W. Paul Alvarez

I am the owner of the Law Office of W. Paul Alvarez PLLC. I have worked in the immigration field as a paralegal, law clerk and attorney for the last fourteen years. I have experience representing detained and non-detained clients in immigration matters, including removal defense, asylum, family-based petitions, Violence Against Woman Act (VAWA) petitions, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) petitions, cancellation of removal, adjustment of status, waivers of inadmissibility, consular processing, U-Visas, and naturalization applications. I also have experience handling traffic and family court matters.

I am licensed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. My office is located in Pleasantville, NY so I am readily available to represent clients in the tri-state Area. I am fluent in Spanish.

My passion and drive to practice immigration law are rooted in my own immigration story. I was born in Quito, Ecuador and later became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Times were very difficult for my family in Ecuador and just like others have done before, my parents believed that the best chance we had for a better life was to immigrate to the United States. We wanted a chance to live the “American Dream” that we had heard so much about. My family settled in New York and we assimilated very quickly to the culture and way of life of our new home. However, as assimilated as we were, we were still living unlawfully in this country. My father knew that the key to our survival was to obtain lawful status that would allow us to live freely in this country. Through an employment sponsorship my father was able to obtain permanent resident status for our family. I knew at that moment that our life had changed because becoming a permanent resident of the United States would open so many different opportunities for my family. There and then I knew that I wanted to help other immigrants achieve the “American Dream” that I was blessed to have been given.

While working in the immigration field, one recurring theme that I have observed is the lack of knowledge that immigrants have regarding their rights. It is sad and frustrating to see that the lives of many immigrants are put in jeopardy because they either did not understand the gravity of their situation or they were taken advantage of by “notarios” who prey on the vulnerability of immigrants. My mission has been to not only guide my clients in  the complex immigration matters but to also coordinate community outreach programs that inform immigrants about their rights and opportunities for immigration relief.

I am a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Westchester County Bar Association, the New York Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). In the AILA New York Chapter, I have served as the Secretary of the Student Liaison Committee, a member of the Citizenship Day Committee and a member of the UPL and Ethics Committee.