The first alarm rang inside a big law firm in New York.

Abduaziz Isakulov had done everything right. He earned his law degree in Uzbekistan, won a Fulbright Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State, and completed a master's degree at Fordham University School of Law with a sharp focus on international law and arbitration. A job offer from a major New York firm followed. By any measure, he had arrived.

Then he ran into a problem no amount of legal talent could solve on its own.

"If you want to realize your goals and if you want to achieve something, first of all, you have to be dealing with immigration status," he recalls. "Because if they can't hire you, then you can't physically be there."

It was the moment an international arbitration lawyer discovered immigration law. Not as a practice area, but as a personal obstacle. Today, as the founder of Isakulov Law Group P.C., he helps other talented professionals clear the same hurdle he once faced.

From Tashkent to New York: A Fulbright Scholar's Unexpected Path to Immigration Law

For nearly eight years, Isakulov built his career in international arbitration. Immigration law was never part of the plan. "At that time, I had never thought about immigration law at all," he says.

After his year in New York, he spent a couple of years working in Switzerland and Germany, still focused on arbitration. In 2023, he returned to New York to pursue his JD, this time with a clear understanding of what stood between him and his ambitions.

He had always dreamed of running his own business. To build a legal career in the United States "without any legal obstacles," he knew he had to solve his status first. So he did what lawyers do best. He started studying.

Winning an EB-1A Green Card: Thousands of Pages, Half a Year of Work

His research led him to talent based visas, including the EB-1A green card for individuals of extraordinary ability. Given his background, he decided to apply in the field of law.

The petition consumed nearly six months of his life. It ran to thousands of pages, documenting "each and every achievement" of his professional and academic career. In 2024, it was approved.

"I was so happy," he says. But the approval brought something more lasting than relief. It brought perspective.

"I realized that I was not alone in this field," he explains. "There were a lot of talented people who wanted to realize their goals and achieve something in this country, not only for themselves, but for the surrounding community."

Once he earned his bar license, he began practicing immigration law himself. Isakulov Law Group P.C. now focuses exclusively on talent based visas, including EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, O-1 and L-1 petitions.

Why He Founded Isakulov Law Group: America Needs Talent

Asked what inspired him to launch his own practice, Isakulov speaks less about business and more about purpose. He describes a desire "to achieve something greater, not only for myself, but for the people who can contribute to the development of America."

He believes the country thrives on a combination of homegrown talent and foreign talent that can "come, assimilate the culture, learn the rules" and contribute as law abiding citizens. "I think that's the greatest thing that can ever exist in this modern world," he says.

Even amid shifting policy, he remains convinced the United States is the top destination for global talent, with more or less clear rules for attracting and retaining it. That conviction is what drew him to the practice. The benefit, in his view, runs both ways: to the immigrants themselves, and "the country of America itself as well."

How AI Is Reshaping Immigration Law and the Rise of Self Petitioners

On technology, Isakulov offers a balanced, clear eyed view. The biggest shift he sees is the rise of self petitioners who use AI to draft petitions and understand immigration forms.

He sees real value there. AI helps immigrants understand how the process works and gives them a way to check what they are hearing about their case "from an objective, neutral perspective."

But he warns that the same tool can backfire. "Overreliance on AI unfortunately might affect their chances for approval of the green card or talent based visas very heavily," he says. That is why many people still seek an honest legal review, even with AI at their fingertips.

Attorneys are adapting too. Technical tasks once handled by paralegals or entry level staff can increasingly be handled by AI, which he notes is both time and cost effective. Whether the overall shift is good or bad, he admits, "it's hard to judge for sure."

USCIS Trends From the Front Lines: Rising EB-1A Standards and Troubling RFEs

On current immigration trends, Isakulov does not sugarcoat what he sees. "The trends are unfortunately not very positive," he says.

The EB-1A standard, in his experience, has climbed sharply and is being applied subjectively by USCIS officers. He has seen Requests for Evidence that misstate the rules or ask about matters that should never have been raised. He suspects the cause may be understaffing, a caseload too large to manage, or both, and the result is that "the quality of review has gone a little down."

He is equally candid about the other side of the equation. AI has fueled a wave of unmeritorious filings. Applicants have every right to file, he acknowledges, but weak petitions still consume officers' time and resources, slowing timelines and hurting overall outcomes for everyone.

Asked what single piece of immigration legislation he would reform, his answer is telling. He considers U.S. immigration law comprehensive and rigorous already. With good cases and good officers, he argues, new legislation might be redundant. What he would value is ensuring that separation of powers continues to hold firm within the immigration field.

The Biggest Mistakes Immigrants Make

From his vantage point, two mistakes stand out.

The first is skipping an honest review. Some applicants become "so confident about their cases no matter what" that they file anyway. A denial, he cautions, stays in their immigration record forever.

The second is missing deadlines. "No matter how talented you are and no matter how much you might be needed in America, there are certain rules and laws that you have to follow," he says. Fall out of status, and your options for obtaining immigration benefits without leaving the country can narrow dramatically.

His Advice to Clients: Patience and Partnership

When a new client walks through the door, Isakulov leads with two pieces of advice.

First, be patient. A strong petition takes time.

Second, stay involved. Many of his clients work in highly specialized fields such as technology, cybersecurity and bioengineering. They understand the terminology and the significance of their work far better than any attorney from an entirely different field.

"Their input will always be welcomed, and it will be very essential and significant for the case," he says. When clients explain what their work means and how it benefits their industry, the government or the country, the attorney can draft a petition that is well justified and far more persuasive.

A Success Story: How INA 245(k) Rescued an Overstayed Urban Planner's Case

One case stays with him more than any other.

A man arrived in the United States as a tourist and eventually decided he wanted to build his future here. He consulted several attorneys. None told him about the EB-1A.

When he reached Isakulov's firm, the team saw what others had missed. He was an accomplished urban planning specialist. He had earned his bachelor's degree in Central Asia, held high ranking positions in his country's ministry, completed a master's degree in South Korea, won numerous awards and published scholarly articles. He had simply never known a legal pathway for talented people existed.

There was a serious complication. He had overstayed his visa by about three months.

The firm turned to Section 245(k) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a provision that can allow certain employment based applicants to move forward despite up to 180 days of status violations. The outcome was far from guaranteed. As Isakulov explains, officers weigh the potential benefit an immigrant can bring to the country against the violation committed.

So the team built a powerful case for what America stood to gain. The petition was approved.

"It was a very good, memorable case for us," he says, with the quiet satisfaction of someone who found a door that others had walked past.

Advice for Attorneys Starting Their Own Immigration Practice

For attorneys hoping to launch their own firms, Isakulov's message is simple: don't give up.

He does not pretend the moment is easy. While mapping the history of U.S. immigration law chronologically, he was struck by how much has changed in just the past year, counting more than 50 executive orders and a wave of new developments. That volume of change, he notes, challenges newcomers and seasoned practitioners alike.

Yet he sees opportunity in the difficulty. Policies may shift again, perhaps even reverse. When they do, the experience attorneys are gaining right now will make them stronger. "Learn, practice, no matter how these policies change," he urges.

What Immigration Means to Abduaziz Isakulov

Asked what he values most about immigration, Isakulov returns to the theme that runs through his entire story: possibility.

Immigration, he says, "opens up such pathways and possibilities for people that they have never imagined," provided they are good people and skilled in their fields. Those individuals realize their goals, and America retains the talent it needs to grow.

"I'm very glad that the practice of immigration law plays a key role in that context," he says, "where the benefit is shared by the immigrants and at the same time by the government."

It is a fitting conclusion from a lawyer whose own career began with an immigration problem. He solved it once for himself. Now he solves it, case by case, for others who dream as big as he did.