Kripa Upadhyay
Founder/Attorney
Kripa Upadhyay is the Founder and Principal Attorney at Orbit Law, PLLC. Over the years, Kripa's practice has encompassed every aspect of international investor and corporate immigration petitions. Kripa currently focuses on working with international investors and human resources and global mobility professionals to optimize their companies' immigration programs. She guides strategies for recruiting and retaining foreign talent, and provides immigration plans for international mergers and acquisitions. She helps companies address the challenges of US Immigration compliance, and has worked with major corporations to build out compliant Immigration visa programs securing a variety of short term and long term visas/ residency for their global employees.
Kripa is a frequent speaker on immigration matters before the Association of Immigration Lawyers of America (AILA), the Washington State Bar Association(WSBA), other industry leading professional associations.
Named a “Rising Star” for Immigration Law for every year from 2014-2018, she is an active member of AILA's National committee for EB-5 (Investor based Immigration) as well as the Washington State Chapter where she has served in leadership positions on various committees. She is also actively involved with and a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences organized by Invest in the USA (IIUSA); America's leading Investor based Immigration Trade Association.
Actively engaged in educating newly arriving Immigrants and Refugees as to their rights and responsibilities in the United States, she was awarded the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Community Service Award in 2011 in recognition of her outstanding and exemplary service in helping Immigrants and Refugees in Washington State.
A first generation Immigrant from Nepal, Kripa speaks English, Nepali, Hindi, Urdu and Spanish.
EDUCATION
Seattle University School of Law, Seattle, WA, Juris Doctor (JD) May 2007
ADMISSIONS
- Washington State Bar Association: Admitted May 2008
- U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Washington: Admitted 2009
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington Admitted 2009
- 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Admitted 2009
AWARDS/HONOURS:
- Named Washington Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine every year from 2014 - 2018
- Fellow & Graduate, Washington Leadership Institute, Class of 2012
- Washington State Bar Association Community Service Award, 2011
- Member: Washington State Bar Association Committee for Diversity (Appointed by the WSBA Board of Governors to serve term from October 2011-September 2013)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- Member: American Immigration Lawyers Association- AILA (Washington State chapter)
- Member, AILA National EB-5 Committee (2020 - 2021)
- Chair of Programs, Executive Committee (2015-May 2016)
- Chair, Continuing Legal Education Committee (2013-2015)
- Vice Chair, Continuing Legal Education Committee (2012- 2013)
- Chair, Executive Office for Immigration review (EOIR) committee (2011–2012)
- Chair, Citizenship Day Committee (2009-2010)
- Vice Chair, Citizenship Day Committee (2008 – 2009)
- Charter Member, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) (2013 – Present)
LANGUAGES: English, Hindi, Nepali, Spanish and Urdu
Pro-Bono Affiliations/Community Involvement
- Board Member, Empower Nepali Girls (Registered 501(c)(3) Organization
The mission of ENG is to empower and support neglected, marginalized, and at-risk girls and young women in Nepal, especially those who are at greatest risk to be forced into early marriage, sold into sex slavery, or abandoned as orphans. We provide scholarships, mentoring, career guidance, and subsistence for children who would not have the opportunity to attend school and pursue future careers in medicine, engineering, business, teaching, and other professions.
- Pro-bono attorney, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP)
