Jiyae Hwang is a Harvard University graduate and received a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law, where she served as a Senior Executive Editor of the NYU Law Review. Ms. Hwang is a specialist and a thought leader in extraordinary ability visa strategies as applied to entrepreneurs, including O-1, EB-1A, and National Interest Waiver (NIW) pathways. Ms. Hwang has profound expertise in guiding startup founders to qualify for O-1A visas based on their entrepreneurial achievements, and developing an effective national importance argument to qualify for an NIW for entrepreneurs and other innovators in various fields, skillfully utilizing non-traditional forms of evidence to show industry recognition and impact.
Ms. Hwang published “Navigating the Narrowing Channel of National Interest Waivers,” in the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Asia Pacific Chapter (APAC) Chapter Newsletter in February 2025, and “Changing Jobs for Beneficiaries of EB-2 NIWs, Without I-485J,” in December 2025. Ms. Hwang co-authored the E-1/E-2 visa chapter for AILA’s Consular Practice Handbook, an important resource widely relied upon by immigration attorneys to guide their consular practice in these complex visa categories. Ms. Hwang presented her insights as an expert at the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi Graduate Student Association’s “Immigration Pathways Info Session” in October 2025, and was also invited to speak as a panelist at the expert panel titled “Comparative Insights into EB2 NIW & EB1A: Legal Criteria and Application Strategy,” at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Asia Pacific Chapter (APAC) Conference in New Delhi, India, which will take place in February 2026. In recognition of her achievements, Ms. Hwang was selected for 2025 Super Lawyers Rising Stars for New York. Ms. Hwang is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
Ms. Hwang also has litigation experience as an Associate lawyer in the commercial litigation and arbitration practice at Paul Hastings, a top-ranked global law firm. She worked on various matters including cross-border disputes, contract disputes, securities matters, internal investigations, and immigration. Ms. Hwang drafted pleadings and substantive briefs for litigation and arbitration cases, and researched complex legal issues.
Ms. Hwang is an exceptional immigration lawyer with a wealth of experience in a variety of immigrant and non-immigrant visa petitions, including EB2 National Interest Waiver (NIW), EB1A Extraordinary Ability petitions, O-1, E-2, TN, L-1, EB-1C, PERM, and other visa pathways. Ms. Hwang has received a number of awards in recognition of her academic achievements, including the prestigious Samsung Scholarship in 2008, Kwanjeong Scholarship in 2013, and NYU Law School’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice Summer Fellowship in 2015.
Ms. Hwang is a member of the bars of New York and Alberta (Canada). Ms. Hwang is bilingual in Korean and English and can correspond in French.
