I'm so happy and grateful with the services I received in my citizenship process Johnny Sinodis and Brett Garcia did the best with my case, I definitely recommend Van Der Hout LLP read more

As a criminal defense attorney, I often need to refer clients to Zachary Nightingale so he can identify the immigration consequences of potential plea offers. His guidance has protected almost all these clients from loss of "green card", DACA status or exclusion when return to US after visiting family in their country of origin. This firm's consultation fee and services are not inexpensive, but it would be unrealistic to expect that from a premier firm in coastal CA. read more

I found myself in a strange and confusing situation. I am a German national of Russian origin and traveled to USA since 1992 more than 25 times. Unfortunately I made a mistake when completing ESTA application and was recommended to apply for a visa. The first one took close to 3 years to obtain due to pandemic. When it expired I immediately applied for a renewal. When 9 months passed and US consulate in Frankfurt kept answering I was under administrative research and they provided no deadline. They also never explained me what that research was for since they did the same procedure when I applied for a visa the first time. I realized I had to look for legal help in the USA directly. A good acquaintance of mine in San Francisco, also an attorney recommended to address Zachary Nightingale at Van Der Hout law firm. He put it short: he's the best in immigration law I know. I did as he suggested and was impressed how recommendation could fit the reality. I sent a mail to the firm and received an answer next day. Within 3-4 days we talked online and I presented my problem to Zack Nightingale and his colleague Christine Raymond. Mr. Nightingale was very straight with me, he said he would make no promises, but outlined clear legal strategy how to influence the government to grant me a visa. Also he advised on all costs every step involved and explained each step in details. In 6 months from the onset of our work USA consulate sent me a mail notifying the visa is granted and I had to drop my passport at the consulate. The same day in the evening I received a mail from Christine and Zack notifying me the US Attorney mailed them sharing the same news. I want to thank my US immigration attorneys for the perfect job they've done for me. They were always available for me by mail and phone, I have never waited for an answer mail more than 12-24 hours. Financial department team Monica Martinez and Allison Cruz helped to provide the paperwork to comply with German tax legislation requirements. I highly recommend Zachary Nightingale and Christine Raymond whenever one looks for reliable and efficient immigration legal support. read more

We had a good experience with Van Der Hout LLP company, and particulary with our lawyer Nav Khinda, who is very knowledgeable and professional. We had some delays in my mother's green card documents process, because of Covid 19 shut down, but otherwise Nav navigated us through that process very easily. If you are looking for professional help in your immigration documents or need consultation about the process, you can rely on Nav's help and considerations. read more

I was under an Order of Removal. My husband & I had been told by many Immigration Lawyers, from San Diego, LA & the Bay Area, that my case was impossible and that I would never be granted any type of relief, and none of them would even consider taking the case. There were also other factors that made my case even more difficult and complex. Mr. Nightingale heard our story and mapped out a couple different strategies. He was the only lawyer out of many that told us our case was winnable. We began working with lawyers at Van der Hout to build out a very complete and strong case. The interview and then later, and more importantly, the actual hearing, went better than we could have ever imaged because of expert level negotiating and preparedness by Van Der Hout LLP. Mr Nightingale developed and organize our story, which became clear, strong & vindicating. I was granted relief at my hearing. Van Der Hout LLP/ Mr Nightingale achieved what we had been told was impossible. We will be eternally grateful to Van Der Hout LLP / Mr Nightingale for keeping our family together. read more

Both my wife and I worked with Van Der Hout as part of our Permanent Residence and Citizenship application/naturalization process. I have worked with a number of lawyers in my career from a variety of fields, everyone I have worked with at Van Der Hout over the years is at the top of their field of expertise. Whether it was the main lawyer, the paralegal or the administrative assistance we experienced the greatest support, exceptional service and above all caring. Often the immigration process is a stressful time in many peoples lives and that was the same for me/us. The human-centric approach made the process so different than a previous experience when we worked with a prior immigration attorney. The best decision you will ever make! Thank you all. read more

Marc and Nav took on a very challenging case and delivered great results for my family. They are experts in immigration law who were not only dedicated and hardworking but truly believed in my parents' case, which was reassuring throughout what could have been an extremely stressful process. As a lawyer myself, I could tell that their expertise and experience is second to none, and having closely reviewed their work, I knew my family was in good hands with Marc and Nav. If you have a difficult immigration case -- or just want immigration law advice/assistance from the best in the field -- this is the right firm for you! read more

I resorted to Van Der Hout LLP after a first law firm I hired initially did less than satisfactory of a job with my N400 application, and possibly jeopardizing its integrity altogether (!) Van Der Hout LLP stepped in and helped me clear any ambiguity following my interview with USCIS, doing so by educating and offering a stellar advice to me, laying out a high-level strategy to my case, and crafting a pertinent and effective response to USCIS, ultimately resulting in the approval of my US citizenship in a fairly short time. I am very grateful for Van Der Hout LLP; their service and competence are nothing short of impeccable, efficient, and professional. Highly recommending. read more

My mom went through her case by their fantastic professionalism and deeply experience. It's magnificent! I really appreciate our attorney Navjot and paralegal Norberto. We definitely can't make it done without you. read more

This Firm has been very sincere in my case. And it also gave great results. So I am very grateful to the Van Der Hout members!

I had a really complicated case, but my lawyer Navjot Khinda handled it very well and we were finally able to win our case! Previously I worked with a different law firm and when I transferred my case over to Van Der Hout, I have seen the difference in service they're AMAZING! Nav is a very hardworking lawyer and very good at what she does. Even though we had a very challenging and complicated case, she managed to get through it all and found a solution for all of our problems. read more

We had an incredible experience from beginning to end with our successful immigration process with VAN DER HOUT, especially with Attorney Nav Khinda. An amazing team of people who are dedicated and interested in finding the best solution to your problem. Attorney Nav worked with us throughout the entire process -she is thorough, accommodating, diligent, and hardworking. She handled every question and concern that I had with very much patience, professionalism and expertise. It is very hard these days to find a firm that you can trust. We felt secure in their hands at all times. Attorney Nav's hard work and dedication bring a successful outcome for us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!. We would recommend their services to anyone who needs immigration assistance. read more

A little update: It's 2019 and I got my US passport in hand. After the initial struggles to remove the conditions off of my green card I decided to go through the naturalization process with the help of a good attorney. Easy choice: Van der Hout. I married during the 14 month wait, and I also moved and had to change the processing office. They guided me through all of it allowing me to focus on other things in life, rather than stressing about something going wrong with this. The attorney on my case was Marla Samora and the paralegals were Valeria Vera and Karina Suarez. My experience was just as good as the first time. Every t was crossed and i dotted, everything was on time, complete and they are just the nicest folks you could hope to ever work with. They run a tight ship and it shows. My immigration story is over, but I keep a couple of their cards and I'm fast to recommend them to anyone looking for legal help in immigration matters. I'm very, very happy with their services. read more

Hands down, Zach Nightingale and Helen Beasley are the best immigration attorneys. I am so grateful that I was referred to them at Van Der Hout. I took the Oath couple days ago and finally Naturalized after a long long fourteen years. Their legal expertise and professionalism went above and beyond my expectations throughout the course of my case. I first spoke with Zach back in early 2016 and he guided me at every step ensuring the best possible outcome. Helen is an amazing attorney. She is very detailed and a true professional. Thank you so much for your passionate, thoughtful, and brilliant work!!! If you want peace of mind and the best possible outcome - look no further than Van Der Hout LLP. read more

Spectacular. I know, not a word one associates with legal matters (much less immigration law), but I was thoroughly impressed with VDHB&N (hmmmm, don't think that acronym's going to work...). Anyways, I had some (vague) knowledge of a fairly specific type of investor visa, and Stacey Gartland, the attorney who helped me, turned out to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Now, I'll most probably be filing for that visa with all the concrete information and advice I was given. Even more than Ms Gartland's competency, though, I particularly appreciated that she took the time to explain everything in great detail - and before you protest, I was charged a (very reasonable) fixed fee, so there was no monetary incentive for doing that either. She had prepared tons of copies of documents for my review, which was really nice (when really, she could have given me directions on where to get more info, or even worse, told me to look things up myself). The office was very responsive to e-mails (even before I consented to paying any fees, which I gladly did for a consultation at their offices). I had also arranged for some of my relatives to listen in to the in-office consultation on the phone, and after some technical difficulty that went smoothly as well. Again, I can't think of anything I asked that Ms Gartland didn't immediately and decidedly knew the answer to - and let me tell you, I had prepared a lot of questions. Which is why I was so pleased with her patient approach. Okay, I'm starting to repeat myself, so I guess I just have to conclude that if lawyers have a bad reputation, it really isn't because of this office! I will go back to this office for every step along the way to becoming a permanent resident (I hope)... Lastly, some general advice for anybody looking for immigration lawyers: don't cheap it out, it's too important, you really need a competent lawyer to do the work and advise you, even if they are not the cheapest ones. You may think you can't afford a good immigration lawyer, but what you really can't afford is to be ill-advised, file wrong paperwork, or (heaven forbid) to get into some type of immigration trouble! read more

I can't believe I forgot to review this practice while I lived in California! If you have any questions or concerns about your visa status; how to renew it, how to extend it, what your rights are while living on that visa, how to change from one type of visa to another - this is definitely the most competent and only law firm you need to contact. First of all, I cringe before going to consult with a lawyer. I know they can charge you $$$$ even while sitting on the toilet thinking about your case. Van Der Hout Brigagliano & Nightingale are not like that; they charged me a very reasonable fixed rate before my consultation ( I think it was even less than the $265 hair cut and color my hairdresser in SOMA charged me by surprise) Stacey Gartland was prepared and reviewed all my documents before meeting with me. She asked me a series of questions and I was surprised by how knowledgeable she was about visa / immigration laws. She answered all my questions during my one hour lunch break (I know she would have spent longer with me, if I wasn't in such a hurry) and I left feeling very empowered knowing that if I wished to stay in America there are many options to make it legally possible. I am in awe of how professional, educated and articulate Stacey is and admire people who choose a career that's motivated by helping people. Even though I love California, I decided not to stay and I'm no longer afraid of lawyers! read more

They don't come cheap, but the phrase "I'm going to get the best lawyers money can buy" is something that this place can live up to. My wife and I are still working with them, but I can say that they are professional, hard working, and prompt. They are also friendly as well. We've had a number of successes in our case so far, and coming nearly to a complete close. What I personally liked the most is their strong sense of communication. Yes, they charge for that as well, but I am one who would prefer to know exactly what is going on and what the plan is moving forward, rather than just say "here are the papers, deal with it for me". Being involved is important. They guided us through everything, what to expect, and how to proceed, even gave encouragement. In the end, I am glad that we dropped our previous dead beat lawyer who seemed to care about only taking care of easy to win cases, cases with least amount of work, and collecting money from everyone else without doing anything. Brigagliano & Nightingale have my full approval in their complete line of work. Our lawyers were Marc, Valerie, Lisa, and Katie. read more

I brought a very complicated immigration case to the firm. Recommended by a non- profit agency. My case was assign to Valerie Zukin. I have to admit that Valerie worked very hard on my case with a positive outcome. And because Of her hard i am Now and American Citizen This is a very serious firm and I would recommend it 100% Yo traje mi Caso de inmigración a esta firma de abogados. Mi caso se lo asignaron a Valerie Zukin Y aunque mi caso era bastante complicado ella trabajo muy duro para obtener un resultado positivo. Por el buen trabajo que ella y la firma hicieron Yo soy ahora ciudadano Americano Yo los recomiendo al 100% read more

Pricey. 500$ per consultation. But this part is OK. The first consultation was scheduled quickly and was quite thorough. We were encouraged to email with follow-up (clarifying) questions. We did. 1.5 weeks, no reply. We emailed again, this time asking whether we needed to schedule another appointment. Then, we got a reply - yes, we would have to. It would cost another 500$. read more

Van Der Hout is simply amazing! After 26 years of leaving in the shadows, my husband finally was granted his lawful permanent residence. The firm was honest about our case as it was a complicated issue and possible solutions. We had the honor and privilege to work with Adriana and Juventino. What a team! Their compassion towards our situation and dedication to our case is indescribable. Their expertise reflected in our outcome! We are forever grateful that you believed in us and took our case. This means everything to us and our children who have witnessed the struggles we endured leaving in this country awaiting for justice. We can finally LIVE without fear and take our children to visit our country for the first time. Had you not taken our case, none of this was possible. We are FOREVER grateful! read more

Firstly I want to deeply apologize for the very long delay in writing this Yelp review (nearly 7 years late). I am sure so many people would have benefited from it but I guess in this case better never late then never definitely applies. The immigration law firm Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale is hands down the best of the best law firm for anyone with a complex immigration case. To go back 7 years, a very close family members had gone through 2 different immigration lawyers before this law firm and we honestly consulted with about 10 immigration law firms before the selection of this the third law firm for my very close family member (I was there during each of the first two lawyers and all the other consultations as well as with Van Der Hout Brigagliano & Nightingale). My close family member had already spent around 10k with the first two lawyers with no good news in sight (near the end of the decision), and additional I do not remember what dollar amount for the other consultations). We then lucked out on this law firm and decided to go with them because of the amazing ability and knowledge, their skill and expertise was second to none. We spoke to their senior attorneys Nightingale at the time and he referred us to his more junior attorney for my family's members complex immigration case, the attorney's name was Lisa and she took the ball and ran with it. If we were talking about Football (with the hands) it was like we were half way through last quarter, need 14 pts for a draw which seemed next to impossible but we took that chance with them. If you are talking about Football (with the foot) it was like we were down by two goals past the 80th minute and needed 2 goals to draw. Then if we drawed in either case, we would then go to OT and have to win OT for the immigration case to win. This was already a very long case that was dragging for years and years and I was very saddened to see what my close family member, spouse and their family members were going through and I was very close to all of them (they were all my family). Lisa took and ran immediately and determined with the very complex immigration case and scored the first touch down or goal but then had to leave for personal but very karmic good and valid reason. Again we were all disheartened but she left it to her friend was equally as good if not better and this immigration lawyer's name was Katy. Katy not only scored the goal before regular time ended but also scored in OT and allowed us to win the game. Yes, why am I am using sports analogies here, is because I am a sports fanatic not at all, there is no better way that I can think to explain the dire situation my family members were in and they saved their lives for the positive which is all I can say. The message I want to carry here is that agaisnt all odds, what already a very long numbers of years, with a lost very close in sight, they changed it all around and gave the win and my close family's got their green card, and now forward close to 7 years in the future and you see that they are a family with kid and great member of society and this would have not all been possible without Katy, Lisa, the entire Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale leadership and the great paralegal team that they have behind and their paralegal team were all great. If Katy and Lisa was the best of the best that I saw, I cannot even imagine the skills and aptitude of their three founders of the company. Again thank for everything that you have done and all that you have done, you have definitely the best a client and their families can hope for and hope you keep up the great work. I know many of you reading this have a question about the cost, yes, they are expensive and I do not deny that but they are the best of the best. Not only that I do not know if they still offered this, but at that time they asked for a retainer and setup a payment plan and it was one of the best money that was every spent in our lives. Yes I do agree somewhat to the review below that the administrative / billing staff were not great, maybe just average if I remember correctly. However getting the best immigration attorneys and best paralegal staff that I have seen and as I have explained above have seen many, that is completely insignificant. The immigrations attorney and paralegal staff are the best among the best and in addition are thoughtful, kind, determined and much more; there is nothing more that we could ask for... And pulling a near impossible win that is all that matters. Stay safe all. Thanks again you all are life changers. Again sorry for the very late post... read more

Years ago I had no hope until my older brother whom had a successful story with this office pushed us to have a consultation. We were told our options and although there was no guarantees we felt comfortable and safe and decided to proceed. This office treated us with respect, honesty and professionalism. There was never a time where we didn't understand our case and their follow through was exceptional. Norberto was extremely patient and I appreciate that a lot. Thanks to his persistence and follow up (even with COVID-19) Norberto was able to complete our application and we already received approval notifications! I recommend you have a consult with this office if you want to know your options, you will not regret it. read more

This business pays yelp to hide bad reviews so am pretty sure this will be under the not recommended reviews as well. As someone mentioned in the hidden review, yes, their staff is not just rude but beyond rude, unprofessional and bullies. No wonder the staff get along great and have good teamwork on providing unprofessional service. I kept calling this office every week for 3 months to set something up and the staff kept taking my phone # each time and never called back at least even to inform that they don't have any appointments. Two months passed and I thought it's high time I get going on my paper work so called them the third month and requested them to at least let me know if they have no appointments at all that its fine. The only reason I waited that long was because my friend had worked and referred attorney Avantika Shastri who works in this office. The staff was super rude and unprofessional. By the way, no potential client should ever put up with that. Please don't do that. Don't give business to people who have no respect for you, your time and loyalty with respect to being referred. Relying on a reference for an attorney that works in this office totally backfired on me. Sometimes personal references just fail. Eventually, after 3 months of dilly dallying, they gave me an appointment and said the consultation fees are $350, I said 'ok' since I thought that all these rave reviews are for a reason never mind the consultation fee. We show up at their office and they want us to pay the fees prior to the consultation. Their staff should have told us upfront while making the appointment that they take fees even before the consultation because no other service providers do that. We would never have wasted our time taking time off work and driving all the way. We complained about their staff's rude and unprofessional behaviour to Mr Nightingale, he apologised profusely, understood and said we can pay the fees after the consultation. But our biggest hesitation - the attorney was going to be out of station the next 3 weeks and in that time frame we would have had to work with their staff and given the fact that they were so rude and unprofessional did it for us and we walked out of their office. Mr Nightingale was a nice person, we never got to see Avantika she never even spoke with us on the phone so have no idea. She did leave a VM after we walked out but the damage was done. This experience made us realise that just having good attorneys to work with is not enough, even the staff has to be good. In the end, thanks to yelp we found another attorney in the area with whom we could directly interact on phone after speaking with his staff. He did not deal in any shady consultation fee and blah blah scam, just asked us to fill up a form on his website and email it to him. Then he personally called us back to set up an appointment and viola paperwork filed! All done in just a few days! read more

I would like to say if you are looking for the BEST Immigration Law Firm in SF Bay Area, please go to this one. They are detailed,Professional and very easy to understand. They have the BEST team working for YOU. When we went for our Immigration appointment with INS our Attorney was with us and this process could not have gone smoother. I recommend this Immigration Law Firm 110%. read more

I was in removal proceedings, which is another term for " deportation"! I went to different law firms in San Francisco and they all were turning me down and throwing the same " Good Luck to you" phrase because of the complexity of my case! Fortunately, I was later referred by one of non-profits in SF to the Van Der Hout Law firm which as I was told was not cheap, but had a great reputation of winning difficult cases like mine was. I met Valerie Zukin, whom my case was assigned to later on. Right from the first meeting, I saw the high level of the professionalism. My case was reviewed in detail by Valerie prior to our meeting, so I would only needed to make a choice on what kind of legal strategy to pick for my case! As I started working more closely with Valerie, I began admiring her more and more as a professional and individual. At the times when I was running out of hope and was ready to give up on my case, Valerie did not leave any room for "giving up" option. I am still not sure how she did that, but I guess with her years of experience dealing with difficult cases, she became not only a highly professional lawyer but also a great psychologist who understands people who go through lasting frustrations while getting their immigration status settled. Valerie Zukin is so motivated and driven by helping people in challenging situations. Her passion for her work is just limitless! Valerie and her firm did what other lawyers and law firms could not do, which speaks for itself! My removal proceedings have been dropped and I am now eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship! Thanks to Van Der Hout Brigagliano & Nightingale law team! read more

Van Der Hout, Brigagliano and Nightingale is the best immigration law firm! The staff are all kind, considerate and concerned with the cases. In particular, our lawyer-Valerie Zukin-and our paralegal-Stephanie Miranda-were fantastic! Their services were worth every penny as they knew our case, our evidence and our possible outcomes incredibly well. Thanks to the hard work of these two wonderful women, my mother's deportation was withheld and she will soon have a work permit. Thank you Van Der Hout, Brigagliano and Nightingale for keeping my family intact through your legal expertise! read more

Ms Avantika Shastri who worked on my case is an amazing lawyer, if you can afford her she is the best. I remember she thinking about my case at odd times and reminding me of potential hiccups. She was the one who helped me go though a very complicated issue. I always felt well taken care of and she will reply to all my emails at her earliest. Finally in the end I admired her to be a extremely smart women attorney who is sincere, truthful and in the top league. If you can spend extra bucks, I can assure you that there will be no disappointment. She will take care of you if you are truthful. All the best Ms Shastri. read more

Having arrived in the US as a baby. I as a child grew up and embraced the American way of life..despite some hardships and minor setbacks I persevered and overcome those obstacles. That is until I was detained by ICE.. apparently permanent residency is not so "permanent". One does not think that growing up in a country especially one that is the epitome of freedom that those freedoms are easily and quite often taken. I was told that I would be deported back to a country that I only share a distant heritage. No family no support network despite my biological father being US army and a citizen (things were complicated to say the least). How does a system send a person back to something they do not or have not experienced since leaving as a 3 yr old child. I had given up hope... and then we found Zachary Nightingale... hope not only blossomed but today I am out of detention and with a renewed sense of faith in the system. I feel that I can breathe after having had to hold it for so long... thank you for giving my family and I a chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. read more

Ms. Gartland is the epitome of professionalism and ability. Had a difficult case and she guided us through it with ease. Cannot recommend her more highly. read more