Michelle Alonzo

Michelle V. Alonzo is a Shareholder in the Cowles Thompson Immigration Practice Group.  She focuses on employment-based immigration matters, where her experience includes:

• handling H-1B professional worker visas
• O-1 extraordinary ability visas
• E-1/E-2 treaty investor
• L-1 transfer visas
• TN temporary work visas for citizens of Canada & Mexico
• E-3 professional worker visas for Australian nationals
• permanent residence applications based upon labor certification
• extraordinary ability aliens, and multinational managers and executives.

Additionally, she has represented hundreds of individuals in obtaining legal permanent residence through family-based sponsorship and has assisted aspiring entrepreneurs, world-renowned athletes, and DREAMERs.

Michelle has experience with deportation defense and appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals, as well as preparing waivers for clients proceeding before the U.S. consulates abroad for their immigrant visas.  She  has also practiced immigration law in Houston, Texas, where she assisted clients with family-based immigration, deportation defense, and naturalization.

• “Did You Miss the H-1B Lottery?” Cowles Thompson webinar, April 2021
• “Protección para Venezolanos – TPS/DED/Asillo,” Cowles Thompson webinar, March 2021
• “Venezuelan Relief – Deferred Enforced Departure (DED),” Cowles Thompson webinar, March 2021
• “H-1B CAP Registration / Application process,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, February 2021
• Citizenship Workshop, presenter, Plano Multicultural Outreach Roundtable, February 2021
• “Venezolanos – Salida Obligatoria Diferida (DED),” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, January 2021
• “New Administration – Immigration Expectations,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, January 2021
• “Immigration/US policy immigration & global mobility,” presenter, International Business Summit, October 2020
• “Understanding Priority Dates,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, October 2020
• “J-1 Physicians – Immigration Options,” presenter, IMG Recruiters group, September 2020
• “Executive Order Expanding Restrictions on Work Visas,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, July 2020
• “Pending Legislation for Foreign Physicians,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, May 2020
• “La Orden Ejecutiva Suspendiendo Inmigratión: Duración, Opciones;” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, April 2020
• “The Latest Immigration Ban: Duration, Who’s Affection, Options;” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, April 2020
• “Immigration Compliance,” presenter, Latin America Forum, October 2020
• “Immigration for International Students,’” co-presenter, University of Texas at Dallas, August 2019
• “How Immigration Impacts the Business Community,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, August 2019
• “Immigration 101,” presenter, Cowles Thompson CLE presentation, July 2019
• “How Extraordinary Do You Have to Be? EB1 & O1,” Cowles & Thompson webinar, July 2019
• “Demystifying E-Visas,” Cowles Thompson webinar, May 2019
• “Understanding J-1 Waivers,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, April 2019
• “Green Card Options for Physicians,” Cowles Thompson webinar, March 2019
• “H-1B Cap Season,” Cowles Thompson webinar, February 2019
• “Government Update,” Cowles Thompson webinar, January 2019
• “H-1B Visas,” presenter, Immigration Law Section, Dallas Bar Association, January 2019
• “Immigration Consequences of Divorce, Separation and Death,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, November 2018
• “Consular Processing and Visa Stamps,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, October 2018
• “Immigration Road Map for F1/OPT Students,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, August 2018
• “How Not to Lose Your Green Card,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, July 2018
• “E-B5 and Physician Investors,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, June 2018
• “Physician Recruiting,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, May 2018
• “2018 Government Update,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, April 2018
• “Citizenship Process: Dos and Don’ts for Applications,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, March 2018
• “H-1B Season: H-1B CAP, Wage Level and Specialty Occupation Issues,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, February 2018
  “Immigration and Worksite Enforcement – What Employers Must Know, Whether They Employ Foreign Nationals or Not,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, January 2018
• “Immigration: State of the Union,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, December 2017
• “The Perm Process: 5 Tips and Pitfalls to Avoid,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, November 2017
• “Immigration for Investors and Entrepreneurs,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, October 2017
• “Immigration 101,” speaker, Dallas Bar Association North Clinic, September 2017
• “Family-Based Immigration,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, September 2017
• “Permanent Residence Options (Green Card) for Physicians,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, August 2017
• “Immigration: State of the Union,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, July 2017
• “J-1 Physicians: Are You Waiver Ready?,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, June 2017
• “H-1B Compliance and the Hire American Executive Order,” presenter, Cowles Thompson webinar, May 2017
• “Immigration 101,” presenter, United Dallas, April 2017
• “H-1B Visa Alternatives & Legislative Update,” co-presenter, Cowles & Thompson webinar, Dallas, TX, April 2017
• “The State of US Immigration Under a Trump Administration,” co-presenter, Cowles & Thompson webinar, Dallas, TX, March 2017
• “J-1 Waiver Options & Executive Order Impact,” co-presenter, Cowles & Thompson webinar, Dallas, TX, February 2017
• Plano Citizenship Day, volunteer attorney, Plano, TX, February 2017
• “The New Form I-9 and Compliance,” co-presenter, Cowles & Thompson webinar, Dallas, TX, January 2017
• “What to Expect with the New Administration,” interviewee, NXA Radio, Dallas, TX, December 2016
• “Inmigración Bajo la Administración Trump,” co-presenter, Cowles & Thompson seminar, Brookhaven College, Dallas, TX, December 2016
• “The Upcoming USCIS Deadline and How to Prepare,” co-presenter, Cowles & Thompson webinar, Dallas, TX, December 2016
• “Eighth Annual Labor Rights Week” at the Mexican Consulate in Dallas, TX, August 2016
• “Immigration Law – The Nuts and Bolts,” CLE, Tarrant County Bar Association, Fort Worth, TX, August 12, 2016
• “Non-Immigrant Investor/Trader Options (E-1/E-2),” CLE, Dallas Bar Association, Dallas, TX, April 11, 2016
• Naturalization Clinic for LPRs, attorney participant, Mexican Consulate, Dallas, TX, February 6, 2016
• “Avance Dallas” – Nancy Moseley Elementary, Dallas, TX, January 20, 2016
• “Business Immigration 101” Texas A&M University School of Law, Fort Worth, TX, September 22, 2015
• “Seventh Annual Labor Rights Week,” Mexican Consulate in Dallas, TX, August 2015
• “Know Your Rights – Domestic Violence,” Celebration of International Woman’s Day 2014 – Presented by The Women’s Institute (Instituto de la Mujer), Irving, TX, March 8, 2014
• “Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and U visas,” Stop the Violence Campaign, Mexican Consulate, Dallas, TX, February 5, 2014.
• Immigration Information Session/Update, Mexican Consulate, Dallas, TX, August 28, 2013
• General Immigration Seminar, Mexican Consulate, Dallas, TX, August 17, 2013
• “Immigration Update Regarding Reform, DACA, Removal, etc.,” panelist, Mexican Consulate, Dallas, TX, April 27, 2013
• “Martes de Inmigración,” interviewee, Telefutura’s Viva La Mañana, Univisión, Dallas, TX, April 16, 2013
• Immigration Presentation (General), panelist, Bryan Adams High School, DISD, Dallas, TX, February 21, 2013
• “Deferred Action, Provisional Waiver, Immigration Reform,” Es El Momento Forum with DISD, Fannin Elementary School, Dallas, TX, January 30, 2013
• “Martes de Inmigración,” interviewee, Telefutura’s Viva La Mañana, Univisión, Dallas, TX, January 29, 2013
• “Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and U visas,” panelist, Fort Worth Police Department with Women’s Institute (Instituto de la Mujer), Fort Worth, TX, November 17, 2012
• “Las Llaves del Éxito” on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, University of North Texas – Dallas Campus, Dallas, TX, October 27, 2012
• “Es el Momento,” co-presenter, Education Forum, Mountain View Community College, Dallas, TX, October 13, 2012
• “Es el Momento” panelist, Education Forum, Fort Worth, TX, October 9, 2012
• “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA),” panelist, Mexican Consulate, Dallas, TX, September 8, 2012

• “Texas Leads Suit with 6 Other States to End DACA,” author, Cowles Thompson Business and Legal Update, May 2018
• “Immigration and the Great State of Texas,” author, Cowles Thompson Business and Legal Update, May 2018
• “Privacy? Not So Much at U.S. Ports of Entry, author, Cowles Thompson Business and Legal Update, March 2017
• “Immigration Enforcement and Responding to Government Inquiries,” co-author, Cowles Thompson Immigration Update, March 2017
• “What Can We Come to Expect of U.S. Immigration Under a Trump Administration?,” author, Cowles Thompson Immigration Update, November 2016

• Admitted to the State Bar of Texas, 2007

• State Bar of Texas
• American Bar Association
• Dallas Bar Association
  • Immigration Law Section – Vice Chair (2020-2021)
• WE LEAD: Women Empowered to Lead in the Legal Profession, 2018
• American Immigration Lawyers Association

• State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee – appointed July 2020 to a three-year term
• Best Lawyers in America© – Immigration Law, Best Lawyers®, selected for inclusion 2022-2023
• Best Lawyers in Dallas, Immigration Law, D Magazine, selected for inclusion, 2019, 2021