Professional Experience
Joseph Elias joined Reeves & Associates in 2000 and is a Senior Attorney in the Business & Employment Department at R&A’s Pasadena Office. He became partner of the firm in December 2003.  Mr. Elias has successfully represented hundreds of business clients from multi-billion dollar corporations to individual workers before the Immigration Services and U.S. Consulates.  Mr. Elias is the responsible attorney representing clients for EB-5 million dollar investments, E treaty-trade visas, L intercompany transferees and corporate structuring for immigration purposes. 

Attorney Elias is a frequent lecturer on business immigration and is a contributing writer of R&A’s internationally published column concerning the latest developments in immigration law and emerging immigration issues.  His lectures include Masters Level PERM Labor Certification and Introduction to the Labor Certification Process.  He counsels corporate HR and General Counsels and provides immigration training for the Manufacturing, Healthcare, Technology, Entertainment and Services industries. 

Mr. Elias’ accomplishments include successfully appealing numerous adverse Immigration Service decisions regarding employment petitions.  He is also an advocate for less restrictive immigration laws and to increase the number of business related visas.

Mr. Elias was previously employed by the U.S. State Department at the U.S. Embassy in Germany.  He also served as an attorney with the U.S. Justice Department as the head Judicial Law Clerk for the U.S. Immigration Courts in Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA and York, PA.  Mr. Elias represented technology corporations before joining R&A.

Practice Areas
Include H-1B, H-3, healthcare workers (RN, PT, clinical laboratory scientists, physicians), O-1, P-1, Aliens of extraordinary ability, religious workers, L-1, TN NAFTA visas, E investor visas, EB-5 investor visas, F-1 student visas, J-1 Waivers, waivers of inadmissibility, and B-1/B-2 business/pleasure tourist visas and appeals of any adverse decisions in these areas.

Education
Attorney Elias earned his Bachelor’s Degree in English from Pennsylvania State University in 1993. He graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from Temple University School of Law with honors in Immigration Law in 1997.

Licenses and Membership
He is licensed to practice law before the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Supreme Courts, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration Section.

Languages
Mr. Elias is fluent in Arabic.