Biography
Michael was hired by the U.S. Department of Justice out of law school through the Attorney General Honors Program as a law clerk for the Executive Office for Immigration Review at the U.S. Immigration Court in New York. From 1997-2003, Michael was an Assistant District Counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service representing the government in deportation and removal proceedings. With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, Michael was assigned to the Enforcement Law Division within the headquarters of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement focusing on customs and other law enforcement matters.
Michael opened the Law Offices of Michael Kohler, PLLC in 2008 to assist individuals and businesses with their immigration law needs. Since that time, Michael is proud to have worked with clients from more than 80 countries and territories throughout the world embodying the spirit of Crosby, Stills & Nash in their song, Wooden Ships: "If you smile at me, I will understand, cause that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language."
Michael is married with three children, is a past-president of Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, NY and is a proud member of the Plainview Fire Department.
Education
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D., 1996
State University of New York at Albany, B.A., 1992
Professional Accomplishments
Member, Past Chair, Immigration Law Committee, Nassau County Bar Association (NCBA)
Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
Frequent Lecturer and Contributor, NCBA and AILA continuing legal education courses and publications
Pro Bono
AILA Military Assistance Program – providing free legal services to immigrant relatives of U.S. military members
Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence – assisting immigrant victims of domestic violence obtain immigration benefits
Trial Judge, NYS Bar Association Mock Trial Tournament
Bar Admissions
New Jersey, 1996 (Inactive)
New York, 1999
United States District Court for the Districts of New Jersey, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Recent Blog Posts
New Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility effective December 23
It's a mess
Words (Still) Matter
Words Matter
No Furlough at USCIS, but Delays Forecast
Recommendations
- Hi Mr. Kohler!I can't tell you how grateful I feel for the work that you did to help us. I know that if it had been anyone else the outcome would have been very different. It sounds trite to say that I can't thank you enough but it is true.
- Hi Michael,We just wanted to say thank you for all the help you gave us, we are very happy with the outcome. When the time comes we would really like to have you help us again and will be in contact. Thanks again,
- “I have been struggling with immigration problems for 13 years. If it wasn't for Mr. Kohler it would have been more... When I first went to Mr. Kohler I felt there was a sense of hope. He explained everything to me step by step, he always responded to my emails and calls. He's very understanding....
- Hi Michael I want to ensure you that your good deeds have not gone undone, and I am eternally grateful for your help and going above and beyond the call. You definitely have given honor to the profession, and I admire your compassion, tenacity, but most importantly, your true desire to seek justi...
- Dear Michael This morning I was successfully sworn in as a United States Citizen...I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time, consideration, guidance, and kindness throughout my ordeal the past few months. Your efforts are truly appreciated.
- Mr. Kohler My family and I are very grateful to you. Thanks for the excellent job you did; we can embrace this dream that became true now. You have no idea how many fears, concerns, suffering, thinking about being deported, rejected, etc were going through my mind, until you made me believe that ...
- I retained Michael G. Kohler to help obtain a permanent resident visa for my wife, who lived in Poland. Our case was a very complicated one, and he achieved the desired result. He knows the system and provides USCIS with the information they require so that forms are accepted the first time aroun...
- I am so happy that Mr. Kohler represented me on my immigration matter. He was informative, attentive, direct, and got the job done. Having Mr. Kohler as my attorney was critical to my success. I will always be grateful for his service.
- I was impressed with Michaels patience and knowledge when I hired him to handle my immigration matter. He told us exactly what was needed to be successful and was always happy to answer our questions when needed.
- My husband and I had just gotten married and felt like we needed the assistance of a lawyer to ensure everything went smoothly with my change of status. After speaking to a few, Mr. Kohler came out as the front runner. Once meeting with him we knew he was the right Immigration Lawyer for us with ...
- I could not thank Michael enough!! He was so wonderful since my husband and I met him! My husband received his green card and I could not be happier! Michael was perfect since the first time we met him! He is honest, smart, and is by your side throughout the whole journey! We would totally recomm...
- He is a professional and cares about you and your case. we are so happy with all his work and for being there with us all the way.
- Michael is very well educated in the immigration area. He always provided me with excellent service and representation. Highly recommended. Worth every penny.
- Michael took us through, point by point, what we need to do in terms of paperwork and needed information. He took the time to explain every detail of the immigration process and what to expect. He answered our questions clearly and thoughtfully. His estimated timeline of events was spot on. Micha...
- Michael was a great help in my situation with helping my husband become legal after we got married. Michael would answer every email within a 24 hour period and I loved that it was always Michael you spoke with and no secretary. Everything Michael said was accurate down to the exact amount of tim...
- Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We couldn't have done it without you...we will forever be in your debt. I could never have done this by myself, especially in such a short period of time. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.
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Excellent Immigration and Customs lawyer for family and business issues with inside experience
Michael Kohler is an excellent and experienced immigration lawyer who will vigorously represent clients who have family and/or business Immigration or Customs matters. As a former insider in the Department of Homeland Security, he has vast inside expertise and practical knowledge across a broad r... - Dear Michael, I wanted to express my deepest gratitude and happiness so much more the day at 26 Federal Plaza when [my child] received her Certificate of Citizenship! You were a pleasure to work with and knew how to keep me from being more nervous than I was...I am so thankful and grateful I foun...
- I hired Michael to transfer H1Bs for 2 employees at once. He took care of the process very quickly and easily, and my new employees were able to start with us within about 2 weeks of when we started the process.
- I got two RFEs during the processing of green card application. Michael was very helpful and responsive when we were responding those non-sense questions from USCIS. Highly recommended.
- Best immagration lawyer ! Micheal Kholer is very dedicated to his work and helping his clients . He worked very hard with me and my husband , and within a year my husband recieved his visa !!. He truly is a great man very honest , friendly , responsible , he walks you every step of the way, even ...
- After viewing the many great reviews for Mr. Kohler, I decided to contact him for help with my case that had not been handled with any success for many years. Mr. Kohler looked over all my papers, listened to my wife and I very patiently and walked us through a process that no other attorney had ...
- Glad to mention, I just received my Green Card. My husband and I cannot thank you enough Mr. Kohler for the excellent job. The knowledge, advise and expertise you have is outstanding. Thank you so much! I will see you again in few years for the Citizenship application.
- Like you right now, we want looking around for reviews and immigration lawyers. We interviewed with 3 lawyers, including Michael. The first one just seemed wishy washy, not organized, didn't ask good questions. The second one was an former immigrant from the same country as my spouse. We really w...
- Michael is reliable and easy to reach. He always answered the phone or returned phone calls promptly with accurate answers when requested. Michael processed my mother's green card application and called immigration offices personally for hours until he got answers regarding a slight delayed in he...
- I've had my share of irresponsive, unreliable attorneys. Shortly after I began filing my own documents. After doing so I was granted an interview. At that point I wanted to seek a professional with the educational background to talk the talk. I came across Michael Kohler's profile. Michael's prof...
- Mr. Kohler its in honest hard working experienced attorney he took on each optical that came up in our case with professionalism and sense of responsibilities. He feels a friend who had the knowledge and the resources to help you. We are blessed and fortunate to have Mr. Kohler represent us and o...
- We used michael for our immigration issues. My wife and i met with michael and he was so friendly and knowledgable answered all our questions and concerns made us feel at ease.Michael handled everything and we had no problems.If i had any questions you can call him and answer all.He was so very h...
- Dear Michael I wanted to write to thank you so much for all the work you have done to make this possible. I know the road was sometimes stressful but your continued dedication meant a lot to us and thankfully paid off! Thank you again...
- Michael,I wanted to let you know that I had my oath ceremony on Friday. It was a little long but it was really exciting to finally be there. Everything went pretty well and I received my certificate. I also applied for my passport and I'm expecting to receive it soon.Thank you so much for all you...
