The Immies 2026The winners have been announced — meet the inaugural award recipients. View the winners

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People’s Choice Winners Announced · June 17, 2026

The Immigration Awards presented by Build Talent Labs

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San Diego, CA · June 17, 2026

Build Talent Labs named the category winners of the inaugural Immies — the first-ever national awards program dedicated exclusively to honoring immigration attorneys — at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Annual Conference.

“America won the last era of innovation because the world’s best people could come here, study here, stay here, and build here. If we break the ‘stay and build’ part, we should not be surprised if the next generation of companies is built elsewhere. Immigration attorneys are the people fighting every day to make sure that does not happen.”

Danielle Goldman

Danielle Goldman

Co-Founder & CEO, Build Talent Labs

2026 Winners

Meet the inaugural Immies Awards winners

Nine award categories, selected by our panel of judges. Winners were chosen across the full spectrum of excellence in immigration law — from legal innovators to unsung paralegals.

Zain Ali

Winner

Zain Ali

CEO·Centuro Global

Redefining legal innovation by combining elite legal expertise with AI-native technology to transform the global immigration and mobility practice.

View nominee page
Nelli Shevchenko

Winner

Nelli Shevchenko

UK Immigration Solicitor·Sherrards

Earned recognition combining innovative thinking with tangible impact in immigration practice, delivering creative outcomes for both corporate and individual clients.

View nominee page
Rosanna Berardi

Winner

Rosanna Berardi

Managing Partner·Berardi Immigration

Earned recognition through a consistent, principled voice in the most polarized areas of American law.

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Kristin Hommel

Winner

Kristin Hommel

Business Immigration Attorney·Corporate Immigration Attorneys

Earned recognition for the tenacity and skill she brought to a highly complex RFE, securing approval in the most challenging filing of her career.

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Dorukhan Oguz

Winner

Dorukhan Oguz

Founding Attorney·Oguz Law

Consistently prioritized service to underrepresented communities — for his team, community service isn't an add-on, it's the heart of their daily work.

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Yohana Saucedo

Winner

Yohana Saucedo

Founder & Managing Partner·Office of Yohana Saucedo

Over more than two decades, advocated for clients while simultaneously enduring a life-threatening illness and undergoing double lung transplants — a testament to exceptional courage and purpose.

View nominee page

Winner

Krischelle Joseph

Paralegal·Messner Reeves

Not just the backbone of the Messner Reeves immigration team — the beating heart, keeping the practice running efficiently behind the scenes with a level of dedication that consistently goes beyond what the role demands.

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Ruth Blanco

Winner

Ruth Blanco

Senior Associate·Tafapolsky & Smith

Having built a career from paralegal to Senior Associate, Ruth brings a rare, end-to-end command of business immigration that elevates every client she serves and every team she works alongside.

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David Asser

Winner

David Asser

Partner·Messner Reaves

Together with Sam Harden, this mentor-mentee duo took on the full range of immigration cases — corporate, family, detention, and asylum — with empathy and dedication throughout the year.

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Community Vote

The People’s Choice winner

Dedicated to one standout attorney based on one public vote recognized by peers and colleagues.

Sonal Sharma

Winner

Sonal Sharma

Founding Attorney·Sharma Associates

Recently secured approval after USCIS issued a Notice of Intent to Deny, successfully challenging the filing petition while a visa was pending — a testament to tenacious advocacy for her client.

View nominee page

Coming in July 2026

Three grand prize winners to be announced.

The People’s Choice winners have been announced. Three additional grand prize winners — selected by our panel of judges — will be revealed in July. Stay tuned.

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Grand Prize I

To be announced

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Grand Prize II

To be announced

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Grand Prize III

To be announced

Winners will be notified directly. The Immies plan to return for a second edition in 2027.

Why we do this

Celebrating the people who have more than earned it.

Immigration attorneys, paralegals, and advocates navigate complexity, fight for real people, and push the law forward — often under pressure and with little recognition.

The Immies exist to change that.

This inaugural national awards program honored innovation, resilience, advocacy, and leadership across the immigration law community — celebrated live at the AILA National Conference in San Diego on June 17, 2026.

They take the 4am calls. They fight RFEs. They find pathways nobody else can see. The Immies exist because that work deserves to be recognized, and because the future of American innovation depends on the people doing it.

Got questions

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the Immies Awards.

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