Tahmina Watson, the founder in 2009 of Watson Immigration Law, has distinguished herself as a successful and committed specialist in U.S. immigration law. Watson represents U.S. and multinational companies that need high-skilled workers from other countries; non-U.S. businesses opening offices in this country; startups with founders from other countries; and investors expanding their businesses in the U.S. She 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.
Watson is a well-known media figure in the immigration field. In the Seattle area, where she and her family live, she 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, and has been cited by Forbes, Bloomberg and CNN. Her blog, Watson Immigration Law, reaches a wide audience. She is the author of The Startup Visa: Key to Job Growth & Economic Prosperity in America, and of Legal Heroes in the Era of Trump: Be Inspired, Expand Your Legal Skills, and Leave Your Mark on the World.
Watson 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 also 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.
Watson 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.
Watson is herself a U.S. immigrant (and naturalized citizen), having moved to the United States in 2005 from her birthplace in London, where she received her education and initial training in law. Of Bangladeshi heritage, Watson is biliterate in Bengali and fluent in both Hindi and Urdu.