MEET THE TEAM
We are a female-led team of highly experienced attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants who are passionate about the tattoo industry. We understand that the immigration process can be complex and confusing, but with our expertise and knowledge, we are confident that we can secure the best possible outcome for our clients.
KATIA
TEIRSTEIN
Attorney & Founding Partner
Originally from Seattle, Katia is a New York State licensed attorney. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) and she has been named a “Super Lawyer” for many years in the practice area of Immigration.
In her free time, she enjoys long-distance running, snowboarding, and watching the New York Yankees. She is fluent in French. She lives in New York with her husband and their two children.
Katia has many tattoos, including an arm sleeve with works by Daniela Pusateri and Yomico Moreno.
JASMINE LEISELSEN
Paralegal
If it wasn't obvious from her photo, Jasmine is the identical twin sister of attorney Katia Teirstein. After a career in the snowboarding industry, Jasmine joined her sister at the firm in 2014. She has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in Seattle.
Jasmines lives in the Cascade Mountains and she is an avid snowboarder and golfer. She enjoys traveling and adventure, especially throughout Asia.
Jasmine has sleeves by Kyle Stacher at Tiger Clue in Portland, Oregon and Serbian artist Adam Al Khafaji.
AMILLA SATHER
Case Manager
She was born and raised in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. Amilla attended Bellevue College where she studied Applied Sciences.
Amilla sought out her first tattoo on her 18th birthday. She’s continued to collect pieces from various artists. Amilla is married to tattoo artist Justin Norman of Supergenius Tattoo of Seattle.
ANNIE CAHILL
Content & Communications Manager
The eldest sister of the twins here at Tattoo Visa, Annie has an undergraduate degree in history from U.C. Berkeley and a Master’s degree in Education. She spent twenty years working in public education and also works at a wildlife rehabilitation clinic in her spare time.
Annie is also a published author, making her especially skilled at crafting Tattoo Visa's written communications and content.
Like Katia, Annie is a distance runner. Annie and Katia ran the New York City Half Marathon together in 2014. Annie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their "his and hers" collection of four kids.
Annie has a sleeve by Peruvian artist Luis Velasquez.
AMANDA LESLIE
Case Manager
Amanda was born in the suburbs of Seattle where she spent much of her childhood camping and exploring the Pacific Northwest.
She is married to Seattle based artist Nate Leslie (Neotraditional-MOPOP Featured Artist- ‘Body of Work-Tattoo Culture’) and artist at Supergenius Tattoo in Seattle, Washington. Together they are the proud parents of a future tattooer. Having a partner in the industry has given Amanda a unique perspective and appreciation for the tattoo culture. She is an ardent collector of tattoos and passionate consumer of poetry.
NIKITA NORMAN
Law Clerk
An upstate New York native, Nikita splits her time between upstate and central New York. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the State University of New York at Oneonta and continued her legal studies at Syracuse University College of Law in 2021.
Nikita joined the Tattoo Visa team in 2022 after meeting the team by chance at the Empire State Tattoo Expo in New York City. Her first tattoo was at 18 years old and she's added many since then, including a piece from Russian artist Dmitrii Palkin.
In her free time, Nikita loves cheering on the Buffalo Bills at home and away games and listening to true-crime podcasts.
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