Inside Immigration with Nadia Yakoob

In this episode, we look at expressing the immigrant experience through creative work, such as poetry and writing.  I invited Renzo del Castillo, author of a collection of poems titled Still, to discuss how he used poetry to process his experiences immigrating to the United States. Writing about our experiences can give us a better understanding of our past, present and future.  I hope this conversation inspires you to write about your journey to the United States!  

Moving to a new country can be stressful, even if we are excited about the change. In this episode of Inside Immigration, I invited Dr. Lorraine Ehlers-Flint, a psychologist and immigrant, to discuss the impact of immigration on mental health and ways to improve mental well-being.

In this episode, I discuss the monthly Visa Bulletin, which is issued by the U.S Department of State every month and provides information on which immigrant visa applications the government is working on. I go over the various categories of immigrant visas, the annual limits to the green cards available, what a priority date is and why there are different tables in the monthly visa bulletin.  With this podcast, I hope to help you understand the monthly visa bulletin so you can plan your permanent residence process better. 

In this episode, I discuss the J-1 visa for interns and trainees. The J-1 can be used for a variety of cultural exchange programs, and provides a pathway for foreign nationals to visit the United States to teach, study, conduct research, or receive on the job training. I spoke with a Senior Associate of People Operations and a Product Design Intern from Verkada, a fast-growing startup in the Bay Area, about their experiences with the J-1 visa program. They share insights on recruiting interns from international schools, confirming that the intern is eligible for the J-1 visa, and the overall internship experience.

In this episode, we discuss options for foreign nationals on temporary employment-based visas whose employment has been terminated or who are concerned about possible termination.   For common employment-based visas, including the H-1B, E, L, O and TN, employees have 60 calendar days from the last day of employment to find a new employer that can sponsor them for a visa or to apply for a change of status. I spoke with Leyla Mostafavi, an associate at my firm, on factors to consider when finding a new job, exact timing of the grace period, and options to consider if the employee is unable to find a new sponsoring employer. While losing a job can feel very stressful, another job, most likely a better one, is around the corner.  Let this be a time to reflect on where you want to land next and set your goals accordingly.