Katya Stelmakh

When I first started exploring the EB-1A process, I wasn’t sure how to frame my work in mortgage market analytics into something that would meet the immigration criteria. My cousin recommended Stelmakh & Associates, and I’m so glad I followed through. Katya and Maddalena took the time to understan...d what I’ve done professionally and how to translate it into a petition that aligned with USCIS expectations. They helped present my leadership role, original modeling work, judging contributions, and media features (like coverage in The Washington Post) in a way that clearly showed the impact and significance of my work. The process was thorough and involved a lot of back-and-forth, but they knew where to provide additional evidence to strengthen my case. In April 2025, my EB-1A petition was approved. That moment brought an enormous sense of relief and validation. I’m grateful to the team for guiding me through something that would have been impossible to manage independently. I will highly recommend Stelmakh & Associates.

Katya and her team were a lifesaver. When I first came to their firm, I was overwhelmed and anxious about my H1B timelines, confusing paperwork, and a lot at stake. I chose Katya because she came highly recommended for her clarity and responsiveness, and I can confidently say she exceeded all expecta...tions. She not only walked me through every step with patience, but also handled my case with incredible speed and precision. What could’ve been a stressful experience turned into a smooth, well-guided process. Thanks to her, I’m now able to continue my career in the U.S. without uncertainty hanging over me. I’m truly grateful.

A friend who had a great experience referred us to Stelmakh & Associates, and now we can say we’re glad we took that recommendation. From the first consultation, it was clear that Katya and her team understood the EB-1A process in depth. They saw the potential in my professional background and helped... us structure a strong case around my engineering leadership, startup work, scholarly publications, and judging experience. Even though I met all eight criteria, we received a very generic RFE in January – one of those “blank RFEs” that can shake your confidence. But the team didn’t lose focus. They revisited every section, gathered additional context, and gathered new letters and peer reviews to strengthen the petition. Their ability to respond calmly and thoroughly made a huge difference. Ultimately, the petition was approved, and my wife and I are incredibly grateful for that outcome. We’re thankful for the persistence, care, and experience that Katya and her team provided. If you're considering the EB-1A path, I encourage you to talk to them.

I have mixed opinions after working with the attorney and the staff on my eb1a case, which was ultimately approved. There are things they do very well. Namely, Katya is a very witty and strategic attorney. She knows how to craft the story of your case. She can read between the lines very well and kn...ow exactly what the case needs work on. That kind of intuition is developed through years of experience and a multitude of cases. The other positive is that the junior attorneys, --- I worked with Sanjana -- are very hard working and actually put a lot of work into writing the case. If given the right context and information, they will make a very strong case for you. You just need to work well with them, which they are open to. Ultimately, no one knows your background and experience as much as you. However, the concern expressed by other people regarding timelines and communication is real. They have a very rusty communication system. They fail to be transparent about when things are delayed, overpromise on deadlines, and agree to timelines they know they cant hit. This erodes the attorney client trust. I have had a long journey until my approval, and it took a huge toll on my mental health. Them being unresponsive, falling behind on attorney reviews of the petition, saying they will email me in 30 min and not doing it after repeated followups and silent treatments added to the stress significantly. Look, no attorney can promise you the success of your case. Katya is brilliant and she knows how to put your mind to rest and divise a clear plan. However, she is overworked and her team is not being managed to use a proper communication system in place. Something as simple as weekly progress updates, or case step tracking (that actually works), notifying on delays and being transparent about it, rather than ghosting people when they inquire on it --- is a very simple but highly impactful practice. Hire more people to do that. Just having someone managing client communication and updates so that clients are not probing and harassing junior attorneys while they work on the case -- would be life-changing.

Katya and her team especially Maddalena Baker did an exceptional job in preparing my case for EB1A application. I was delighted to see their professionalism in every step of the process. They were upfront with what they can do and cant and advise me along the way. I was confident of the success after... hiring them for my EB1A petition. Highly recommend.