Valerie May

Pennsylvania Immigration Attorney

Valerie L. May

  • Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Former Member Board of Directors

  • Family House, Former Member Board of Directors

  • J.D.

  • Honors: With Honors Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Honors: Departmental Honors

  • Pennsylvania SuperLawyers Immigration Law, 2011- 2023

  • Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association, Member

  • Allegheny County Bar Association, Member, Immigration Lawyers Committee

  • rated by Super Lawyers

  • Areas of Practice

  • Immigration & Naturalization Law

  • Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania

  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

  •  3rd Circuit Court of Appeals

  • University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Western Pennsylvania American Cancer Society, Former Member Board of Directors

  • Western Pennsylvania American Cancer Society, Former Treasurer

  • Western Pennsylvania Make-A-Wish Foundation, Former Member Board of Directors

Valerie L. May, a Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and New York immigration lawyer, graduated from both Chatham College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law with honors. She was a member of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review and interned for the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorney May founded May Law Group, LLC, in 2003 and it has grown to be an internationally recognized United States immigration law firm, noted for the quality of its work and dedication to finding immigration solutions for the most difficult immigration problems. Attorney May represents immigration clients throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the world in business immigration, family immigration, and all United States immigration areas.

Attorney May has extensive experience in employment-based immigration, including filing I-140 petitions. Alien of extraordinary ability and national interest waivers are immigration petitions that Attorney May files frequently. Many of the employment-based petitions she has filed involved complex business immigration issues such as corporate mergers and acquisitions.  Attorney May has filed thousands of immigration petitions and has a near perfect rate of approval for many immigration petitions.* She has represented major corporations and handled all aspects of their business immigration cases. Attorney May performs I-9 audits for corporations and has represented Fortune 500 companies, major medical centers, colleges and universities, and individuals in their immigration matters. She has also represented internationally recognized athletes and sports teams. In addition, she counsels corporate clients on H-1B compliance issues and employer sanctions.

Attorney May has represented individuals and their families in all aspects of family-based immigration cases. Her practice includes naturalization, visas for physicians and health-care workers, as well as alien of extraordinary ability, outstanding professor and researcher, and multinational executive and manager petitions filed in the EB-1 category. She also files national interest waivers for physicians and those individuals whose work benefits the United States as a whole. Attorney May files J waivers for clients subject to Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. One of her approved J waivers involved the U.S. Department of State acting as an interested government agency to approve a waiver that, with its approval, made new law.

Attorney May has traveled extensively in Asia, particularly Korea and Hong Kong, and developed many contacts in the international and United States immigration community. Many of her clients are international companies and business persons based in South America and Europe.

She has served on the boards of numerous charities and civic organizations including the Western Pennsylvania American Cancer Society, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and Family House. Attorney May is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Allegheny County Bar Association Immigration Lawyers Committee. She is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States Federal Court for the Western District  of Pennsylvania, and the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals.  She was selected by her peers to be listed in the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine, an honor limited to the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania, every year since 2011.

*Similar results cannot be guaranteed due to variations in the facts of each case.

Contact an Immigration Lawyer in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or New York

To speak with an immigration lawyer about your needs, please contact Valerie May online, or call 412-291-4400 (Pittsburgh) | 215-880-4977 (Philadelphia) | 347-839-1700 (New York City). May Law Group represents business clients and individuals throughout the United States, including Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Virginia, Ohio, and worldwide in Korea, Africa, India, and Pakistan.

Valerie L. May, the founder of May Law Group, graduated with honors from both Chatham College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She was a member of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Law Review and is admitted to the bars of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States Federal Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. May has been interviewed by many media sources as an authority on immigration law, including the New York Times, Associated Press, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, KDKA Radio, and Fox Radio. She has served on the board of numerous civic and charitable organizations such as the Western Pennsylvania American Cancer Society, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Family House, and the Western Pennsylvania Make-a-Wish Foundation. She has been active in the parent groups of Shady Side Academy and Yale University.  She has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer by her peers.  This honor is limited to the top five percent of attorneys in Pennsylvania.

Ms. May has extensive experience in employment-based immigration. She has broad experience filing I-140 petitions. Many of the employment based petitions she has filed involved complex business immigration issues such as corporate mergers and acquisitions She has a very high approval rating for I-140 Petitions. She has represented major corporations and handled all aspects of their business immigration cases. Ms. May recently headed an I-9 audit team for a multinational corporation and counsels corporate clients on H-1B compliance issues and employer sanctions.

Ms. May represents individuals in alien of extraordinary ability, outstanding professor and researcher, and multinational executive and manager petitions filed in the EB-1 category. She also files national interest waivers for physicians and those individuals whose work benefits the United States as a whole.

She has represented individuals and their families in all aspects of family- based immigration cases. Her practice includes naturalization, and visas for physicians and healthcare workers.

Ms. May has traveled extensively in Asia, particularly Korea and Hong Kong, and developed many contacts in the international and United States immigration community.

She has served on the boards of numerous charities and civic organizations including the Western Pennsylvania American Cancer Society, Western Pennsylvania Make-A-Wish Foundation, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and Family House. Ms. May is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Allegheny County Bar Association Immigration Lawyers Committee. She is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States Federal Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

* Similar results cannot be guaranteed due to variations in the facts of each case.