companies
recruiting talent from India and China in the areas of science, artificial intelligence and other areas of computer science and technology.

Corporate immigration attorney Ana Gabriela Urizar helps companies recruit specialized talent from overseas.
Corporate immigration attorney Ana Gabriela Urizar helps companies
recruit specialized talent from overseas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a more complicated process than it used to be. “Recent
executive orders regarding immigration have been a direct attack
on business immigration and the work visa,” says Urizar. “The
president’s mentality is that he’s protecting the U.S. market by
preserving these jobs for American nationals but that’s a very
superficial analysis because most of these companies try to hire
from the U.S. first. There’s just a lack of professionals with
advanced skills in math, science and technology,” she says.
“Hiring from abroad actually helps our country be competitive
in the fields of technology and science.”

Not only are there bans on workers from specific countries,
Urizar has had to assist foreign nationals with valid employment
in the U.S. who have gotten stuck abroad while traveling for work
or family reasons when new executive orders were issued. “It’s
challenging,” she says.

And that was before COVID-19. Now, fluctuating travel
restrictions and quarantine requirements complicate matters
further. “Not only is movement restricted, but there are consulates
closed all over the world. Those that have reopened have a
backlog on paperwork of seven to eight months,” she says.
As a new mother—Urizar has a one-year-old daughter—
she has also found an added challenge in working from home
during the pandemic. “I love spending time with my daughter
but I really miss going into the office with my colleagues and
having that adult time,” she says. “Now I’m in mommy mode
the whole day while trying to be a lawyer.”

Although she says her firm has been particularly conscious and
understanding of the challenges of being a working parent during
COVID, Urizar says the reality is that she’s working longer hours.
“There’s no nine-to-five anymore,” she says. “I’m sending emails
all day and night.”

Urizar joined Fragomen in 2018 after earning her law degree
from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law. She was first exposed
to employment-based immigration law while a student intern in
the law office of Sylvia M. Montan L’94, whom she met as an
undergraduate through the Our Time Has Come (OTHC)
Scholarship program. “She became my mentor,” she says.
Urizar credits Montan’s guidance to helping her land her
corporate job. “Being an OTHC Scholar impacted me in so many
ways,” she says. “The program was a complete package—financial
and emotional support while we were on campus, and providing
these valuable connections to alumni professionals who could
help us once we graduate. I don’t think I would be where I am
today without that.”

Because of her own immigration history—she came to the U.S.
from Guatemala with twin sister, Ana Lucia ’13, L’16, at age
15—she has felt compelled to give back. Urizar’s pro bono efforts
have included participating in workshops forCitizenship Now! and
legal clinics for the New York State Bar Association. She has also
helped clients prepare U-visa applications through the nonprofit
organization Her Justice.

“Where you were born shouldn’t dictate your future,” she says.
“Everyone should have the right to choose where they live, work
and pursue their dreams.”

Original article appears in Office of Multicultural Advancement’s Manuscript Fall 2020 edition.