Frances Hayden, Attorney

Frances Hayden has spent her professional career helping clients achieve their immigration objectives. She provides information that helps guide people through the complex United States immigration system.

Ms. Hayden has been practicing law for more than 25 years. She is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the California State Bar. Frances is fluent in Spanish. Her undergraduate degree is in Spanish Language and Literature from Western Washington University. She is a native of Seattle, Washington.

For the past 20 years, she has focused on consular processing of non-immigrant visas at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, with a special emphasis on third-country national visa processing. Frances is on top of all current visa regulations and ongoing policy changes at multiple U.S. consular posts worldwide.

She is a recognized expert in her field. For two years, she served as a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Liaison Committee with the U.S. State Department’s Visa Office in Washington D.C. This important AILA committee is dedicated to maintaining open communication with the government to promote the fair interpretation of all U.S. immigration laws at U.S. consular offices worldwide.

Frances also co-authored the chapters on visa processing in Mexico City, Guatemala City and Seoul, South Korea in “The Visa Processing Guide,” a useful practical handbook for other immigration attorneys.

She has been a featured speaker and moderator at numerous immigration-oriented conferences, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) National Conferences on topics such as “Consular Processing Tips: What Works and What Doesn’t” and Legal Education Seminars offered by such organizations as Immigration Lawyers on the Web (ILW) dealing with broad-ranging subjects like “What’s New in Consular Processing, NIVs, IVs and Waivers,” as well as “Business Immigration in the Era of Enforcement.”

Frances’ hobbies include photography and collecting contemporary art. Her collection includes art from Haiti, as well as Aboriginal art from Australia, among others.