Kelly Fontoura has been residing in New York City since 1999, when she arrived in the United States as an immigrant in search of new opportunities. With a background in Liberal Arts, she has had a diverse career path that includes roles as an English teacher, translator, interpreter, and paralegal. In June 2024, Kelly received accreditation from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to represent foreign nationals before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Kelly followed the same path as many immigrants in legalizing her status in the United States through the EB-3 process in the professional category. She began her career in this field at Martin C Liu & Associates from 2007 to 2017. Later, she furthered her expertise in employment – based Green Card processes while working at Epstein Becker & Green, where she gained extensive experience and continued interaction with immigrants, particularly those newly arrived in the United States.

After years of dedication to the immigrant community, especially the Brazilian community, and recognizing her work as a life mission, Kelly felt the need to centralize essential services for those who choose to live far from their country of origin. With this goal in mind, she founded Imigra Foundation, focused on facilitating the integration of newly arrived immigrants through guidance, information, education, and assistance in immigration processes, with a notable specialization in the EB-3 category.

For Kelly, successful integration not only strengthens communities economically but also makes them more socially and culturally inclusive. This is one of the core principles guiding Imigra Foundation’s work.