Gregory B. Pietrzak
Greg has over 15 years of experience providing legal advice and representation to individual and business clients, both large and small, on a broad range of immigration matters. Prior to founding Macina & Pietrzak, LLC, Greg worked for a number of years at two law firms in New York City that specialized in immigration law. He was introduced to and developed a passion for immigration law while in law school where he participated in a clinic and worked on the successful asylum application of a Burundian national and he worked as a legal intern with the trial attorneys in the former Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Greg’s experience has included many aspects of immigration law, including:
- Applications for permanent residence (green card applications) through family and employment-based petitions.
- Nonimmigrant visa petitions/applications for professionals (H-1B, L-1, TN), individuals of extraordinary ability (O-1), other classifications (B-1/B-2, F-1, J-1), and related applications for dependents.
- Assistance to clients applying for visas abroad who faced difficulties in obtaining their visas.
- Family-based immigration matters, such as marriage cases, petitions for removal of conditional residence, family petitions and fiancé(e) (K-1) petitions.
- Employment-based immigration matters, from the PERM/labor certification process through adjustment of status.
- Naturalization/citizenship applications and claims of derivative citizenship.
- Extraordinary ability petitions for permanent residence.
- VAWA petitions.
- TPS applications.
- Religious worker petitions.
- Representation of individuals in removal proceedings in immigration court.
- Preparation and presentation of asylum claims, and related applications for relief.
- Motions to reopen and appeals, to immigration courts, the BIA and federal courts.
Greg truly enjoys working in the immigration field, especially the people he has met, the clients he has helped and the various cultures he has had the opportunity to learn about. He also believes it is important to give back to the community, and he has made an effort to do so through his volunteer and pro bono work. Greg’s pro bono work started soon after his graduation from law school when he volunteered at the Central American and Refugee Center (CARECEN) in Hempstead, Long Island. He has also volunteered as an on-site attorney during the CUNY/Daily News Citizenship Now! Call-In, he has been involved in AILA’s Citizenship Day efforts, and he has spoken on immigration matters at churches in New York City and on Long Island to educate and inform members of the community about the complexities of our immigration laws.
Education
New York Law School, JD
St. John’s University, BS, Communication Arts
Admissions
New York
New Jersey
Memberships
American Immigration Lawyers Association, New York Chapter
- Citizenship Day Committee, 2009-2010 (Long Island site supervisor)
- Corporate Practice Committee, Member, 2008-2009
New York State Bar Association
New York County Lawyers Association