Dear Readers:

This week our ABCs of Immigration article covers the topic of acquiring a green card through a spouse. This is one of the most common routes to getting permanent residency and one that has the most potential for problems. The article is an introduction to the topic, but we highly recommend readers consult with an immigration lawyer early in the process to make sure they understand potential problems that could arise in the case, particularly on the subject of proving a marriage is genuine.

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I’m off to the AILA Global Immigration forum this week in New York City. Today’s immigration lawyers are more and more often having to assist clients with moving people around the globe, not just to the US. While I normally work with local counsel to assist in non-US immigration matters, it helps to have a basic idea of how immigration law works in key markets.

I’m also planning to visit a few of my favorite museums. One is Ellis Island, the immigration processing center for a half century. Ellis Island handled millions of cases and I’ve heard that nearly half of Americans have relatives that moved through there. Ellis Island is now a very interesting museum that has been restored beautifully. I’m also hoping to get to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. This museum’s mission is to educate visitors on what home life was like for the millions of immigrants that came to the US during the great wave from 1890 to 1924.

I’m particularly interested in the Tenement Museum not only because my own relatives came during this time and started out in this part of New York, but because I’ve just read an excellent book entitled Triangle: The Fire That Changed America, by David Von Drehle. The book tells the story of a fire at a clothing factory in the Lower East Side of New York City that killed nearly 200 workers, nearly all of them young female immigrants. That fire was the worst workplace disaster in New York history until the 9/11 attacks. The book does an excellent job telling about tenement life a century ago. And, more importantly, the author explains how this horrible disaster helped prod the government into taking workplace safety standards seriously. The book is well worth the read.

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As always, we remind readers that we're lawyers who make our living representing immigration clients and employers seeking to comply with immigration laws. We would love to discuss becoming your law firm. Just go to http://www.visalaw.com/intake.html to request an appointment or call us at 800-748-3819 or 901-682-6455.

Regards,

Greg Siskind