Success Stories

Immigration law in Denver, Colorado

Azita Pahlevani

Azita Pahlevani fled the oppressive post-revolutionary regime in Iran, and came to the United States in 1985. Because of her anti-government activities before she left Iran, Ms. Pahlevani decided to apply for and was granted, political asylum in the United States. She later became a permanent resident, and eventually a citizen of the U.S. She also graduated from the University of Colorado College of Pharmacy, and now works as a pharmacist.

Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman represented Ms. Pahlevani in each phase of her immigration case - from asylum, to greencard, to citizenship. She has said, "Stern Elkind & Curray is a professional firm with feelings. No false hope - just the truth."

Yosef Tafari

Wanted by the communist regime in Ethiopia, Yosef Tafari escaped to Sudan in 1976. While in Sudan, Mr. Tafari's circumstances were noted by the United Nations and he was able to enter the United States on a U.N. passport as an Ethiopian refugee. His was Ken Stern's first asylum case, and since then Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman has successfully represented hundreds of Ethiopians and citizens of other countries in their efforts to gain asylum in the U.S.

Mr. Tafari's journey has been a long one. He risked persecution and death to speak out against communism in Ethiopia, but he is now a citizen of the United States and successful businessman. Mr. Tafari owns his own printing company, Quality Images, as well as a gas station in Englewood, Colorado.

Leo Vyssokov

When Leo Vyssokov left his native Kazakhstan in the early 1990s, he was looking for a dramatic life change. Trained as a physical therapist and massage therapist, he taught for awhile at the Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado, and eventually opened Izba Spa, which is a unique Russian-style spa that was awarded Best Massage by The Denver Post in its 1998 Colorado Peaks. In 1996, the Colorado Avalanche hockey team recruited Mr. Vyssokov as one of its official massage therapists, and he has worked in that position ever since. He is also the massage therapist for the Goose Car racing team, and has worked with many individual athletes and ballet dancers over the years.

Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman first helped Mr. Vyssokov obtain a temporary visa that allowed him to work in the U.S., and then worked with him to achieve permanent residence. He is now a proud citizen of the United States.

Dr. David Gardner

Dr. David Gardner, originally from England, completed his Ph.D. in biology and focused his practice on human infertility and embryology. In 1996, Gardner was recruited by the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, which was recently ranked the number of fertility center in the country by Child Magazine. Dr. Gardner has been recognized worldwide for his work with in-vitro fertilization and has been featured in several publications, including the cover of Newsweek magazine.

Subsequent to 9/11, Dr. Gardner's application for permanent residence in the U.S. was delayed as a part of the government's response to terrorism, even for cases of researchers scientists who were already working here.Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman represented Dr. Gardner and his family and successfully handled their cases, and they were able to become permanent residents.

Arlene Laing

Originally from Jamaica, Dr. Arlene Laing came to the United States to pursue graduate studies at Pennsylvania State University, where she completed her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in meteorology. Dr Laing served on the faculty at the University of South Florida for several years and is now a research scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Her research focuses on tropical storms and flooding. She is widely published and has been recognized throughout her field, having won awards from the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society. She recently submitted her study on flooding and community preparedness to National Hazards Review for publication.Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman is proud to have help Dr. Laing with her immigration matters from her days as a post-doctoral researcher to becoming a permanent resident.

Hyoung Chang

Hyoung Chang left his native Japan, came to the United States as a student in 1991, and graduated with journalism major from Metropolitan State College in 1997. While he was studying at Metro, his incredible talents as a photojournalist were being developed, and were soon recognized by The Denver Post, which hired him, first as an intern and then as a staff photojournalist. Many of Mr. Chang's photos appear in the Sports Section of The Post, but he also covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has won many awards for his work, and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Stern Elkind & Curray has represented Mr. Chang in regard to his immigration status in the United States, and has made sure that he has had the proper visa to allow him to work here. His application for permanent residence as an "individual of extraordinary ability in the art" should be approved in the near future.

Preet Singh

Preet Singh first came to the United States from India as a student in 1983. He attended the University of Denver, became a certified public accountant, and eventually earned a Masters Degree in Tax from DU.

Mr. Singh started his own company, K & G Stores, in 1993, and it has since grown from two to 72 stores throughout Colorado and Oklahoma. In addition to these stores, Mr. Singh is a petroleum wholesale distributor and has contracts with both Shell and Conoco Phillips - he provides approximately 45 million gallons of petroleum to the Colorado region, making him one of the largest distributors in the Rockies.

In 1997, with the assistance of Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman, Mr. Singh became a U.S. citizen. The firm has also worked on immigration matters with many of Mr. Singh's relatives, friends, and employees. In fact, Mr. Singh and Mr. Stern have developed a mutual admiration for each other. "Anything for Ken," said Singh!

Dr. Kagan Ozer

Dr. Kagan Ozer came to the United States from his native Turkey in 1996 for additional medical training. He soon decided that he wanted to settle in the United States and pursued post-graduate fellowships at The Cleveland Clinic and at The Institute for Hand and Microsurgery. Dr. Ozer moved to Denver in 2003 to join the medical staff of Denver Health Medical Center as an orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand and microsurgery.

Dr. Ozer is recognized as one of the leading hand surgeons in the country and, with the help of Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman, is on his way to becoming a permanent resident of the United States.

Curtis Leschyshyn

Curtis Leschyshyn is a professional hockey player from Canada. During his first stint with the Colorado Avalanche, he applied for and was granted permanent residence as "an individual of extraordinary ability in athletics." After a few years of playing with other National Hockey League teams, Curtis was signed again by the Avalanche in 2005.

In addition to working with Curtis and Laura Leschyshyn on their greencards, the firm also helped recently when there were complications over the U.S. visa for their youngest daughter, who was born in Canada while here Dad was playing hockey there. Now all of the Leschyshyns are happy to be back in Colorado.

Silvia Curiel-Torres

Silvia Curiel-Torres was working as a math and science teacher in her native Mexico in 1999, when she applied for a teacher exchange program between Mexico City and Denver. The experience was so positive for her that she decided to apply for a teaching position in Denver and was quickly hired. She is now a bi-lingual teacher at Lake Middle School.

Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman assisted Ms. Curiel-Torres, as well as her son and two daughters, to become permanent residents of the United States. The family looks forward to becoming U.S. citizens as soon as possible.

Michael Neuman

Michael Neuman recently moved to the United States from Canada to become President and Chief Operating Officer of EchoStar Communications LLP. EchoStar, which is one of Colorado's largest employers, is an innovator in communication and satellite technology, and Mr. Neuman now heads its day-to-day operation.

Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman has represented EchoStar in immigration matters for many years, and has obtained visas for hundreds of EchoStar employees. Mr. Neuman came to Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman for immigration assistance, and we were happy to be able to help him get the visa he needed to begin his work at EchoStar. Mr. Neuman noted, "It's important for any company to be able to attract employees in the Global Market - Emily and her team were really attentive to out needs."

If you need legal help with your immigration case, or if you know someone who does, please contact us to set up an initial consultation.