Rina Gandhi is the lead attorney in Murray Osorio’s Maryland office. She supervises the firm’s family, humanitarian, and employment teams. Rina focuses her practice on affirmative filings including complex employment-based cases such as National Interest Waivers; family-based cases; naturalization; non-immigrant visas such as P’s, O’s, and H’s; and humanitarian cases including asylum, U visas, and VAWA, with an emphasis on waivers of inadmissibility for crimes, fraud, and unlawful presence. She is also familiar with the nuances of consular processing, and the unique approaches to different consulates around the world. Rina has been exclusively practicing immigration law since 2014 when she graduated from William and Mary Law School. Prior to joining Murray Osorio PLLC, Rina worked on both affirmative and removal defense cases, specializing in employment cases, criminal-immigration issues, and waivers. Rina has worked within the field of immigration since 2009. Prior to becoming an attorney, she worked at several non-profit organizations including Catholic Charities, as a paralegal at an immigration law firm, and at a refugee resettlement agency.
Rina is also an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center where she teaches a course focused on gender-based asylum law. Rina is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Federal Bar Association (FBA). She is a co-chair for the AILA-DC USCIS Liaison committee, coordinating with USCIS on individual cases and larger policies. For many years, she was the Co-Chair of the Advocacy committee, engaging congress with on-the-ground issues and advocating for reform. Rina frequently lectures on immigration law, including at conferences for AILA and the FBA, in webinars, and at universities. She also volunteers at legal aid and naturalization clinics in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Select Speaking Engagements:
- "360 Degree Review of Consular Immigrant Visa Process," FBA Immigration Section 2023 National Conference, May 2023
- “Criminal Hot Spots in Family-Based Cases” (Discussion Leader) – AILA National Annual Conference 2023
- “360 Degree Review of Consular Immigrant Visa Process” (Moderator) – FBA Annual Conference 2023
- “AILA's FOIA Toolbox” – Contributing Author 2022 and 2023
- “Waivers in Removal Proceedings: Beyond the Basics” – AILA Web Seminar 2022
- “Discretion and Difficult Naturalization Cases” – FBA Annual Conference 2022
- “Advanced DACA Issues” – AILA Web Seminar 2022
- “Consular Processing Updates” – AILA-DC Conference 2018, 2022
- “How to Prove Good Faith When Traditional Bona Fides are Not Available” – AILA National Annual Conference (Virtual) 2020
- “Trauma-Informed Lawyering” – FBA Annual Conference 2017, 2018, and 2019
- “Is marrying a US citizen a good option for a DACA recipient?” CNN 2018
Bar Admissions
- Maryland
- U.S. Supreme Court
Education
- 2014 William and Mary Law School
- 2011 St. Edward’s University, Magna Cum Laude
Memberships
- AILA and AILA-DC
- USCIS Liaison Co-Chair
- Prior Advocacy Committee Co-Chair
- Federal Bar Association
Languages
Interesting Fact
Rina enjoys cooking and gardening. She is studying Spanish and likes to travel to Spanish speaking countries to practice.
