From Artisan Roots to Immigration Law: An Attorney's Journey to Democratize Legal Access
A middle school P.E. teacher wanted a green card.
Not through a spouse. Not through an employer willing to sponsor an H-1B. He wanted a National Interest Waiver green card, the category typically reserved for healthcare workers, national security specialists, and researchers whose contributions shape American safety and competitiveness. On paper, and at first glance, the case seemed almost impossible.
"When you think “national interest,” you think of healthcare, national security, or similar," says Miatrai, founder of Direct U.S. Immigration. "You don't necessarily think… P.E. teacher."
But Miatrai does not think in surface-level categories. She dug deeper, asking the teacher to tell her more about his role and duties as a P.E. teacher, the kids he helped, about the overall impact of his position. Because Miatrai asked the right questions, she was able to form a legal argument. Specifically, the United States has a childhood obesity crisis. Physical education at the middle school level is where habits form. This was not just gym class. This was public health intervention, aimed at the age group where it matters most.
After filing, the case received a Request for Additional Evidence. The examining officer wanted to hear more. Miatrai and her team delivered. The case was approved. "Once we learned of the approval, the entire firm celebrated," she recalls, laughing. "It was not just a win for our client, it was a win for America and getting one step closer to tackling obesity. I remember thinking, ‘I hope he doesn't tell anyone about this approval because I don't want any more cases like this.’ But here I am chatting about it, and I’ve even taken similar cases to his since then, and have had positive outcomes."
It is exactly this kind of thinking, finding the extraordinary inside the ordinary, and even what appears impossible, arguing what others might overlook, that defines Miatrai's approach to immigration law and the firm she built.
Growing Up in the Entrepreneurial World: How Two Artists Shaped a Future Attorney
Miatrai did not stumble into entrepreneurship. She was raised in it.
Both of her parents were artists and entrepreneurs. Her father was the kind of creator who could do anything: painting, sculpture, wood carving, jewelry. Her mother was the brains behind the business. She built the jewelry business that grew into a company with storefronts and nationwide wholesale accounts with common anchor stores, working with gold, silver, diamonds, and emeralds. She then diversified into construction and real estate. Miatrai watched her mother scale that business from the ground up, absorbing lessons she would not fully appreciate until years later.
"When you grow up in it, you're a casual spectator. It's just life," she says. "Not realizing how much those internal meetings and business decisions impact you later in life." While others might describe entrepreneurship as hard or lonely, Miatrai found it familiar. "It's something I'm very comfortable with."
That comfort would prove essential when, years later, she decided to leave the safety of established firms and build something of her own.
Why Big Law Wasn't Enough: The Decision to Launch Direct U.S. Immigration
The seeds of Direct U.S. Immigration were planted long before 2021, when Miatrai officially launched the firm.
As a teenager, she played in a lacrosse tournament in England, and volunteered in Nicaragua. Both experiences did something that would shape her career: they made her realize that borders, while powerful, are somewhat arbitrary in their impact on human potential. "Languages or accents may be different, but emotions are the same, feelings are the same," she reflects. "It made me appreciate that borders really do shape opportunity, and connecting those borders is essential for creating a better world."
She built early career experience at boutique firms and in Big Law, supporting clients that are widely known as "the top 1%." The work was excellent, and she is proud of it. But a realization for her kept surfacing: "More than just the top 1% needs access to powerful and strategic representation."
The tipping point came while she was running an entire line of business for a large financial institution. She was treating the work as if it were her own firm, which made her think: "Why not build my own firm, and assist more than just the top 1%?" Miatrai wanted to serve fast-moving startups, families trying to reunite, investors looking to expand operations into the U.S., and everyone else who deserved serious legal strategy but didn't fit neatly into a top-tier corporate client roster.
She jumped in. No perfectly polished launch. No months of iterating on a website before opening the doors. "I started with a website, newly launched social media accounts, a dream, and a very lean team. Together, we designed and built systems that would support not only the top 1%, but those who do not fall in that category. These systems were similar to Big Law, but more specialized for unique clientele-types and case-types. They were created to grow with our clients and to adapt where needed - something that larger institutions are either unable or slower to do due to their size," she admits.
Inside the Practice: Employment, Investment, Family, and Humanitarian Immigration
Today, Direct U.S. Immigration is a team that handles employment-based, investment-based, family-based, and humanitarian-based immigration. The firm also advises on risk management assessment and regulatory compliance, helping U.S. companies ensure that their foreign national employees have proper work authorization and that multinational transfers run smoothly.
Immigration is strategic, and the work spans a remarkable range. This includes investors looking to diversify and enter the U.S. market, multinational companies transferring executives, siblings entering the U.S. on work visas rather than waiting over 15 years for family-based visas, and fiancés looking to unite in the U.S., which Miatrai describes with characteristic humor as "think 90 Day Fiancé, but without the drama."
Then there are the cases that test every skill an immigration attorney possesses.
When a Tech Executive Couldn't Come Home: A Case Study in Strategic Advocacy
One of Miatrai's most impactful cases involved a high-level executive at a large tech company who left the U.S. briefly to care for an ailing family member. When he attempted to return, he ran into serious issues at the border.
His absence did not just affect him. It caused operational disruptions and financial losses for the U.S.-based company. American customers relying on the systems he oversaw were impacted. The ripple effects were tangible and growing.
Miatrai and her team reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to expedite his re-entry. They presented the economic and national interest implications of his continued absence, quantifying what those losses looked like for the company, the U.S. tax system, and its American customer base. The result: he was back in the U.S. far faster than the system would typically allow.
"You can read the letter of the law," Miatrai says, "but understanding its nuances through case law, and arguing its alignment with the current case while demonstrating the impact and urgency of why this specific executive needs to enter the U.S. more quickly is where attorneys are truly needed."
Marketing for Immigration Attorneys: Why TikTok Became the Fastest Growth Channel
When one of Miatrai's younger team members suggested she get on TikTok, her first instinct was resistance. "I told him, I don't want to go on TikTok."
Then she reconsidered. "You know what? Let's do it."
That decision transformed the firm's visibility. TikTok became Direct U.S. Immigration's fastest-growing channel, surpassing 30,000 followers. YouTube followed closely with over 25,000 subscribers. The other social media accounts, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X, are considerably smaller.
The lesson, Miatrai says, was simple: “listen to your team, and grow from there.” The strategy behind the growth was deliberate. She was not chasing viral moments. She was providing accurate, timely legal information, consistently, making this widely available to anyone with internet access regardless of income.
"Don't focus so much on the views or the likes," she advises attorneys thinking about creating content. "Just make sure that you're disseminating good information that is timely and accurate. Then over time, you will eventually grow, because people will find you and follow you."
She is equally direct about what not to do. Immigration law moves fast, and social media amplifies both accurate information and panic. "We've seen many reports in the news about immigration changes, but there is no written memo or law that formally supports them," she warns. "It is important to not run wild with unsubstantiated media reports. Ensuring that you provide accurate information, rather than creating fear or unnecessary stress, builds a stronger and more credible account."
AI in Immigration Law: A Tool, Not a Substitute for Legal Judgment
Miatrai describes herself as someone who "can't stop talking about" artificial intelligence. Her firm uses AI-driven automations for post-consultation follow-ups, form preparation, and certain aspects of legal research. She has watched USCIS itself begin adopting AI, accepting more filings online and exploring internal tools that can review cases for procedural completeness.
But she draws a clear line.
"AI is a tool, not a substitute for an attorney who truly understands your story and your stakes," she says. "No machine can actually replace legal judgment or cultural sensitivity, especially when you're dealing with life-changing outcomes."
On the marketing side, she sees enormous potential for AI in ad testing, automations, and workflow efficiency. What she remains cautious about is the trend of cloning yourself digitally to speak on your behalf. "People want the authentic you, not necessarily a robot that closely mimics you."
Her philosophy: lead with authenticity, then use AI to refine. Not the other way around.
Advice for Attorneys Starting Their Own Immigration Law Firm
For attorneys considering the leap from an established firm to their own practice, Miatrai's counsel is practical and rooted in experience.
First, understand that there are two types of founders. There are those who iterate and refine until everything is polished before launching. And there are those who jump in and improve systems as they go based on the needs of their clients. "Either is completely fine," she says. "Both will do well if you’re focused, consistent, and authentic. What's most important is continuing to develop a deep command of the law, exercising sound legal judgment, maintaining the highest ethical standards, building trust with clients, communicating clearly, delivering consistent results, and establishing systems that allow your practice to operate efficiently and scale sustainably."
Second, recognize that marketing yourself as a new firm owner is fundamentally different from marketing yourself within a long standing practice. "People want to know who you are, your backstory, and how you came about," she explains. Clients aren't just buying services. They're choosing a skilled and specialized person to work with.
And third, she urges attorneys to lead with knowledge and strategy, not just compassion. "Immigration law is dynamic. While it is necessary to be culturally sensitive, it is equally important to stay current on the law, collaborate across different disciplines where needed, and never underestimate the power of thinking three steps ahead for a client's case. It's necessary, not optional."
A Message for Immigrants: Strategy Comes Before Filings
When asked what she would tell immigrants navigating the system, Miatrai doesn't hesitate. "I would yell this from the rooftops, figuratively of course: this country needs immigrants."
Whether someone is a skilled professional, an entrepreneur, or what U.S. immigration law classifies as an unskilled laborer, her message is the same: you are needed, and your approach should be strategic, not reactive.
"Strategy comes before filings," she says. For employees, that means aligning with employers who have, or are willing to build, robust immigration infrastructure to support their journey. For the self-employed or investors, it means planning for the long term, not chasing short-term wins. For families waiting years under outdated quota systems, it means exploring creative alternatives, like work visas, that might offer a faster path.
"The immigration process is not one-size-fits-all. It's layered, it's deeply strategic, and it's dynamic."
It is exactly the kind of advice you'd expect from an attorney who once looked at a P.E. teacher's case and saw a public health argument. From someone who grew up watching her mother build a small local business into an international jewelry brand from raw materials. From a founder who jumped into entrepreneurship without a perfect plan, because she knew, from a lifetime of watching her mother, that the leap itself is where the building begins.
Direct U.S. Immigration is an immigration law firm serving individuals, families, startups, and corporations across employment-based, investment-based, family-based, and humanitarian immigration matters.
