The Upside.

Let's face it:  there are days when I dislike a portion my job.  It's natural.  As my father used to say (and still says), "life isn't a carnival."  I didn't want to believe him, but he was right.  I thought of this while driving home from an immigration forum the other night after making several people cry.  I wasn't mean or harsh, but I had to tell them clearly that their chances of immigrating were very unlikely due to the current state of the law.  It pained me to relay the information, and it pained them to hear it.  And that's the part of my job I don't like.

So why do I like being an immigration attorney today?  It all started with a question: what do I put in the "place of birth" box?  Simple question, no?  Well, not so simple in this case.  The birth place is Palestine, which country is not recognized by the United States.  Now what?  Anyone familiar with Middle Eastern history can attest to the craziness of the history.  And while I thought I'd never use my history degree in practice, ta DAH!  I did.  Turns out, that during the time of this person's birth, Palestine was considered part of Jordan.  Thus - this person (while a native Palestinian) was technically born in Jordan.

This may seem like a small thing to you, but for me it was a victory.  I now feel entirely confident to list the birthplace - no one wants an RFE or worse, a denial.  I also refreshed my knowledge of Middle Eastern history, and I can better appreciate the significance of living in a relatively peaceful land.