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Marie Puertollano, immigration lawyer in San Diego, CA

Marie Puertollano

3.8(6)
San Diego, CA Replies in ~24h English, French, Spanish 14 years practicing CA Bar
AsylumBusinessCitizenshipEmploymentFamilyInvestmentRemoval DefenseStudent

About Marie

Ms. Puertollano is the Managing Attorney of the law offices of Jacob Sapochnick and an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Born and raised in France, she earned two Master Degrees in Law; one in France in Public Law and one in the United States in Comparative Law (LL.M). She is fluent in French, English and Spanish.

As an attorney, Ms. Puertollano represents clients in removal before the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the BIA and immigration court. She also practices all areas of immigration law: family based, employment-based, and investment-based immigrant and non-immigrant visas.

More precisely, Ms. Puertollano files family based (marriage, fiancé, I-751), employment based (H-1B, H-3, TN, R-1, L-1, PERM, EB1C), and investment based petitions (E-2), as well as naturalization, DACA, F-1 reinstatement, visas based on extraordinary abilities (O-1, NIW and EB-1A), athlete visas (P-1), I-360 Victim of Violence Visas (VAWA) and asylum cases. She prepares clients for their marriage first or second (fraud) interviews, I-751 and citizenship interviews and attend the interview with them. She also deals with complex motions to reopen as well as I-601A and 212(d)(3) waivers.

In her free time, Ms. Puertollano enjoys exercising and spending time with her family and friends. She is a motivational speaker as well as a mentor to high school students.

Practice areas

Asylum

Affirmative and defensive asylum cases

I-589WithholdingCAT
Business

Corporate immigration and global mobility

E-1E-2TNCompliance
Citizenship

Naturalization and derivative citizenship

N-400N-600
Employment

Work visas, PERM and employment-based green cards

H-1BL-1O-1EB-2EB-3PERM
Family

Spouse, fiancé(e), parent and sibling petitions

I-130K-1I-485AOSGreen Card
Investment

Investor and entrepreneur visas

EB-5E-2L-1A
Removal Defense

Deportation and immigration court defense

NTACancellationBond
Student

F-1, M-1, OPT and STEM extensions

F-1OPTSTEM-OPTM-1

Education

California Western School of LawLL.M. (2011) · 2011

Bar & associations

Bar license
CA Bar
Active & in good standing
The State Bar of California
American Society of Legal Advocates
American Immigration Lawyers Association

Professional experience

Attorney · Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick
Intern · ABA Immigration Justice Project
Intern · San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program
Law Clerk · Communaute Urbaine de Strasbourg (CUS)
Intern · Conseil General du Bas Rhin

Awards

Top 40 Immigration Lawyers under 40 in CaliforniaThe American Society of Legal Advocates · 2018
Pro Bono AwardABA Immigration Justice Project · 2016
Appreciation AwardLaw Offices of Jacob Sapochnick · 2014
Wiley W. Manuel AwardSDVLP · 2012

Client reviews

3.8
6 client reviews
51
43
32
20
10
DT
D. ThompsonSep 26, 2025

Got my H-1B approved on the first try

My company's in-house lawyer dropped the ball, this team picked it up two weeks before deadline and we still got an approval. Lifesavers.

VP
V. PetrovaJun 18, 2025

VAWA approval — they treated me like family

Could not have done this without them. They listened, never judged, and got it done.

YW
Y. WongSep 26, 2025

Honest about a weak case

Other lawyers wanted to take my money. They told me to wait six months and refile — and that's exactly what worked.

TA
T. AkinwaleJun 5, 2025

Patient and bilingual — explained everything in Spanish

Mi mamá pudo entender todo el proceso. We never felt rushed. Highly recommend.

DT
D. ThompsonJan 4, 2026

Stopped my removal proceedings

I was facing deportation after a long stay. They got me cancellation of removal. Forever grateful.

RG
R. GarciaJun 16, 2025

Knew exactly how to handle a tricky RFE

USCIS sent a 14-page RFE on my O-1. The response was filed in two weeks and approved without further questions.

Frequently asked

A 30-minute video or phone call. We review your situation, identify the best path, outline timelines and costs, and answer your questions. You'll receive a written summary afterwards.

Most cases are flat-fee. Pricing depends on category and complexity, and is shared in writing before you retain.

Only the initial consultation is paid through Immigrantio (via Stripe checkout). Once you retain, the lawyer bills you directly — retainer, milestone or hourly fees go straight to the firm's own trust account. Immigrantio is not in the chain of custody for case payments.

Conversations on Immigrantio are end-to-end encrypted. For sensitive case documents and original evidence, you'll exchange those directly with the lawyer by their preferred secure method — Immigrantio doesn't store your case files.