Ellen Kassis

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Of Counsel | Immigration Attorney

Managing Attorney, Texas Office

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Ellen Kassis is Of Counsel at Katsivalis & Anderson Law and serves as Managing Attorney of the firm’s Texas office. Her practice focuses on removal defense, humanitarian protection, and complex family- and employment-based immigration matters, including cases involving consular processing, waivers of inadmissibility, prolonged family separation, and significant immigration or enforcement history requiring careful legal strategy.

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Ms. Kassis represents clients before the immigration courts and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and regularly handles matters where removal proceedings intersect with family-based and humanitarian immigration options. Her removal defense practice includes representation in asylum cases, cancellation of removal,

and other forms of relief available in immigration court, as well as coordination of litigation strategy with long-term family reunification goals.

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In addition to her court-based practice, Ms. Kassis represents individuals and employers in employment-based immigration matters, including immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions requiring careful procedural compliance and strategic planning. Her employment-based work often involves navigating complex factual records, prior immigration history, or timing considerations that affect eligibility and long-term immigration outcomes.

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Ms. Kassis also advises clients in complex consular processing matters, including cases affected by prior immigration violations, inadmissibility issues, or documentation challenges. Her work frequently involves navigating procedural obstacles and developing legally sound strategies in high-stakes family and employment-based cases.

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Originally from Palestine, Ms. Kassis brings substantive regional knowledge and cultural competence to her representation, particularly in cases involving country conditions, political instability, and cross-border family dynamics in the Middle East. This background informs her approach to asylum and humanitarian matters where contextual understanding and country-conditions analysis are critical.

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Ms. Kassis speaks Arabic and Armenian and is able to work directly with Arabic- and Armenian-speaking clients, particularly in removal defense, asylum, and family- and employment-based matters where clear communication and cultural understanding are essential. She is known for her careful preparation, steady guidance, and ability to manage procedurally and emotionally complex cases with clarity and professionalism.

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Areas of Practice

• Removal defense and immigration court litigation, including asylum and cancellation of removal

• Humanitarian immigration relief, including asylum-related protection

• Family-based immigration, including adjustment of status, consular processing, and waivers of inadmissibility

• Employment-based immigration matters

• Complex consular processing and family reunification matters

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Education

Juris Doctor, Valparaiso University School of Law

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Bar Admissions

Illinois

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Professional Affiliations

American Immigration Lawyers Association