Tahmina Watson:
An Effective, Prolific Champion in Immigration Law
Tahmina Watson, the founder in 2009 of Watson Immigration Law, has distinguished herself as a successful and committed specialist in US immigration law. She has helped hundreds of businesses and families achieve their goals for working and living in the United States.
Nationally recognized in this complex arena of law, Tahmina is herself a US immigrant (and naturalized citizen), having moved to the United States in 2005 from her birthplace in London, UK, where she received her education and initial training in law. As a result, she possesses an understanding and empathy that make her work as much a calling as a career.
Tahmina represents U.S. and multinational companies that need high-skilled workers from other countries, non-US businesses opening offices in this country, startups with founders from other countries, and investors expanding their businesses in the US.
Her work in family immigration has succeeded in uniting many spouses, parents and children so that they can enjoy stable, cohesive family units.
A broad public profile
Tahmina is a member of the bar in New York State and Washington State. She was a practicing barrister in the United Kingdom before immigrating, and is currently an unregistered member of the bar in England and Wales.
She is a well-known media figure in the immigration field. In the Seattle area, where she and her family live, Tahmina is the host of the popular radio show turned podcast Tahmina Talks Immigration®. She has contributed opinion pieces to numerous publications, including The Seattle Times, YES! Magazine and Entrepreneur.
Nationally, Forbes, Bloomberg and CNN are among the news outlets that frequently tap her for her expertise. Her blog, Watson Immigration Law, reaches a wide audience.
In addition, Tahmina is an adjunct fellow at The Niskanen Center, a Washington, DC, think tank, where she advises on immigration policy issues.
Volunteerism: a driving force
Tahmina’s volunteer work has always been integral to her professional life. She points to the work she did as an undergraduate helping children with special needs as the spark that later led to offering her knowledge of the law to their parents, as they sought educational opportunities for their children.
She led a human rights group in law school and has volunteered with numerous nonprofits since coming to the US.
“Volunteerism is something I have carried deeply throughout my life,” Tahmina says. “It’s what led me to my current work.”
Tahmina is a national spokesperson for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the chair of the Response Committee of the Washington Chapter of AILA. Among her honors, she is a recipient of the 2019 AILA President’s Commendation Award.
She is a trustee of the Board of King County Bar Association in Washington, a past president of King County Washington Women Lawyers, and a former board member of both the Asian Bar Association of Washington and Washington Women Lawyers. She is also a former member of the Mercer Island School District Superintendent’s Diversity Advisory Committee
Tahmina helped found the Washington Immigration Defense Network, which trains lawyers and facilitates legal representation in the immigration courtroom. She is also cofounder of Airport Lawyer, which was created in response to the first travel ban in January 2017.
Of Bangladeshi heritage, Tahmina brings another valuable skill to her immigration work: her biliteracy in Bengali and fluency in both Hindi and Urdu.
She is the author of The Startup Visa: Key to Job Growth & Economic Prosperity in America, and of the forthcoming Legal Heroes in the Era of Trump: Be Inspired, Expand Your Legal Skills, and Leave Your Mark on the World.