The first time Shalini Singh filled out a U.S. immigration form for herself, she was a month into a new country and staring at a document number she had never seen before. EAD. I-765. She read, researched, and read again. Then she filed. When the approval notice arrived, she landed her first job in New York within weeks. That early win was not a shortcut; it was proof of method. Learn the rule, understand the intention, then act with care.

Shalini’s path began in India, where she studied and practiced law. She first came to the United States on an L2, later returned on H4, and lived the limbo familiar to many dependents who want to work. When the H4 EAD regulation took effect in 2015, she filed on day one. By then she had already taught herself the contours of the system by doing the work: her own EADs, her family’s green card paperwork, LCA basics, Petitions and Applications, even the logic behind each policy change. She learned the process, then the purpose.

That dual lens defines her career. Shalini moved from law firms into an in-house role at a technology company as an immigration manager and HRBP. The title evolved because people kept coming to her. Employees trusted her to translate rules into reality. Recruiters emailed with quick questions that were not quick at all. Leaders looped her in on workforce decisions that touched status, prevailing wage, relocation, timing and retention. The job widened into employee engagement, then into core HR. The center of gravity stayed the same: connect the dots between compliance and people.

“Compliance is the foremost priority,” she says. “But trust and transparency are the key factors.” From onboarding through the life cycle, she explains the why behind every request. If the prevailing wage dictates a salary floor, she says so. If relocation is required for an LCA, she gives the full picture and warns against address games. If a gap is necessary to stay lawful, there is no compromise. The result is not always an immediate hire. The result is a relationship that endures. Candidates who could not join once often circle back when circumstances change.

Inside consulting environments with layered vendors and distant end clients, Shalini names a persistent operational snag: LCA postings at client sites. Enterprise end clients do not always prioritize a staffing provider’s notices. She pushes, educates, and documents. Another recurring gap happens when the employees (specially on visa) are not transparent and take their own decision regarding international travel, address change etc. Education helps, but she is candid about limits. “I am not the educator for everything. Immigrants should also be aware and watchful for the relevant trends and updates.”

That 360 view is not theoretical. She reviews forms from counsel and knows which fields carry outsized risk if wrong. She trains recruiters monthly on immigration basics. She plans workforce moves based on status realities. F1 today means H1B tomorrow. H1B today means immigrant sponsorship ahead. Some employees prioritize green card timing over salary; others choose the reverse. Shalini negotiates in good faith, but never on status or legality. Profit matters to a company. People matter to a community. The job is to hold both truths in balance without blurring the line of compliance.

Her stance on technology is pragmatic. HR will change quickly with AI because repeatable tasks lend themselves to automation. Immigration, she argues, is different. “Every case is different and every case needs human touch.” Templates can start a letter, but they cannot finish a life. Context, risk appetite, family timelines, travel patterns, and adjudication climate all shift case by case. Tools are welcome. Judgment is essential.

If there is a single principle that runs through Shalini’s story, it is the refusal to be purely transactional. She urges younger professionals to learn the reasoning behind each form instead of just meeting a deadline. Ask what the section means. Ask what happens if it is wrong. Anticipate the next petition before it becomes urgent. When you do not know, say so and ask for help from a senior attorney or another firm. The credibility you protect today is the trust you will need tomorrow.

“Build the trust, build the relationship,” she says. “Step into their shoes and see how the world looks from their eyes.” She has seen enough to know that the decisions are not abstract. Families wait on these decisions. Jobs and mortgages hinge on them. She has been the applicant and the advisor. She held the stamp and stood across the counter from it. That is why she will bargain over salary, consider relocation, and plan the pipeline, but she will not bend the law to fit a spreadsheet.

In the end, the first EAD she earned for herself reads like a thesis on how she operates. Learn the system deeply. Explain it clearly. Do the right thing even when it is harder. If you do that consistently, people will return to you when it matters most. The document  in the mail was not just an approval. It was the start of a career built on precision and trust.