Visa Interview and Consular Processing Expert
Stephen Pazan
Attorney, Consular Officer, Adjudicator
Steve Pazan is uniquely positioned to provide interview training for consular processing. As an experienced attorney, former Consular Officer, and former USCIS adjudicator, he has a unique and complete perspective on what it takes to be successful before the agencies.
Mr. Pazan was an accomplished civil litigator before joining the U.S. Department of State as a member of the Foreign Service. While serving as a Consular Officer in Santiago, Bogota, Kyiv and Warsaw, he adjudicated thousands of immigrant and non-immigrant visas in multiple classes, including E “Treaty Trader” and L visas. He later moved to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service’s Investor Program Office. As an Adjudications Officer, he decided on over 500 individual I-526 petitions, evaluating both the source of funds, as well as projects (I-924). He worked on project issues affecting more than 20 different Regional Centers. He issued hundreds of Requests for Evidence, Notices of Intent to Deny, and Denial decisions. In addition, he decided I- 290B applications.
In March 2018, Mr. Pazan left government service and helped design Baker Tilly Capital's industry-leading Source of Funds EB-5 consulting practice. He used his insider knowledge to guide Baker Tilly’s industry-leading Source of Funds portfolio, where he drafted or assisted in the preparation of over 150 reports for submission to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service. In the EB-5 area, he particularly enjoys working directly with investors on strategies for identifying paths of funds that will be acceptable to USCIS. As Pazan Consulting, he advises on investment immigration and the EB-5 program.
Steve has spoken on EB-5 and E2-related issues at professional conferences in Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, and in the United States, and has published several articles on EB-5 and immigration topics.
Before his government service, Mr. Pazan spent over 20 years as a commercial litigation attorney for the Philadelphia law firms Clark Ladner Fortenbaugh & Young, Dilworth Paxon, and Spector Gadon. As a lawyer, he was exposed to every aspect of business litigation. He has tried many jury and bench trials in State and Federal courts. His legal career began as an Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County, NY.
In addition to his native English, Mr. Pazan speaks Spanish, and courtesy-level Russian, Polish and Ukrainian. He is a native New Yorker, and proud of it. His mother was an immigrant to the United States, as were his paternal grandparents.
Additional information about his consulting practice can be found at Pazan Consulting LLC.
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Steve Pazan
As a former US State Department Consular Officer, Steve has seen it all when it comes to visa adjudication. He knows how Consular Officers think.
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