Marc Santamaria

I'm immigration attorney Dr. Marc Anthony Santamaria, a UC Berkeley Law Lecturer and SJD (PhD equivalent) scholar focusing on cases like E-2, EB-1A, O-1, Immigration Court and Removal Defense, ICE detention, bonds, Habeas Corpus Petitions, TROs, Traverse, and 9th Circuit litigation. I provide authoritative advocacy for global investors and humanitarian clients based on 8 C.F.R. and the USCIS Policy Manual. As the founding attorney of Santamaria Law Firm, P.C. in San Francisco, I've led a team dedicated to complex immigration litigation. We architect defense strategies for Removal Defense (INA § 240) and Asylum (INA § 208), and have been recognized by Bay Area consulates for our commitment to the immigrant community. I am an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and licensed by the State Bar of California (#284643). Offensively, we architect EB-1A and NIW portfolios using the Matter of Dhanasar framework to prove "National Importance." For O-1 and E-2 investors, we leverage my doctoral research on immigrant economic contributions to build a "primary source" evidentiary foundation. I instructed law and PhD psychology students on removal defense strategies, integrating psychological evaluations into INA § 208 (Asylum) and Cancellation of Removal cases to provide evidence-based defense. 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗨𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗦 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄? I’ve walked in your shoes. I personally navigated the INA § 245 Adjustment of Status process with my wife for her green card. I know the stakes aren't just legal—they are personal. Drawing from this firsthand experience, I am developing an interactive AI Simulation App that prepares my clients for the specific behavioral patterns of USCIS officers, reducing anxiety and increasing approval rates. 𝗠𝘆 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱: 🏫 13+ years as an immigration lawyer 🌍 Born and based in Silicon Valley, at the heart of innovation and technology 💻 Creating app for immigration interviews with AI developers 📜 Certificate from UC Berkeley Executive Education in Generative AI for Law & Python certificate 👨‍⚖️ Helping firms implement ethical AI frameworks, keynote speaker for AI, law, and equity at UC Law SF in 2025 𝗜𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝘀! 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗲: 🗣️ Favorite movie: Sound of Music 👨‍🎤 I love music as a former DJ 🧓 I'm into health and longevity 😺 I'm a slave to my cat Reina 🫓 I'm learning basic biblical Hebrew 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂? 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳!