How Helping Her Father Complete His Exceptional Ability Visa Inspired Business Immigration Lawyer Saja Raoof | Episode 74

<p>In this episode of the&nbsp;<em>Ask Canada Immigration Lawyer Evelyn Ackah</em>&nbsp;podcast, Calgary immigration lawyer Evelyn Ackah talks to Business Immigration Lawyer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sar.law/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Saja Raoof, a U.S. immigration attorney specializing in extraordinary ability visas&nbsp;</a>for individuals wanting to move to the United States. Saja shares her personal background as an immigrant from Iraq and her journey to becoming a lawyer. She discusses the Alien of Extraordinary Ability category and the criteria for eligibility, including original contributions, publications, awards and impact on the field. Saja also talks about the challenges faced by immigrants and the importance of standing up for one's freedoms and liberties. She shares her experiences with clients and the delays caused by COVID-19 in the immigration process. Saja concludes by discussing the increasing interest in EB-1 applications as an alternative to H-1B visas, particularly in the STEM field.</p><p><em>Connect with&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sajaraoof/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Saja Raoof on LinkedIn</em></a></p><p>On the podcast, Evelyn and Saja discuss as an Iraqi immigrant to America, Saja's journey to becoming a business immigration lawyer.</p><p>Key points from Evelyn and Saja's conversation:</p><ul><li>Saja shares her background, including being born in Baghdad, Iraq, and later moving to the UK and Saudi Arabia before immigrating to the US.</li><li>Saja's family decided to immigrate to the US in the early '90s under the category of Alien of Extraordinary Ability, which her father qualified for. She assisted in putting together the application.</li><li>Saja discusses the challenges she faced as a woman, Arab American, and Muslim when she first moved to the US for college. </li><li>She also talks about the decision to wear a hijab in college as a way to connect with the Muslim community and how 9/11 and its aftermath affected her choice to