Maya El Cheikh, Esq

Attorney

Maya earned her Juris Doctor from CUNY School of Law and her Master of Social Work from New York University. She is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey. A native Arabic speaker, she is also conversational in Spanish.

With nearly a decade of focused experience in the field, Maya built a deep foundation in immigration advocacy prior to law school. During more than eight years at Human Rights First, she served as a DOJ Accredited Representative—directly representing clients before USCIS and the immigration courts, and mentoring hundreds of pro bono asylum cases placed with New York law firms. Her humanitarian practice encompasses asylum, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitions, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), including the requisite predicate order proceedings in New York Family Court. Maya actively defends clients in both detained and non-detained removal proceedings, handles motions to reopen, and litigates administrative appeals before the BIA. Additionally, Maya guides clients through marriage-based permanent residence from the initial Form I-130 petition through adjustment of status, personally preparing and accompanying them to USCIS interviews. She also represents clients in petitions to remove conditions on residence (Form I-751)—routinely securing complex divorce and hardship waivers both administratively and before Immigration Judges. Her practice further extends to naturalization, DACA renewals, and substantive responses to intricate USCIS Requests for Evidence (RFEs) and Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs).