Russian-speaking immigration lawyer in Florida — E-2, EB-5, marriage green cards, citizenship, EB-1A, EB-2 NIW. Native Russian fluency. (305) 315-3425.
Quick answer: Fitenko Law is a Florida immigration law firm founded by Attorney Ekaterina Fitenko, a Russian-speaking immigration lawyer fluent in Russian and English. We serve Russian-speaking clients from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia, Israel, and the broader Russian-speaking diaspora across the full spectrum of U.S. immigration matters — investor visas (E-2, EB-5), family green cards, employment-based green cards (EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, H-1B, L-1, O-1), and naturalization. Our office is in Hallandale Beach, in the heart of South Florida's largest Russian-speaking community.
Clients from Ukraine: TPS, Uniting for Ukraine parole, asylum and green card options are covered on our page for Ukrainian immigration clients.
Hiring a Russian immigration lawyer is about more than language fluency. It is about working with an attorney who understands the regulatory environment, document formats, and cultural context of clients from the former Soviet Union and broader Russian-speaking diaspora. Attorney Ekaterina Fitenko speaks Russian natively and brings 20+ years of experience in the legal field, with her U.S. immigration practice established in 2025. This depth shows in several practical ways:
Fitenko Law's Russian-speaking clientele spans multiple immigration objectives and backgrounds:
Russia itself is not an E-2 treaty country, but many Russian-speaking entrepreneurs hold a second citizenship that is on the Department of State treaty table — Grenada, Turkey, or one of the Eastern European treaty states such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia. Cyprus is a common second passport in this community and is not on that table, so it does not open E-2; check the passport before building a plan around it. We structure E-2 applications using the treaty-country passport, document multi-jurisdictional source of funds, and prepare full consular packages. See full E-2 services.
For Russian-speaking investors who do not hold a treaty-country second passport or who want a direct green card pathway, EB-5 is the most common solution. We coordinate Regional Center selection or direct EB-5 structuring, with rigorous source-of-funds documentation suited to multi-jurisdictional Russian-speaking capital. See full EB-5 services.
Many Russian-speaking U.S. citizens sponsor Russian-speaking spouses for green cards. Bilingual representation removes friction with Russian-language documents (Russian marriage certificates, ZAGS records, Russian banking records for joint financial bonafides). See marriage green card services.
Russian-speaking scientists, physicians, engineers, technology specialists, and business leaders frequently qualify for self-petitioned EB-1A or EB-2 NIW green cards. We integrate Russian-language publications, expert letters from international peers, and academic credentials with USCIS evidentiary standards. See EB-2 NIW consultation page.
Long-term Russian-speaking lawful permanent residents pursuing U.S. citizenship benefit from bilingual representation — particularly for those with extended international travel patterns, dual residence considerations, or family ties in former-Soviet countries that affect the continuous-residence analysis.
Working with a Russian-speaking immigration lawyer changes the language you and your attorney use with each other. It does not change the language of the case file: every form, exhibit and cover letter submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is filed in English. That split is worth setting out item by item rather than summarising as bilingual service, because the two halves of a case are measured against different standards. The half you live through — telling your history, choosing between filing routes, understanding the document you are about to sign under penalty of perjury — is worth only as much as your understanding of it. The half USCIS reads is measured against the form instructions and against Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations, written in English and applied in English.
Any document in a foreign language filed with USCIS must be accompanied by a full English translation, plus the translator signed certification that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate from that language into English. The rule is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), and it is short enough to read in a minute.
Three things follow from the word “full.” The translation covers the whole document rather than the part that looks relevant: seals, stamps, the registrar notation on the reverse, the handwritten correction in the margin. A summary is not a translation. And a partial translation of a multi-page Soviet-era work record book is, to the reviewer, a partial document.
Notarization is a separate matter, and USCIS does not require it for a translation. An apostille is not a substitute either: an apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention authenticates the signature and seal on the original foreign document, and says nothing about whether the English text attached to it is correct. Consular posts abroad sometimes add their own formatting requirements, which is why we confirm the requirement for the specific post rather than assume a general one.
Can a husband, a daughter or a friend translate? Nothing in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) disqualifies a relative, and the rule sets no licensing requirement for translators at all. In practice, family translations are among the more common sources of a Request for Evidence, for ordinary reasons: a certificate number omitted, a stamp on the reverse left untranslated, a place name rendered as it sounds rather than as it appears elsewhere in the file, a missing certification block. If a relative does translate, the certification still has to be there, signed and dated, with the translator name and address. We review translations before a package goes out, because fixing one at that stage costs an evening and fixing it after an RFE costs months. Our guide to certified translations for USCIS sets out the certification wording in full.
For most USCIS interviews the applicant brings their own interpreter, who signs Form G-1256, the Declaration for Interpreted USCIS Interview, at the table; that role is separate from the attorney role, and one person does not fill both. The naturalization interview is the exception, because English ability is itself being tested — the N-400 interview is conducted in English unless you qualify for a statutory exemption based on age and time as a permanent resident. Immigration court is different again: EOIR provides an interpreter for the respondent at government expense, so you do not bring your own to a hearing the way you may need to for an interview.
Working with a Russian-speaking attorney does not change which law applies to you, does not create a separate procedure, and does not affect how long your case takes. There is no Russian-language queue at USCIS and no adjustment to the standards a case is judged by. This is the part of the answer that is usually left out, and it is the part worth stating plainly.
Specifically, the language of the consultation does not change eligibility. Whether adjustment of status inside the United States is available to you rather than consular processing is decided by statute and by your immigration history. It does not change your priority date or its movement through the monthly Visa Bulletin published by the U.S. Department of State. It does not change filing fees, which are set by the USCIS Fee Schedule in effect on the date USCIS receives your package. It does not change posted processing times, which USCIS publishes by form and by field office or service center at uscis.gov/processing-times.
What it does change is the error rate on your side of the file and the number of things that take you by surprise. That is not a small thing, but it is worth describing accurately. If someone tells you that filing through a particular lawyer makes a case move faster, there is no mechanism behind the claim.
The register of record for Florida attorneys is The Florida Bar member search at floridabar.org. A listing in a legal directory, a review site or a lawyer marketplace is not a register — those are advertising platforms that publish what they are given, and a directory profile can carry an admission year that differs from the Bar own record by several years.
The member search shows, in about a minute: whether the person is currently eligible to practice law in Florida, the date of admission, the office of record, and any public discipline history. Ekaterina Fitenko is Florida Bar member #1064536. Enter that number or the name and read the record yourself rather than take our word for it. More about the attorney.
Two further checks are worth the time. Only a licensed attorney or a representative accredited by the Department of Justice through the EOIR Office of Legal Access Programs may represent you before USCIS; the categories are set out at 8 CFR 1292.1, and a person calling themselves an immigration consultant or a notario falls outside that list, whatever the sign in the window says. And ask whether a Form G-28 will be filed in your case: if nobody enters an appearance, nobody is your representative of record before the agency, regardless of what you paid. Under The Florida Bar advertising rules, a Florida lawyer may not promise you a result. If you are told in advance what your outcome will be, that is a fact about the person telling you, not about your case.
The initial consultation is $200 for 30 minutes, in English or Russian, and the amount is credited toward the legal fee if you retain the firm. It is a working meeting: we go through your history, identify the filing route or routes open to you, and name what would have to be true for each one. What to expect from the consultation.
Bring what you have, even if the set is incomplete. Passports with entry stamps, your most recent I-94, any prior USCIS notices, decisions or receipts, marriage and divorce records, and any correspondence an agency has already sent you. Russian-language originals are fine at this stage — translation is a step we handle when a package is being assembled, not a precondition for talking to us.
Our main office is at 11555 Heron Bay Blvd, Suite 277, Coral Springs, FL 33076, and we have a second office in Hallandale Beach. There is no Miami office. We serve clients across South Florida from these two locations, and much of the work — fact-gathering, document review, case updates — runs remotely for clients who are not nearby. Call (305) 315-3425 or write to fitenkolaw@gmail.com. For citizenship matters specifically, see our Florida citizenship and naturalization services.
Yes / Да. Attorney Ekaterina Fitenko is fluent in Russian. Initial consultation, document review, USCIS form preparation, interview rehearsal, and case correspondence — every stage in your preferred language.
Россия не входит в число договорных стран E-2. Однако у многих российских граждан есть второе гражданство страны из таблицы Госдепартамента — Гренада, Турция или одна из восточноевропейских договорных стран, — и подают они E-2 по тому паспорту. Кипра в этой таблице нет: как юрисдикция движения средств он встречается часто, но права на E-2 не даёт. Мы координируем стратегию.
EB-5 (программа инвестора-иммигранта) — самый прямой путь к грин-карте для русских инвесторов без договорного гражданства. Минимум $800,000-$1,050,000 и создание 10 рабочих мест.
Документация средств из России после 2022 года требует тщательной стратегии — особенно для средств, прошедших через Кипр, ОАЭ или другие посреднические юрисдикции. Мы координируем переводы российских банковских выписок, документов о продаже недвижимости, корпоративных финансов с учётом санкционного фона.
Да. Беларусь, Украина, Казахстан, Латвия, Эстония, Литва, Грузия, Армения, Узбекистан, Молдова, Израиль (русскоязычная репатриация) — представляем клиентов из всех этих юрисдикций.
Да. Иммиграционное право США федеральное — те же правила USCIS по всем штатам. Мы представляем русскоязычных клиентов по всей стране через защищённые видеоконсультации и электронную подпись.
USCIS требует сертифицированные переводы любых документов на иностранном языке (свидетельства о рождении/браке/разводе, дипломы, банковские документы, налоговые формы). Мы координируем сертифицированных переводчиков как часть фиксированной оплаты.
Not on their own. A Russian-language document is filed together with a full English translation and the translator signed certification of completeness, accuracy and competence, under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). The original or a copy of the Russian document goes in alongside the translation, not instead of it.
Yes. The rule does not disqualify a relative, and 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) sets no licensing requirement for translators. It remains a frequent source of Requests for Evidence, usually because a stamp or a reverse side was left untranslated or the certification block was missing. Whoever translates signs a certification giving their name and address.
No. An apostille authenticates the signature and seal on the original foreign document. It says nothing about the accuracy of an English text attached to it, and USCIS still requires the full translation with its certification.
It depends on the case type rather than on preference. A naturalization interview on Form N-400 is conducted in English unless you qualify for a statutory exemption based on age and time as a permanent resident. A family-based adjustment interview may be conducted with an interpreter, who signs Form G-1256.
No. Processing times are set by form type and by the USCIS office handling the case, and are published at uscis.gov/processing-times. The language your lawyer speaks has no effect on them. A well-assembled package can avoid the delay that follows a Request for Evidence, which is a different thing from moving the queue.
Use The Florida Bar member search at floridabar.org, which shows current eligibility to practice, admission date and public discipline history. A profile on a legal directory or review site is advertising, not a register. Ekaterina Fitenko is Florida Bar #1064536.
$200 for 30 minutes, in English or Russian, credited toward the legal fee if you retain the firm. Call (305) 315-3425 or write to fitenkolaw@gmail.com to schedule.
Адвокат Екатерина Фитенко — русскоязычный иммиграционный юрист во Флориде. Initial consultation in English or Russian. Первичная консультация на английском или русском.
Schedule / Записаться (305) 315-3425