The RegistryCounty Record · California
Immigration Attorneys in San Diego County, California
Counsel for status, relief, and the road to citizenship. In San Diego County, that work runs through the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego. This directory presents immigration records from official State Bar of California data in neutral order.
California's second-most-populous county; its superior court hears matters at the downtown Central Courthouse and regional centers in Vista, El Cajon, and Chula Vista. The court of record is the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego · counsel who appear there regularly read the local calendar better than any brochure.
The law also keeps time: 30 days to appeal an immigration judge's decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.38. Immigration law is federal. Other hard deadlines include the one-year asylum filing rule (8 U.S.C. § 1158(a)(2)(B)) and strict motion-to-reopen windows (8 C.F.R. § 1003.23). The plaque below carries the citation; the roster that follows carries the rest.
This page is the San Diego County chapter of the registry's statewide record · Immigration Attorneys in California collects all 58 counties.
The clock & the court
30 days to appeal an immigration judge's decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
8 C.F.R. § 1003.38
Immigration law is federal. Other hard deadlines include the one-year asylum filing rule (8 U.S.C. § 1158(a)(2)(B)) and strict motion-to-reopen windows (8 C.F.R. § 1003.23).
Superior Court of California, County of San Diego.
County seat: San Diego
Official court information, locations, and filing rules: www.sdcourt.ca.gov
Immigration · San Diego County roster
517 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list immigration among their practice areas with an address of record in San Diego County.
500 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.
The roster concentrates in San Diego (386), Chula Vista (25), Carlsbad (14) and La Jolla (10).
20 hold a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist designation, a certification issued by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and not a rating or a ranking.
67 are recorded as taking client work in a language other than English.
Admission years on this roster run from 1971 to 2025.
The employers most represented here are Casa Cornelia Law Center (11), Mehlman Jacobs LLP (7) and Larrabee Albi Coker LLP (6).
The full San Diego County roster · 500 attorneys with an active license and a immigration practice area: is listed by surname in the 2 sections below.
Immigration matters in San Diego County
The matters this field covers, as Californians search for them. Each attorney's own profile states which of these they take.
- family-based green cards
- employment visas (H-1B, L-1, O-1)
- naturalization and citizenship
- asylum
- deportation and removal defense
- DACA
- U and T visas for crime victims
- waivers of inadmissibility
- adjustment of status
- immigration bond hearings
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In the last 30 days attorneys have read 1 filed matter on the registry.
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Immigration questions, cited
How long do I have to apply for asylum in the United States?
Generally one year from your last arrival, under 8 U.S.C. § 1158(a)(2)(B). Exceptions exist for changed circumstances affecting eligibility or extraordinary circumstances that delayed filing. Asylum applicants may apply for work authorization after the application has been pending the statutory waiting period (8 C.F.R. § 208.7).
What is the difference between a green card and citizenship?
A green card confers lawful permanent residence: the right to live and work in the U.S. indefinitely, but it can be lost through abandonment or certain convictions. Naturalized citizenship under 8 U.S.C. § 1427 (INA § 316) generally requires five years as a permanent resident (three if married to a U.S. citizen, INA § 319), plus physical presence, good moral character, and passing the civics and English tests.
Can I appeal if an immigration judge orders me removed?
Yes. An appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals must be received within 30 calendar days of the immigration judge's decision (8 C.F.R. § 1003.38). An adverse BIA decision can then be challenged by petition for review in the federal court of appeals within 30 days (8 U.S.C. § 1252). Deadlines in this sequence are strictly enforced.
Does a criminal conviction affect my immigration status in California?
It can, severely, certain convictions trigger removability or inadmissibility under 8 U.S.C. § 1227 and § 1182, including "aggravated felonies" and crimes involving moral turpitude. California law requires courts to advise non-citizen defendants of immigration consequences before a plea (Cal. Penal Code § 1016.5), and Penal Code § 1473.7 allows some to vacate pleas taken without understanding those consequences.
How does family-based immigration work?
U.S. citizens may petition for spouses, children, parents, and siblings; permanent residents for spouses and unmarried children (8 U.S.C. § 1153). "Immediate relatives" of citizens have visas always available, while preference categories wait for a priority date to become current on the State Department's monthly Visa Bulletin, waits vary from months to decades depending on category and country.
Legal information, not legal advice.
From the answer files
Every immigration attorney in San Diego County, by surname
Immigration by city in San Diego County
Related counsel in San Diego County
Immigration in nearby counties
Source: 8 C.F.R. § 1003.38 · State Bar of California licensee records · Checked: · Maintained by the California Attorney Registry from official State Bar of California records. Legal information, not legal advice.
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