Max Katner

Max Virupaksha Katner serves as the Staff Immigration Attorney at Pacific Gateway Center. He provides comprehensive immigration legal advice and services to immigrants and refugees across all of Hawaiʻi. Based primarily out of PGC’s O’ahu office, Max also travels monthly to satellite offices on Maui, Moloka’i, and Lana’i to service clients who cannot travel easily to O’ahu (Kaua’i and Big Island appointments are forthcoming). Max is committed to providing compassionate, client-centered representation and to expanding access to justice for those who otherwise face significant barriers to legal assistance.

As PGC’s primary immigration attorney, Max works closely with individuals and families navigating complex immigration processes by offering clear guidance, ethical representation, and culturally responsive support. Clients receive assistance with a wide range of immigration matters involving U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration Enforcement (ICE), and Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).

These services include:

• Adjustment of Status (Form i-485)

• Family-based or Marriage-based Petitions (Forms i-130 and i-130A)

• Naturalization (Forms N-400, N-565, and N-600)

• Employment Authorization (Form i-765)

• Widow Petitions (Form i-360)

• Asylum Applications, including Withholding of Removal (Form i-589)

• Temporary Protected Status Applications & Renewals (Form i-821)

• Travel Document, Parole, and Re-Parole Requests (Form i-131)

• Nonimmigrant Visa Extension or Changes (Form i-539)

• Immigrant Worker Petitions for Self-Employed or Employers (Form i-40)

• Address Changes (Form AR-11)

• DACA Renewals (Form i-821D)

• Consular Processing for Visas (Form i-130)

• Petitions to Remove Residence Conditions (Form i-751)

• Defense from Deportation and Removal Proceedings in Immigration Court

• General advice about immigration, deportation, refugee, and resettlement issues

At Pacific Gateway Center, Max plays a key role in strengthening access to authorized legal services for underserved island communities, helping clients stabilize their legal status, reunite with family members, and pursue long-term security in the United States. His work reflects PGC’s broader mission of advancing economic opportunity, equity, and integration for immigrant communities throughout the Hawaiian islands.

To schedule a legal consultation, please refer to our contact page.