Orlando Ortega-Medina

Attorney at Law (California)
London, United Kingdom
United States Immigration and Consular Law

Orlando is the founder and Senior Associate of Ortega-Medina & Associates. Since 1993, he has represented clients worldwide in US business immigration, nationality, and consular law. A tri-national of the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, Orlando has practiced as a US business immigration lawyer in all three countries.

He frequently travels to US consulates across the European Union, Canada, and Latin America to assist clients in person with visa-related matters. Orlando is also regularly consulted by foreign enterprises seeking to establish and grow US operations—particularly in California, where he offers strategic immigration and business planning. In recent years, he has developed a strong focus on helping clients navigate extreme vetting procedures, especially for those with ties to or travel history in Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

Orlando earned his Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law in 1991, a Certification in EU Legal Systems from the University of Madrid in 1990, and a B.A. from UCLA in 1988. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

He is a recognized authority on US immigration matters and has been interviewed by Al Jazeera regarding US Executive Orders on immigration, and featured in The Atlantic for his insight on the O-1B visa category. His bylined articles have appeared in International HR Advisor, Human Resource Professional, The Canadian HR Reporter, Construction Professional Magazine, and other leading publications.

In addition to his legal work, Orlando is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. His debut collection, Jerusalem Ablaze: Stories of Love and Other Obsessions, was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize in 2017. He was named Marilyn Hassid Emerging Author for the 2018 Houston Jewish Book & Arts Festival. His novels include The Death of Baseball (2019), The Savior of 6th Street (2020), The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants (2023), and Emerald Road (2025). His books are available worldwide in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.