Jennifer S. Varughese is a member at Roth Jackson.  Her practice focuses exclusively on U.S. immigration and nationality law, specifically in the areas of family-based immigration, naturalization, asylum, and litigation. Ms. Varughese has represented individuals and families from over 130 countries and throughout the United States. She regularly appears on behalf of clients before the U.S. Department of State (DOS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and other federal courts.

Ms. Varughese has expertise in the effect of criminal convictions on immigration benefits. She is an aggressive litigator who is familiar with all forms of relief before the nation’s immigration courts: Asylum/Withholding of Removal/CAT, Adjustment of Status, Cancellation of Removal, Removal of Conditions, and Waivers related to criminal, fraud/misrepresentation, and other grounds of inadmissibility and removability.

Ms. Varughese also has an extensive practice devoted to writing briefs, motions, and responses to notice of intent to deny letters and requests for evidence. This has resulted in scores of approvals for clients seeking: I-601A provisional waivers, I-601/I-212 waivers, I-130 petitions following allegations of marriage fraud, I-130 petitions subject to the Adam Walsh Act, and Motions to Reopen/Reconsider.

Ms. Varughese has been quoted on immigration law topics in local and national publications including The Washington Post and Bloomberg BNA. She has testified as an expert witness on immigration law in state and federal courts. She is a sought after speaker for continuing education courses, schools, religious organizations, and community groups. She is a committed advocate both for her clients and various pro bono causes.

Education
Regent University School of Law (J.D., 2005)
Vanderbilt University (B.A., cum laude, 2001)

Awards & Honors
Virginia and D.C. Super Lawyers Rising Stars magazine – 2015 to 2018
Fairfax Bar Association Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year – 2010
Fairfax County Election Officer – 2016 to present
Instructor, “Neighborhood Outreach Training for Volunteer Lawyers,” The Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center – 2012, 2016, 2021
Panelist, “Current Trends & Challenges in Immigration,” The South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C. (SABA-DC) – 2020
Panelist, “Family-Based Immigration 101,” American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Annual Conference on Immigration Law  – 2020
Instructor, “Immigration Law Basics for the Non-Immigration Attorney,” Fairfax Bar Association (FBA) – 2019
Instructor, “Caring for the Undocumented Immigrant,” Christian Legal Society (CLS) – 2018
Instructor, “Immigration Law,” Fredericksburg Bar Association  – 2016
Instructor, “Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions,” George Mason University School of Law – 2011

Bar Admissions
Virginia State Bar
District of Columbia Bar
Fairfax Bar Association
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

Notable Cases
Sharma v. Taylor, 1:14cv240 (E.D. Va. Sep. 26, 2014) (whether a governor’s nunc pro tunc sentence commutation established good moral character for naturalization purposes);
Commonwealth v. Morris, 281 Va. 70 (Va. 2011) (whether an immigration-related ineffective assistance of counsel claim can be remedied by a Virginia writ of error coram nobis);
Markovski v. Gonzales, 486 F.3d 108 (4th Cir. 2007) (whether U.S. entry on a K-1 visa precluded employment-based adjustment of status under Section 245(i) of the Act);
Hussain v. Gonzales, 477 F.3d 153 (4th Cir. 2007) (whether the BIA erred in failing to address a motion to remand before denying a motion to reopen).

Professional Affiliations
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center
Capital Area Immigration Rights (CAIR) Coalition

Law Office
Tysons