Attorney Merina Shakya is the principal attorney and owner of Shakya Immigration Law, PLLC. A native of Nepal, she has lived in the U.S. for over 23 years. She obtained her JD from the University of Illinois Chicago and has worked in the field of U.S. immigration for almost 10 years. She has extensive experience in almost all areas of immigration, including deportation defense, asylum, all types of family-based immigration, and business immigration. Ms. Shakya is also experienced in appellate practice, having represented several clients in front of the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. She also practices in federal district courts and has successfully sued the U.S. immigration agencies for wrongful application denials, as well as for unreasonable delays in adjudicating such applications. As an immigrant herself, she deeply understands the challenges of being an immigrant in the U.S. and strives to obtain the best possible outcome for her clients.

Ms. Shakya represents clients in all 50 states for immigration-related matters.

Ms. Shakya is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and has been recognized as "Ones to Watch" by Best Lawyers® every year since 2021.