Our office only practices immigration law. We offer a full range of immigration services assisting corporate and individual clients with obtaining green cards, employment based visas, citizenship applications, adoptions, student visas, as well as other immigration matters.
Khanbabai Immigration Law has a strong consular practice working with clients from the Global South with visa applications at US embassies worldwide, but with a particular focus on the Middle East and Africa. Individuals from these countries face a more complex and difficult visa process at embassies that are typically under resourced with many months or years of delays compared to embassies in Europe.
We have expertise in advising and representing hospitals, clinics, and international medical graduates with J-1 visa issues and other immigration matters. Our special interest and years of experience in physician related business immigration allows us to facilitate our clients’ employment and immigration needs.
U.S. Immigration Law is federal law, which allows our office to provide services to clients throughout the 50 States and 2 Territories, as well as legal representation before the U.S. embassies abroad. We appear with clients for interviews and hearings before the Citizenship and Immigration Service and American consulates.
Mahsa Khanbabai, Esq.
mahsa@mk-immigration.com
508-297-2065
LinkedIn
Education:
Albany Law School, JD cum laude, 1998
Union College, BA, 1993
Admissions:
1999, Massachusetts
MA Federal District Court
Memberships
American Immigration Lawyers Association
AILA USCIS Liaison Committee
AILA DEI Committee
AILA New England Congressional Committee
AILA New England DEI Committee
Former Liaison roles: State Department Liaison, Waiver Review Division Liaison, Customs and Border Protection Liaison, and Afghan Response Taskforce Co-chair
Past Chapter Chair, AILA New England
International Medical Graduate Taskforce (IMGT)
IMGT government liaison committee
Boston Bar Association
New England Muslim Bar Association
National Association of Muslim Lawyers (Former At Large Board member)
Iranian American Bar Association
USA 500
Areas of Special Focus
MIT Sandbox Advisor on entrepreneur immigration issues
Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai has dedicated her legal career to immigration and naturalization issues, representing individual, nonprofit, educational and business clients. She assists clients with employment visas, family petitions, and citizenship applications, as well as other immigration related matters. A significant part of Mahsa's practice is devoted to assisting foreign dental students, international medical graduates with J-1 Waiver issues, and Nurse Schedule A applications. She has a focus on assisting entrepreneurs and other employment related work visa matters.
Mahsa has been an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) for 25 years and is an elected Director of AILA’s Board of Governors. She serves on several committees and was appointed as Co-Chair of the AILA Afghan Response Taskforce in 2021 to help oversee the legal related issues that have arisen as a result of the crisis in Afghanistan. She is a regular presenter at AILA conferences on physician immigration, humanitarian visas, and consular related matters.
In her capacity as a member of the AILA New England Congressional Liaison committee she works closely with congressional offices to advise on legislative policy and as a CBP Liaison worked with CBP officials on issues related to visa entry at airport and border posts. Attorney Khanbabai is an active member of the International Medical Graduate Taskforce, an association of immigration attorneys specializing in physician related immigration and played an instrumental role in helping expand the HHS J1 waiver program in 2021.
Attorney Khanbabai is a frequent lecturer on issues involving immigrants and the immigration process and has presented seminars for companies, organizations and community organization. She is regularly interviewed by news agencies such as NPR, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, NYT, MSNBC, and others. Her legal advocacy and strategic use of the media spotlight has led to numerous high impact immigration changes including the reinstatement of Deferred Action. She travels worldwide, with a focus on the Middle East, working with law firms that need specialized immigration counsel.
Attorney Khanbabai authored extensive article on international medical graduates and the J-1 Waiver process for the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education annual publication on Immigration Law. She was a contributing editor to Ms. Magazine writing on immigration issues and on the Board of Editors for the AILA Law Journal.
An avid supporter of her community, Attorney Khanbabai serves on the SAVE the Children Boston Leadership Council, and on the Town of Easton's Human Resources Board. She is a former board member of her alma mater Wilbraham and Monson Academy and previously served on the executive board of the MetroSouth Chamber of Commerce and the Massachusetts Governor's Advisory Council on Refugees and Immigrants.
Attorney Khanbabai was born in Iran and raised in Western Massachusetts. As an immigrant whose father was a J1 physician, she is personally familiar with the hardships the immigration process can present. In addition to her native language of English, she speaks Farsi and learned conversational Turkish while spending a year working in Turkey.
Stephanie Alves is a Law Clerk at Khanbabai Immigration Law with a Juris Doctor from Massachusetts School of Law and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bridgewater State University. Stephanie is dedicated to her profession & enjoys working closely with our clients. With over a decade of experience at Khanbabai Immigration Law, she works on complex cases and conducts in-depth legal research and analysis. She is patient, dedicated, understanding & passionate about helping clients and making sure the immigration process runs smoothly for our clients.
Stephanie is the daughter of Cape Verdean immigrants and is fluent in Kreole. During her time at BSU, she was inducted into the Hall of Black Achievers, an Adrian Tinsley Research Grant recipient, and BSU's Kente Cloth Scholar. She continues to give back to her community by serving on Easton's Affordable Housing Trust. Stephanie is often found spending time with her family, traveling, and trying new recipes for different ethnic foods.
Member of the Cape Verdean American Lawyers Association (CVALA)
Please contact Stephanie to schedule appointments and to arrange any drop-off of documents and information for a file.
Rim Dhaouadi
Law Clerk
Rim@mk-immigration.com
Shirin Dargahi
Paralegal
sdargahi@mk-immigration.com
Rim Dhaouadi is a Law Clerk at Khanbabai Immigration Law with a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Penn State Law. Prior to that, Rim was admitted to the Tunisian Bar in 2018 and worked for over six years in the NGO sector and policy research in Tunisia with a particular focus on international law and human rights. Rim holds a master degree in international law from the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Aix-en-Provence, France, and completed three years of law school at the Faculty of Juridical Sciences of Tunis, Tunisia.
Shirin Dargahi graduated from Shahid Beheshti University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Law (LLB) and undertook a legal internship during her studies. She also participated in the Price Media Moot court in 2019. Shirin continued her legal education and received a Master of Law (LL.M) from Pennsylvania State University in 2020. She is fluent in Farsi, Arabic and English. Shirin works remotely and can be reached by email.
