Meet the Startup Visa Lawyer trying to change the law while helping startups and founders grow.
Tahmina Watson, founder of Watson Immigration Law in Seattle, fell into immigration law by chance and hasn’t looked back since. She is now a nationally acclaimed, award-winning lawyer, best-selling author, podcast host, and go-to media expert.
Tahmina has become a passionate advocate for the need for more flexible immigration pathways in the United States, including a startup visa to help entrepreneurs create companies—and U.S. jobs. Business Insider lists Tahmina as one of the top immigration attorneys in America for tech startups.
Tahmina was early in her law career as a barrister in the United Kingdom when she experienced her own version of “Sleepless in Seattle.” After meeting someone on a blind date, she immigrated to the United States in 2005 to join the man who is now her husband. After going through the immigration process herself, she was presented with the chance to practice U.S. immigration law. She took the opportunity reluctantly at first, as it wasn’t her preferred choice of law. However, she quickly realized immigration law was everything she wanted in her practice—a fast-moving, complex legal field that deeply impacts human lives.
From reuniting loved ones to helping individuals obtain U.S. citizenship, aiding entrepreneurs in securing visas, and assisting businesses in obtaining visas for their employees, she found herself thriving in this area of law. In 2009, during the height of the recession, Tahmina opened the doors of Watson Immigration Law in downtown Seattle.
The recession had taken its toll on skilled workers who had come to the U.S. to join Seattle’s influential international companies. Many of these workers, facing layoffs, wanted to use their knowledge, networks, and expertise to start ventures in Seattle’s thriving environment for innovation. That was the genesis of Tahmina’s lifelong work advocating for a new visa category for startup founders.
While assisting startups and founders with their immigration needs, Tahmina has become a consistent voice advocating for a startup visa. Her best-selling book, The Startup Visa: Key to Job Growth and Economic Prosperity, has gained much acclaim. The book launched at South by Southwest in 2015, with a second edition released in 2021, featuring a foreword by renowned venture investor Brad Feld.
Tahmina’s current project is the Startup Visa Guide Book, scheduled for release on July 4, 2023, and available for pre-order on Amazon. It will also be available through other book retailers. She writes a monthly column for Above the Law, sharing insights and opinions on trending immigration issues, including how the law affects entrepreneurs and skilled immigrants.
Tahmina is passionate about protecting human rights, particularly during threats to immigration. She has helped create innovative legal clinics and representation programs to assist vulnerable immigrants.
When she’s not writing or practicing law, you’ll find Tahmina enjoying bird photography, a hobby she picked up during the pandemic. Tahmina and her team at Watson Immigration Law practice immigration law with love and compassion. Their clients include startups, small-to-medium businesses, founders, entrepreneurs, and investors.
They specialize in H-1B, E-2, L-1, O-1, TN, and all nonimmigrant and immigrant business visas, particularly in the tech industry. Tahmina and her team have guided startups through the complex visa maze, from launching to navigating mergers, acquisitions, exits, and IPOs.
Words of Wisdom
America is a land of immigrants. Immigrants shaped and fed its democracy, explored its interior, built its infrastructure, and honed it—brick by brick and invention by invention—into the world’s greatest economy.
History demonstrates that, despite restrictions placed on immigration since the 19th century, economic prosperity and increased immigration go hand in hand. Founders of Bose, Big Lots, Levi’s, WhatsApp, Zoom, and Moderna were all immigrants. Examples like these are explored in my book, The Startup Visa: Key to Job Growth and Economic Prosperity.
Today, innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership by immigrants are key factors in America’s continued global influence. Nearly 45% of all Fortune 500 companies had at least one founder who was an immigrant or the child of an immigrant. In 2018, 101 companies on the list were founded by immigrants, with a combined revenue of $6.1 trillion.
In Washington State, immigrants have made a tremendous impact:
- 14.9% of Washington residents are immigrants.
- 21.4% of businesses are created by immigrants, with over 75,000 immigrant entrepreneurs generating $2.2 billion in revenue.
With the headquarters of companies like Amazon, Adobe, Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks, and T-Mobile, and offices for Meta, Google, and Stripe in the greater Seattle metro area, skilled immigrant workers are vital for the local economy.
Some prominent Washington State immigrant leaders include:
- John W. Nordstrom (Swedish-born founder of Nordstrom)
- Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft)
- Laxman Narasimhan (CEO of Starbucks)
- Pramila Jayapal (Congresswoman)
“Immigrants get the job done,” and nowhere is this truer than in Seattle, Washington State.
