About us

Ankeny Law is a Veteran-Owned Small Business led by Jason Ankeny, a U.S. Army Military Police Corps veteran with more than 15 years as a federal officer in immigration and customs enforcement, plus 30 years of combined experience in that field and international trade. Every case the firm handles benefits from his firsthand knowledge of how U.S. and Canadian authorities actually review immigration matters.

About Ankeny Law, a veteran owned immigration firm

About Ankeny Law

Most immigration attorneys know the law from the outside. Jason Ankeny knows it from the inside.

Before founding Ankeny Law, Jason spent more than 15 years in government service, first as a U.S. Army Military Police officer assigned to foreign ports of entry and Cuban Refugee Camps in Central America, and then as a U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) Officer and U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Supervisor at the Washington State/Canadian border. He was not just enforcing the law. He was adjudicating petitions, processing NAFTA applications, and facilitating international commerce at the front lines of one of the busiest land border crossings on the Pacific coast.

That experience is the difference. When Jason works your case, he does not guess at what the agency wants. He already knows.

Why Clients Choose Ankeny Law

Most attorneys build their understanding of immigration agencies through case law, regulations, and secondhand experience. Jason built his through more than 15 years of hands-on enforcement at U.S. land border ports of entry. He knows how CBP Officers think during an admissions interview. He knows what consular officers look for in an E-2 petition. He knows the difference between a case that is borderline and one that is approvable with the right presentation. Because he comes from within the agency, he does not rely on speculation. He relies on experience.

Immigration issues rarely respect national boundaries. Businesses expanding from Canada into the U.S., entrepreneurs seeking E-2 investor visas, workers navigating TN status under the USMCA, families separated by borders, these cases require an attorney who can operate in both legal systems. Jason is one of a small number of attorneys in North America licensed to practice law in the United States and Canada, with active bar memberships in Washington State, Arizona, and British Columbia.

A common frustration with attorneys is clients feeling left in the dark. At Ankeny Law, communication is a core part of the service. You will know where your case stands. You will receive honest assessments. You will not be passed off to a paralegal and left to wonder. We maintain a clear line of communication at every stage of your case, and we respond.

TN visa denied twice by other attorneys? E-2 application stalled at the consulate? Stranded abroad after CBP turned you back at the airport? These are the cases we step into. Complex situations are not a reason to look elsewhere. They are a reason to call us. Our background gives us tools and perspective that most attorneys in this field simply do not have.

We provide professional legal services for a reasonable fee. That is not a marketing line. It is a commitment. Quality immigration counsel should not be out of reach for working professionals, entrepreneurs, and families who need it most.

Why clients choose Ankeny Law for immigration matters

Jason Edward Ankeny | Attorney at Law, Barrister & Solicitor

Cross-Border Law, Corporate Law, Civil Litigation
Jason Ankeny is a Multinational Lawyer licensed to practice law in the United States and Canada. A former U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) Officer/U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Officer, Jason gained more than 15 years of experience enforcing U.S. Immigration and Customs laws of the United States.

Jason is also cofounder of The International Au Pair Exchange, a U.S. Department of State designated (private sector) cultural exchange agency engaged in the administration and placement of Au Pairs throughout the United States. As managing member and responsible officer, Jason participated in round-table policy-making at the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC.

With 30 years of combined experience in U.S. Immigration/Customs enforcement and international business involving cross border cultural exchange programs, Jason brings unique insights into trade, cross-border, and cultural exchange issues to his law practice. Because he comes from within the agency, Jason doesn’t rely on mere speculation as to what the agency requires for a successful outcome for his clients; he knows the agency mandate and expectations and uses his administrative law experience to the benefit of his clients.

15 Years of Government Service

That government career spanned more than 15 years, beginning in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps and continuing through federal service with the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service and U.S. Customs & Border Protection. Each stage built directly on the last, from military policing at foreign ports of entry to adjudicating petitions at a U.S.-Canada land border crossing. The sections below trace that path in detail.

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Jason’s connection to immigration law did not begin in law school. It began in uniform. After enlisting in the U.S. Army, Jason served in the Military Police Corps, assigned to foreign ports of entry overseas and later as a security force member for Cuban Refugee Camps in Central America. It was his first direct exposure to the intersection of law, national security, and human movement across borders, an experience that would define the rest of his career.

Upon completing his military service, Jason pursued a civil service career with the Immigration & Naturalization Service, assigned to a land border port of entry on the Washington State/Canadian border. When the Department of Homeland Security was created in the wake of the September 11 attacks, Jason transitioned to U.S. Customs & Border Protection, continuing his enforcement work and ultimately serving as a CBP Supervisor at the Peace Arch Port of Entry in Blaine, Washington.

During his tenure at the border, Jason gained deep experience in immigration and customs law: adjudicating petitions and applications, processing NAFTA and other employment authorization cases, and facilitating cross-border commerce at the Pacific Highway Commercial Port of Entry. While working full-time at the border, he earned his B.A. in Business Administration at Western Washington University in Bellingham.

After more than 15 years of government service, Jason left CBP to pursue new challenges. He worked with attorneys on cross-border issues, built an immigration help website, and co-founded The International Au Pair Exchange (TIAPE), a U.S. Department of State-designated private sector cultural exchange agency engaged in the administration and placement of Au Pairs throughout the United States. As managing member and responsible officer, he participated in round-table policy discussions at the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C., helping shape the regulatory framework governing cultural exchange programs alongside government officials.

That experience, building and operating a federally regulated business that interfaced directly with government agencies, gave Jason a perspective that goes well beyond litigation. He understands compliance, corporate structure, and the practical realities of operating across borders from the inside out.

Jason earned his J.D. at Arizona Summit Law School in Phoenix, Arizona. During law school, he traveled to Mexico City to study human rights law and clerked at Kuntz Plitt Hyland and Demlong, where he conducted extensive research in insurance law alongside Steven Plitt, a nationally renowned insurance law author and expert witness.

Upon passing the Arizona Bar, Jason completed his Canadian legal training at Ryerson University’s Law Practice Program in Toronto, Ontario. His placement was with Juzkiw & Company, where he gained hands-on civil litigation experience making appearances in Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Divisional Court, Ontario Court of Justice, Small Claims Court, and the Landlord-Tenant Tribunal.

He is now licensed to practice law in two countries, with bar admissions spanning state courts, federal courts, and international trade tribunals on both sides of the border.

Bar Admissions & Professional Organizations — United States

  • State Bar of Arizona
  • Washington State Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
  • State of Arizona Supreme Court and all Arizona State Courts
  • State of Washington Supreme Court and all Washington State Courts
  • U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of International Trade
  • Executive Office for Immigration Review (Immigration Court)

Bar Admissions — Canada

  • The Law Society of British Columbia

Education

  • J.D., Arizona Summit Law School, Phoenix, Arizona
  • Barrister-at-Law, Ryerson University Law Practice Program, Toronto, Ontario
  • B.A., Business Administration, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington

Languages

English, Spanish (moderately fluent)

U.S. Army Military Police Corps veteran background of Ankeny Law's founder
Rebeca Plascencia, Ankeny Law team member

Rebeca Plascencia | Attorney at Law

Rebeca Plascencia is a practicing attorney licensed in the State of Arizona and admitted to the Executive Office for Immigration Review (Immigration Court). She brings a combination of rigorous legal training, real-world professional management experience, and a deep commitment to the communities she serves.

Rebeca earned two bachelor’s degrees from Arizona State University in four years, completing both a B.A. in Justice Studies and a B.A. in Earth and Environmental Studies simultaneously. She then attended law school while working full-time as a Human Resources manager for a large grocery chain, balancing a demanding professional role alongside her J.D. studies at Arizona Summit Law School in Phoenix.

During law school, Rebeca volunteered at non-profit organizations and participated in Citizenship fairs throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area, helping community members navigate the naturalization process. She interned at Ankeny Law as a law clerk and was offered a full-time position upon graduation.

Rebeca is bilingual in English and Spanish, an asset that allows her to communicate directly and clearly with Spanish-speaking clients navigating an already complex and stressful process.

  • State of Arizona Supreme Court and all Arizona State Courts
  • Executive Office for Immigration Review (Immigration Court)

  • J.D., Arizona Summit Law School, Phoenix, Arizona
  • B.A., Justice Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
  • B.A., Earth and Environmental Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

English, Spanish

A Note on Our Size

We are not a large firm, and we do not try to be. Large firms have their place, but immigration law, particularly at the individual and small business level, is best practiced by attorneys who know their clients personally and carry their cases from start to finish.

When you hire Ankeny Law, you hire the attorney you meet at your consultation. Your case does not get handed off. Your calls do not go to a case manager who will relay messages. You work directly with the lawyer responsible for your outcome.

That is a commitment we make to every client. It is also, in our view, the only way to do this work right.

A boutique immigration firm built for direct attorney access

What We Believe

Immigration law is not a field where a good attorney and a great attorney produce roughly the same result. The difference between an attorney who studied the law and an attorney who enforced it at the border, adjudicated petitions, and sat in agency policy meetings is the difference between guessing what an agency expects and knowing it. At Ankeny Law, our approach to every case is built on that insider knowledge. We do not speculate. We prepare.

Many firms turn away cases that look difficult, cases with prior denials, complicated fact patterns, or tight timelines. We take a different view. Complex cases are where preparation, experience, and creative legal strategy matter most. If another attorney turned your case away, or if you have already been denied once or twice, that is not a reason to give up. It may simply mean you have not yet worked with the right attorney.

One of the most common frustrations people have with attorneys is being left in the dark. Filing dates come and go with no update. Questions go unanswered for days. At Ankeny Law, communication is not an afterthought. We give you honest assessments upfront, keep you informed throughout your case, and make sure you understand what is happening and why. You should never have to wonder where your case stands.

Quality immigration counsel should not be reserved for people with unlimited budgets. We provide professional legal services for a reasonable fee because we believe that access to experienced representation should be within reach for working professionals, small business owners, and families, not just corporations and the very wealthy.

Behind every petition, application, and hearing is a person, often a family, whose life is directly shaped by the outcome. We do not lose sight of that. We take the time to understand your situation, your goals, and what is at stake for you personally. That context shapes how we approach your case. It is also why clients who came to us years ago continue to call us when new situations arise.

The values that guide Ankeny Law

Practice Areas

Ankeny Law handles a focused set of practice areas where Jason’s background in cross-border enforcement and international business directly translates into stronger outcomes for clients.

Business Investor Immigration (E-2, EB-5), Employment Immigration (TN, H-2A, H-1B), Family Immigration, Immigration Bonds, Immigration Corporate Compliance, Immigration Court Representation, Naturalization, and Waivers of Inadmissibility.

Business and employment-based immigration pathways into British Columbia and across Canada.

Helping businesses understand and comply with the regulatory frameworks that govern cross-border commerce, eliminating the uncertainty that leads to fines, penalties, and forfeitures.

Business entity formations and transactions, structured to reduce the likelihood of disputes and keep your business operating cleanly across jurisdictions.

Personal Injury, Employment Law, Insurance Law, and Trademark Law.

Immigration practice areas at Ankeny Law
Ankeny Law offices in Seattle and Vancouver

Our Offices

Seattle

506 2nd Ave, Suite 1400Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 686-1589
Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Vancouver, BC

666 Burrard St Ste 500,
Vancouver, BC V6C 2X8
(604) 314-1848

Frequently Asked Questions

Jason Ankeny is a multinational lawyer licensed in Washington State and British Columbia. Before founding the firm he spent more than 15 years as a federal officer with the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service and U.S. Customs & Border Protection, and he brings 30 years of combined experience in immigration and international trade.

The firm is led by a U.S. Army Military Police Corps veteran, and the same discipline shapes how every case is handled. Clients work directly with an attorney who has served in uniform and enforced these laws from the government side.

Yes. Jason Ankeny is licensed to practice in Washington State and in British Columbia through the Law Society of BC, which allows one firm to manage matters on both sides of the border. Cross-border cases are coordinated from our offices in Seattle and Vancouver.

Yes. Attorney Rebeca Plascencia is bilingual in English and Spanish and works with Spanish-speaking clients directly, so nothing is lost in translation during a case.

Immigration attorney fees in Seattle vary based on the visa category, case complexity, and whether the matter involves cross-border coordination with Canada. At Ankeny Law, every engagement begins with a consultation where we walk through the scope of your case and provide a clear breakdown of anticipated costs, including government filing fees and any third-party expenses, before any work begins, so you know what to expect before you commit.

Either office can start your case. U.S. matters are typically handled from Seattle at (206) 686-1589, Canadian and cross-border matters from Vancouver at (604) 314-1848, and our contact page reaches both.

Ready to Talk?

Your situation is unique. The first step is a consultation where we learn the facts of your case, identify the legal issues, and give you an honest assessment of cost, timelines, and what to expect. No pressure, no guesswork, just a straightforward conversation with an attorney who has seen these cases from both sides of the desk.

Contact Ankeny Law today to get started.

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