Tahmina Talks Immigration

In this episode of Immigration with Tahmina which aired on May 31, 2016, I chat with the amazing advocate Rashi Bhatnagar who discusses her efforts on work authorization for H4 visa holders. Learn about her, her efforts, the outcome and much more!

In this episode, aired on May 24th, we discuss immigration news updates.

In this episode, we are delighted to speak with our guest on "Immigration with Tahmina" on Desi 1250am -Teresa L. Fair-Field! Teresa is a local Seattle entrepreneur and business woman, owner of OT Clubhouse. She recently applied for an H1b visa in the lottery on April 1st for an employee. When she agreed to the interview, she had no idea whether she would 'win' the H1b lottery. Originally USCIS announced they would start H1b adjudications on May 16th, so we wanted to ensure we had an interview that was as relevant as possible. Tune into listen to her story to learn what the H1b lottery means for her business. You can find out whether she 'won' or not. It was indeed brave of her to agree to this blindly! Teresa_TwoWith over 20 years in the field of occupational therapy and work in both large and small heath networks, Teresa began a private practice in pediatric therapy in 2011 with a mission to improve the family experience. Teresa’s commitment to child development began when her

In this episode, we are incredibly thrilled and honored to have a renowned social entrepreneur Adnan Mahmud, founder and CEO of LiveStories on Immigration with Tahmina on Desi 1250 am on Tuesday May 10th at 10am PST. Adnan is an exemplary immigrant entrepreneur who will truly inspire you! Thank you to Adnan for taking time out of his busy schedule for joining us!AdnanAdnan Mahmud is the founder and CEO of LiveStories - a Seattle-based startup building data tools for non-data people, simplifying data analysis, visualization, and presentation for everyone. LiveStories is being used by governments and large nonprofits, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, government of Nigeria, and county health departments in California, to make smarter decisions. Prior to LiveStories, he founded and grew Jolkona.org, a non-profit focused on supporting up-and-coming social entrepreneurs around the world. He also worked 8 years in Microsoft where he managed the two biggest data pipelines for the company, obtaining few p

On this episode, which aired on 4.19.16, we discuss citizenship with One America's Mallori Thompson. One America organizes Citizenship Day to assist people with their US citizenship applications. Mallori shares valuable information about the process and how to get free legal assistance.

In this episode, which aired on 4.26.16, we were honored to discuss immigration with Washington State 9th district representative Congressman Adam Smith. Congressman Smith has been a strong proponent on immigration issues. Listen to him discuss all his efforts on the issue. Thank you to Congressman Adam Smith for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk immigration with me.

In this episode, we interview Katrina Ji who is the Artistic Director of Culture Shakti Dance Company & Rajasthani Gypsy Caravan. We discuss her work and P3 visas for dancers and musicians. Katrina has appeared on several TV programs in India & the USA in addition to podcasts and magazines. She has performed with some of the worlds most famous dancers! Katrina Ji tours internationally with Rajasthani Gypsy Caravan and teaches Bollywood Dance at her studio, Culture Shakti in Seattle in addition to a variety of public and private schools. She specializes in Bollywood, Rajasthani Folk Dance & ATS® Belly Dance.

In this episode, we discuss the new STEM OPT rules that were recently released.

In this episode, we are incredibly thrilled and honored to have an amazing social entrepreneur Aurora Chisté, CEO of Hack for Big Choices on Immigration with Tahmina on Desi 1250 am on Tuesday March 8th at 10am PST.Aurora discusses life as a social entrepreneur as well as an immigrant entrepreneur in the US. She discusses the lack of visa options of people like herself. Listen to this fascinating discussion about changing lives as well as why US immigration laws need to change to keep up with modern times.

We are incredibly honored to have Jorge Barón, Executive Director of Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) on this episode of Immigration With Tahmina” on Desi 1250 am which aired on March 1st at 10am PST. Jorge shares information about NWIRP and the services available for people in the community. He shares tips on how to get through the phone lines. He also shares his insights on #immigrationreform as well as the Supreme Court case on #DAPA and #DACA (deferred action for parents of US citizens and green card holders). This is truly an educational episode for those who need help on immigration issues.

In today's episode we speak with Rishi Bhilwadikar, writer and producer of For Here or To Go? This is a movie close to my heart which shows the effects of the current broken immigration system. An immigrant himself, Rishi tells us about his immigrant background, why he wrote the movie, the challenges he faced as a new film writer and the funds that are needed for a theatrical screening. This is an unmissable interview for anyone interested in immigration reform.

In today's episode, we speak with notable Entertainment attorney James Taylor. In addition to his vast experience in entertainment law, he had the opportunity to help a victim of trafficking and discussed immigration issues related to that. We discuss S and T visas in this context .

In this episode we talk to Todd Schulte, Presidnt of FWD.us. A day after the Iowa primaries, Todd shares his insights on the primaries, election and immigration. Thank you to Todd for taking time out of his busy day to join us my radio show on Desi 1250 am.

In this episode, we discuss the drastic new Visa Waiver rules that revoke ESTA clearance of people who hold dual citizenship with a European country as well one of the following- Iran/Iraq/Sudan and Syria. We also provide news update on the STEM OPT extension issue- STEM OPT will be extended until May 10, 2016. We are also very honored to speak with WA State Representative Brady Walkinshaw. He is running for Congress also. His family immigrated from Cuba, he grew up in the agricultural industry and has much understanding about immigration related to these issues. I learned much from the discussion. We thank Brady for joining us and hope you will enjoy the interview.

On our second show of 2016, we talk to notable academic, entrepreneur, author and think tank Vivek Wadhwa. Wadhwa was one of the first vocal advocates for a Startup Visa in the US. His book The Immigrant Exodus was the first that discussed the reverse brain drain issue. We are honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to speak with him. I hope you will enjoy this insightful discussion. Also on this show, we report on breaking news that the Supreme Court will hear the DACA/DAPA case. The case is about allowing undocumented people work authorization through executive action. Thank you to Vivek Wadhwa for joining us! Stay tuned for next week's show which promises to be exciting also. Thanks for listening!

On our first show of 2016, we talk to Movie Director Rucha Humnbadkar about her wonderful movie For Here or To Go? A movie that depicts the problems of the broken immigration system.Coincidentally, employment-based immigration rules on I-140/AC21 were published to the Federal Register on 12/31 so Rucha's interview is even more meaningful!In today's show, we also have caller Prasad call in a with a great question on the new proposed rules. The call is specifically about what happens with an approved I-140 and what changes are coming through these rules.The proposed rules on I-140/AC21 are of utmost importance for high-skilled immigration and our next show will be dedicated to it. We welcome questions and comments. Get in touch and tune in next week!

On this episode, we discuss the laws that were changed through the budget deal signed into law by President Obama on December 18th 2015. Among the issues are the EB5 investor visa extension, religious visa extension, H1b visa increases and the visa waiver restrictions. Our famous immigrant of the day is Nordstrom in honor of Christmas shopping! Hope you enjoy learning about these updates. Happy holidays!

In this episode, our "famous immigrant(s)' are Procter and Gamble. Learn the history of the brand. Our news update is about the Seattle Office of Immigrants and Refugees Affair mention in a White House report released today, the City of Seattle's adoption of a resolution to protect the Muslim community and also reports of social media investigations that will become part of visa processing; and finally our guest is a wonderful tax lawyer Ruby Banipal of DLA Piper. She gives us a brief summary of tax issues to watch out for if you are a temporary worker in the US or a legal permanent resident or a US citizen. Hope you enjoy!

In this episode, we talk about the fast approaching TPS deadline in December for nationals of Nepal. We chat about Levi Strauss as our famous immigrant of the day. And finally, we have a great interview with Roxana Norouzi, Director of Education and Integration Policy at One America. She discusses the newly launched report on 'brainwaste' - which reports on highly educated immigrants' talents going to waste in the US and what can be done about it. The report discusses skills shortages in the US that such immigrants could fill. It is a great interview! Let us know if you are an immigrant and need help getting into a profession for which you have already trained in your home country.

In this episode we discuss White House announcements on restricting the Visa Waiver Program. Our guest notable Seattle attorney Suchi Sharma joins us on the show. She discusses the importance of being engaged in the political process and talks about her role as legal advisor to the Washington State Democratic Caucus. Below is a link with Suchi's bio. https://watsonimmigration.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/shuchi-sharma-next-guest-on-tahminas-radio-show/