Portrait of Mohammad Ali Syed

Mohammad Ali Syed

Principal

Mohammad Ali Syed is a principal attorney in Offit Kurman’s Immigration Law Practice Group.

He represents clients in business and employment-related permanent and temporary visa matters such as: (1) U.S. employers employing non-U.S. nationals in professional and non-professional positions – H1B, H2B, TN, O, PERM; (2) non-U.S. businesses and individuals such as treaty traders and investors, E-1/E-2, EB-5, EB1A, EB1B (extraordinary ability individuals and researchers), EB2-NIW (national interest waivers); (3) multinational companies with intracompany transfers of employees and principals to their U.S. offices, existing and startups – L1 and EB1C; (4) Counselling on I-9 compliance, immigration and visa strategy.

He also represents families and individuals in family-based immigration matters, such as fiancé, spouse and immediate family member applications. He also litigates immigration matters in federal courts, such as writs of mandamus and APA Act suits for delays in processing.

Mo's clients include individuals, small, medium and large companies and non-profits, both U.S. and non-U.S. His representation has spanned a variety of industries, such as accounting, agriculture, architecture, automotive, casinos, commercial real estate, education, energy, financial service, healthcare, hospitality, IT, law firms, oil and gas, pharmaceutical and medical device, print and digital media, religious entities, restaurants, retail, robotics, sports, software, staffing, technology and winemakers to name just a few.

He regularly represents aliens of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business and athletics. He has vast experience with nonimmigrant and immigrant visas including H-1B, PERM (employment-based green cards), E-1/E-2 treaty trader and investor visas, L-1 intracompany transfer visas, O, P and multinational managers and EB-5 investor immigration. He also handles I-9 compliance and Department of Labor Investigations.

Mo has been admitted in Maryland as an expert to testify in court on immigration topics related to employment, business and family based immigrant and non-immigrant visas. He has expertise in family-based immigration, fiancé visas, naturalization and related matters. He also litigates cases involving delayed consular processing of visas, and USCIS delays in naturalization and immigration matters.

Mo's clients come from several different countries and a variety of industry sectors.  This experience in a variety of legal areas for a host of varied clients gives him the depth and breadth of real-world knowledge and legal expertise to be a trusted advisor to his clients and an effective advocate for them.

Prior to devoting himself full-time to immigration law, Mo worked as a civil and business litigator in Washington, D.C. and in Nashville, TN with prestigious law firms.  He then decided to start his own law firm, and built a robust business immigration practice, for nearly a decade before joining Offit Kurman. Prior to this, Mo spent some time at a large regional law firm in Karachi, Pakistan as a business and disputes lawyer.

Mo is a certified Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) ski instructor and an avid cyclist.

    Education

    • University of Rochester (B.A.)
    • George Washington University Law School (J.D.)
    • Harvard Law School Program of Instruction for Lawyers

    State Bar Admissions

    • District of Columbia
    • New York
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia

    Court Admissions

    • Supreme Court of the United States
    • United States District Court for the District of Columbia
    • United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
    • United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
    • United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
    • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
    • United States Court of International Trade
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

    Professional Affiliations

    • Member, Immigration Advisory Commission of the American Bar Association

    Recognitions

    • 2025 Top Attorney for Immigration, Bethesda Magazine 
    • Top Attorney List, Immigration, Bethesda Magazine, 2023
    • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® Rated Attorney
    • 10 out of 10 Ranking, AVVO
    • Selected to Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers® for Immigration(2018-2020).
    • Selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers® for Immigration (2013-2016).

    Languages

    • Urdu
    • Hindi
    • Spanish
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