Cynthia Viekanandam

Columbus, OH

Summary

*Licensed in Ohio: Practice Limited to Immigration Only*

I have always had a long-standing passion for fighting for immigrant rights. My interest in immigration first peaked in college, when I learned first-hand the struggles many people endure in migrating to the United States after traveling to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico to study Spanish and volunteer. After my travels, I began volunteering with a local immigrant rights group in Ypsilanti, Michigan, helping to provide presentations to educate the community on their rights.
My advocacy work ultimately led me to DePaul University College of Law, where I studied immigration and public interest law as a Public Interest Honors Scholar. As a law student, I continued my advocacy efforts through internships serving asylees, refugees, unaccompanied minor children, immigrant survivors of domestic violence, and human trafficking survivors in many of the country’s leading immigration legal service providers in Chicago, IL and on the United States-Mexican border. I firmly believe in access to justice and I volunteer my time as much as possible to serve our community. I focus most of my pro bono efforts on helping immigrant survivors of domestic violence. Outside of my pro bono work, I volunteer as a member of the Board of Directors for PBJ Connections, a local non-profit that provides professional behavioral health therapy through horses, counseling and nature.
When it comes to my clients, I understand both the professional and personal side of applying for an immigration status because my husband is a citizen of India who immigrated to the United States. I am proud to have family on both sides of the globe. When I am not helping my clients navigate immigration, I am practically always outside with my husband and our animals. Animals are my passion – I grew up riding horses and over the years, we have become involved with animal rescue. To date, we have rescued three dogs and one horse.
I graduated cum laude from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and obtained my Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law. I am a member of the Ohio Bar, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and I am admitted to practice with the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. I am fluent in Spanish, and I have started to study my husband’s native language of Tamil.

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