All NAFTA-related matters including L-1A/B and TN work permits. Special focus on Physician Immigration/Health Care cases.
Ruth Garbanzo helps employers and skilled professionals turn complicated immigration cases into approved ones. As a Senior Associate Attorney at Berardi Immigration Law, she guides companies, healthcare organizations, and individual professionals through employment-based visas, cross-border work permits, and the green card process, with a special focus on physicians and healthcare workers. Whether a hospital is recruiting an international physician or a company is transferring talent across the U.S.-Canada border, Ruth handles the paperwork, the strategy, and the stress so her clients don’t have to.
Experience & Case Focus
Ruth’s practice covers the full range of employment-based immigration, including:
- Physician & Healthcare Immigration — her signature focus, including J-1 waivers, Physician National Interest Waivers (NIWs), and Schedule A cases for healthcare workers
- Cross-Border Work Permits — all USMCA (formerly NAFTA) matters, including TN work permits and L-1A/L-1B intracompany transfers
- Employment-Based Visas — H-1B specialty occupation petitions for professionals across industries
- Employment-Based Green Cards — EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 petitions, with a strong track record guiding employers through PERM labor certification
Before joining Berardi Immigration Law, Ruth practiced at an employment-based immigration firm in Houston, Texas, where she successfully guided employers in Information Technology, Engineering Services, and Healthcare through the permanent labor certification process. Her legal career began at South Texas College of Law Houston, where she served as an Equal Justice America Fellow handling humanitarian immigration cases, including T-visas, U-visas, and VAWA petitions, experience that still shapes the empathy she brings to every client matter.
Philosophy & Approach
Ruth believes no client should feel lost in their own immigration case. The process is complex, the stakes are high, and silence from a lawyer only makes it worse, so Ruth makes communication her standard. Clients can expect prompt responses, plain-English explanations of every step, and a steady, reassuring presence from filing to approval. Her goal is simple: clients who feel informed, confident, and at ease from the first consultation to the final decision.
Beyond the Office
Outside of her practice, Ruth is an avid traveler who loves exploring new destinations with her husband and young children. When they’re not stamping passports, the family can usually be found outdoors on a hiking trail, making the most of their time together.
Bar Admissions
- Texas
- New York State
Education
- South Texas College of Law Houston — J.D.; Equal Justice America Fellow