Michael A. Harris, Board Certified Specialist

michael-a-harris-immigration-lawyer-miami.jpgImmigration Lawyer Michael A. Harris has had a dynamic career in the field of immigration law since 2000. From small families to multinational companies with over 20,000 employees, Mr. Harris, based in Miami, Florida, has been successful in a wide variety of immigration matters.

Meet Award-winning Immigration lawyer and specialist, Michael A. Harris

Mr. Harris is a Board Certified Immigration Specialist, which means that the Florida Bar has determined that he is an expert in the field of Immigration & Nationality Law. As a leading immigration lawyer in Miami, he has earned an AV Preeminent Peer Rating, the highest rating available from Martindale-Hubbell, the leading independent attorney rating entity. Mr. Harris also has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Chambers and Partners for for his work in immigration law. He has also been named a top attorney by EB5 Investors Magazine. As an attorney practicing federal immigration law, Mr. Harris can represent immigration clients around the United States and world.

In addition to greatly enjoying the practice of Immigration law and living in South Florida, Mr. Harris has deep ties to the legal community. He is a past member of the Florida Bar Board Certification Committee in Immigration and Nationality Law, for which he was part of a select group of lawyers who write, grade and review other lawyers seeking board certification. Mr. Harris has also served his local immigration bar association, AILA South Florida, one of the largest chapters of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, as a member of the board of directors and executive committee.

Mr. Harris grew up in Miami Beach as a 1st and 2nd generation American, and graduated high school from Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove, FL, one of the nation’s top private secondary schools. He is an active father to two children, whom he is raising with his wife, a Realtor at one of South Florida’s top real estate sales groups. His mother was born in Lima, Peru, and his father was a World War II Air Force veteran whose parents were born in Eastern Europe in the late-1800s. After college at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, and during the midst of the Elian Gonzalez crisis, Mr. Harris began work as a paralegal for a board certified specialist in Immigration & Nationality Law. During this time he experienced the Post-9/11 overhaul of the legacy-INS into the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the problems created by the Patriot Act, Special Registration and the transition of immigration procedure into the BCIS (today known as the USCIS).

After several years of work and clerkship in the field of immigration law, Mr. Harris received his Juris Doctor degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Law in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 2007. Prior to earning his law degree, he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and English from the University of Florida (UF) in 1999. Prior to attending UF, Mr. Harris also studied Political Science for two years at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. His studies in U.S. federal government and the American political system helped prepare Mr. Harris to work in highly distinguished immigration law firms where he was educated and trained by some of the country’s leading experts, authors and lawyers in the field of Immigration & Nationality Law.

Today, Mr. Harris is recognized as a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Immigration & Nationality Law and a leading immigration lawyer in Miami. Among all attorneys eligible by the Florida Bar, currently only 6% are board certified specialists. This is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in an area of expertise. Board certification is not required to practice immigration law, but it shows a level of commitment and expertise by lawyers. In fact, among over 96,000 attorneys currently licensed by the Bar, Mr. Harris is 1 of 79 attorneys (or less than 1%) who are board certified as experts in Immigration Law.

  • EXPERIENCE

In support of his record of success, Mr. Harris has significant experience taking part in the representation of highly complex immigration matters, including:

  • EB-5 Regional Centers for U.S. companies seeking to qualify under the EB-5  Immigrant Investor Program, which allows companies to offer a foreign national an investment opportunity in order to apply for a green card based on minimum qualifying  investment. Mr. Harris has represented EB-5 Regional Center operators and projects in industries such as assisted living; manufacturing; gold and silver mining; restaurant; and hotel/office construction. He has obtained approved project designations for regional centers and projects in all or parts of the states of Alabama, Alaska, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the State of Washington, Washington, D.C., as well as Florida. His EB-5 clients have sought to raise as much as $250 million in EB-5 capital through the EB-5 Program. Mr. Harris has also represented projects which utilized the Direct EB-5 program to pool multiple investors for non-Regional Center projects.
  • EB-5 Investors who seek to invest through a USCIS-approved Regional Center or through Direct Standalone investments in their own U.S. business. Mr. Harris’ expertise in the practice of EB-5 law has been recognized through his invitation to write and speak on EB-5 matters for distinguished EB-5 seminars and online publications. Mr. Harris is a member of IIUSA, a not-for-profit industry trade association for the EB-5 Regional Center Program. He has also been named a Top 25 EB-5 Lawyers in the U.S. by EB5 Investors Magazine.
  • Family Immigration matters involving U.S. citizen petitioners and families in complex legalization, abused spouse cases, good faith marriage waivers, hardship cases, and other family immigration issues. Mr. Harris has also served as an expert witness before the State of Florida family law courts.
  • Deportation Defense matters for detained and non-detained clients. Mr. Harris has successfully obtained various forms of relief for his clients, including: Cancellation of Removal, Motions to Terminate, Motions to Reopen, and Release on Recognizance (without Bond) for clients detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As well, in today’s “crimmigration” world, Mr. Harris has also advised criminal defense attorneys on the immigration consequences of certain crimes and plea deals, such as food mislabeling, theft, and controlled substances offenses.
  • CREDENTIALS

Admissions:

  • Admitted to Florida Bar, 2007.
  • Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, 2020.

Awards & Certifications:

  • Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Immigration & Nationality Law, 2013 to Present.
  • AV Preeminent Peer Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, 2014 to Present.
  • Best Lawyers in America, 2020 to 2022.
  • Chambers and Partners, 2024.
  • Top 25 EB-5 Immigration Attorneys by EB5 Investors Magazine, 2019, 2021.

board certified immigration attorney miami         

  • Juris Doctor Degree, Nova Southeastern University, 2007.
  • Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science & English, University of Florida, 1999.

Memberships:

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Member, 2006 to Present.
    • AILA South Florida Chapter, the regional chapter of nearly 1,000 lawyers representing clients in the Miami-Dade-Ft. Lauderdale Metropolitan Area, as well as many other counties in South Florida.
    • AILA Latin American and Caribbean Chapter, which assists members whose work focuses on legal issues in Latin America and the Caribbean.
    • AILA Rome District Chapter, which assists members in representative matters in Europe, Russia, Middle East and Africa.

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  • Invest In The USA (IIUSA), Member, 2014 to 2019; 2024 to Present.

Professional Activities:

  • Member, Technology & Innovation Committee, AILA National, 2022 to Present.
  • Vice-Chair, Florida Bar Board Certification Committee on Immigration & Nationality Law, 2023 to 2024.
  • Member, Florida Bar Board Certification Committee on Immigration & Nationality Law, 2018 to 2024.
  • Member, EB-5 Committee, AILA National, 2022 to 2024.
  • Board of Directors, AILA South Florida Chapter, 2016 to 2022.
  • Secretary, Executive Committee, AILA South Florida Chapter, 2020 to 2021.
  • Chair, CLE Luncheons, AILA South Florida Chapter, 2021 to 2022; Member: 2014 to 2016 and 2017 to 2018.
  • Chair, Strategic Alliances Committee, AILA South Florida Chapter, 2021 to 2022.
  • Member, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Annual Conference, AILA South Florida Chapter, 2015 to 2016; 2017 to 2020.
  • Chair, Unlicensed Practice of Law (UPL) Committee, AILA South Florida Chapter, 2017 to 2019; Member: 2014 to 2017.
  • Vice Chair, Congressional Committee, AILA South Florida Chapter, 2018 to 2019; Member: 2016 to 2017;
  • Member, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Committee, AILA South Florida Chapter, 2016 to 2017.
  • Member, IIUSA Technology Committee, 2016 to 2017.
  • Co-Chair, New Member Division, AILA South Florida Chapter, 2013 to 2014.
  • “Creating Effective Immigration Systems for Your Firm,” panel speaker at AILA Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois (June 2024).
  • “Overview of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022,” panel speaker, AILA Investors and Entrepreneurs Conference (February 2024).
  • “50 Tech Tips in 50 Minutes,” webinar panel speaker, AILA Latin American and Caribbean Chapter (March 2024).
  • “Investors 101,” panel speaker at EB-5 Investors Magazine‘s EB-5 & Global Immigration Expo, Miami, Florida (April 2023).
  • “EB-5 Update,” discussion leader at AILA South Florida, 44th Annual Immigration Law Update, Miami Beach, Florida (February 2023).
  • “H-1B Visas – Are They Still Available?”, panel speaker at AILA South Florida, 43rd Annual Immigration Law Update, Miami, Florida (April 2022).
  • “50 Tech Tips in 50 Minutes,” webinar panel speaker, AILA Latin American and Caribbean Chapter (February 2022).
  • “Practice Management Panel,” webinar speaker at the AILA South Florida, 42nd Annual Immigration Law Update (February 2021).
  • “Alternative Visa Options,” discussion leader at EB5 Investors Magazine‘s 2020 Wealth, Tax Planning & Immigration Virtual Expo (December 2020).
  • “The Show Must Go On – EB5”, discussion leader at the AILA South Florida, 41st Annual Immigration Law Update, Miami Beach, Florida (February 2020).
  • “Mr. Roboto: Tech issues”, discussion leader at the AILA South Florida, 41st Annual Immigration Law Update, Miami Beach, Florida (February 2020).
  • “Hot Topics on EB-5”, panel speaker at AILA South Florida Membership Luncheon, West Palm Beach, Florida (September 2019).
  • “Technology to Improve Your Immigration Law Firm!”, panel speaker at AILA South Florida Membership Luncheon, West Palm Beach, Florida (September 2019).
  • “I Will Survive – EB-5 Investor Perspectives”, discussion leader at the AILA South Florida, 40th Annual Immigration Law Update, Miami Beach, Florida (February 2019).
  • “EB-5 Program: Is This For You and Your Client?”, panel speaker for “Lazy Days of Summer” Interactive CLE Series, Miami, Florida (July 2018).
  • “Million Dollar Baby: EB-5 at a Crossroads”, panel speaker at the AILA South Florida, 39th Annual Immigration Law Update, Miami Beach, Florida (March 2018).
  • “The Matrix: Tech Threats in the Legal World of Tomorrow”, panel speaker at the AILA South Florida, 39th Annual Immigration Law Update, Miami Beach, Florida (March 2018).
  • “Consular Processing and Preparing for Tricky Situations and Recent Changes”, panel speaker for “Lazy Days of Summer” Interactive CLE Series, Miami, Florida (July 2017).
  • “Tax Consequences of Moving to the US for EB-5 Investors”, panel speaker on EB5Diligence.com’s Webinar Series (February 2017).
  • “EB-5 Visas”, panel speaker for the Florida Association of Women Lawyers Miami-Dade Chapter’s Corporate Counsel Summit, Miami, Florida (February 2017).
  • “Issues for Solo Practitioners and Small Business Owners”, panel speaker for AILA South Florida’s Brown Bag Interactive Lunch Series, Miami, Florida (November 2016).
  • “L’s and EB1-3, Help Get My Petition Through”, panel presentation at “Lazy Days of Summer” CLE Series, Catholic Legal Services, Miami, Florida (August 2016).
  • “Law Office Management and Marketing: Tips from the Pros”, panel speaker at the AILA South Florida, 37th Annual Immigration Law Update, Miami Beach, Florida (February 2016).
  • “Representing EB-5 Investors”, panel presentation at the AILA South Florida Membership Luncheon, Miami Beach, Florida (October 2015).
  • “Technology & Law Practice”, panel speaker for AILA South Florida’s Roundtable Series, Miami, Florida (September 2015).
  • “Alternatives to PERM”, panel presentation at “Lazy Days of Summer” CLE Series, Catholic Legal Services, Miami, Florida (September 2015).
  • “EB-5 101”, panel presentation at the AILA South Florida Membership Luncheon, Miami Beach, Florida (September 2014).
  • “EB-5 101”, panel presentation at The EB-5 SEC & FINRA COMPLIANCE SEMINAR, West Palm Beach, Florida, sponsored by The EB-5 Resource Group (August 2014).
  • “Economist Issues: TEAs, Job Creation Models, Tenant Occupancy Issues”, panel presentation at the EB-5 Summit for Attorneys and Developers, Miami, Florida, sponsored by ILW.com (February 2013).

E-Mail:    michael@harrislawpa.com
Office:     (305) 792-8677

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