CIS Ombudsman January Contreras is leaving her post at the end of this month and it's a loss for the immigration advocacy community. Under her leadership, the Ombudsman's office has grown greatly in size, scope and its overall level of effectiveness. I had the opportunity to visit with the Ombudsman on several occasions and was most impressed by her interest in hearing feedback not just on people's concerns about the functioning of USCIS, but also in hearing people's ideas on how the Ombudsman office can continue to do a better job in carrying out its mission. She has also hired a lot of great people which will be one of her most lasting legacies.
Best wishes, Ombudsman Contreras!
Immigrant of the Day: Varvara Lepchenko - Tennis Player
OK, I've been meaning to end the hiatus on my Immigrant of the Day feature a long time back. I took a break because it takes a fair amount of time to do the research. But I'm giving it another go and welcome your suggestions. Just email me at gsiskind@visalaw.com.
Today's honoree is Uzbekistan native Varvara Lepchenko who recently was sworn in as a US citizen. I think Varvara is also my first Uzbek to make the list. Varvara is 25 and has been competing professionally for 12 seasons. The Allentown, Pennsylvania resident has won 11 International Tennis Fedeation tournaments. She's competing this week in Memphis International indoor tournament right up the street from me. It's one of the top indoor tournaments in the country.
Varvara didn't come to the US the way many foreign athletes do - on a sports visa. Her family came when she was ten as political asylees. Which means they likely came with nothing and had to build a life here from scratch. The Memphis Commercial Appeal has a story today that talks about how becoming a citizen is not only rewarding personally, but is also helping her Tennis career.
About The Author
Greg Siskind is a partner in Siskind Susser's Memphis, Tennessee, office. After graduating magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago. Mr. Siskind is a member of AILA, a board member of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and a member of the ABA, where he serves on the LPM Publishing Board as Marketing Vice Chairman. He is the author of several books, including the J Visa Guidebook and The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing on the Internet. Mr. Siskind practices all areas of immigration law, specializing in immigration matters of the health care and technology industries. He can be reached by email at gsiskind@visalaw.com.
Follow @ilwcom
Share this page | Bookmark this page
© Copyright 1995- American Immigration LLC, ILW.COM
