Bridging Boundaries: Barbara Wong on Immigration Law's Human Impact and Future
Interviewed By : Atal ; Edited By : Mahaprasad
11th March
In the heart of the East Bay, where a diverse community of immigrants has created vibrant neighborhoods in cities like Fremont, Barbara Wong has built her immigration law practice around a simple but powerful philosophy: immigration law is a vehicle to help people. As the founder of Mission Law and Advocacy, Wong brings nearly three decades of experience to a field that has seen dramatic policy shifts, technological transformations, and evolving global mobility patterns.
"Immigration law wasn't something when you're born in the US that you even really think about," Wong reflects. "You actually just don't even think about it until you encounter the complexities of immigration law when you actually deal with the problems people have in getting visas."
From Paralegal to Advocate: A Journey Through Immigration Law
Born to immigrant parents in the United States, Wong's introduction to immigration law came after college when she worked as a paralegal for four years at an immigration law firm. This experience opened her eyes to the precarious position of foreign nationals in the U.S.
"I was like 20, 22 years old, and I was like, you know, you just take for granted that you're able to stay in the country," she says. "But there are people here who have to, you know, if they're fired from their job, they don't have any options."
This early realization about the vulnerability of immigrants sparked what would become a lifelong commitment to immigration law. After her paralegal experience, Wong attended law school, where she initially explored various legal fields. While her classmates were drawn to corporate law for its financial rewards, Wong saw a different path for herself.
"All my friends that were going to corporate law made a lot of money, but I saw them sitting in a room and just dealing with contracts and dealing with paper all day long, like 80-hour weeks," she explains. "To me, that even if you paid us a million dollars, that was not a life that I would want."
Instead, Wong was drawn to fields where she could make a tangible difference in people's lives. "So immigration, I think ultimately, the tool itself is a vehicle to help people. It was either legal aid or immigration or something. I always wanted to help people."
After law school, Wong worked at prestigious immigration firms including Fragomen and Barry Appleman in California, building her expertise in business immigration—primarily H-1B visas and employment-based green cards. These experiences provided a solid foundation for her later entrepreneurial ventures.
Creating a Haven for Immigrants: Mission Law and Advocacy
Wong's vision extended beyond traditional immigration practice. Recently, she founded Mission Law and Advocacy, a separate entity from her primary law firm that aims to provide comprehensive support for immigrants beyond just visa services.
"I started this other practice called Mission Law and Advocacy outside of my current practice that I'm hoping would be a source for the community, not just immigration," Wong explains. "Also if they have trouble finding a good family lawyer or if they have an issue...a place where immigrants that may have questions can come for legal assistance."
Wong recognized that immigrants often need support in multiple areas as they build lives in the United States: "Sometimes what happens is they're here on immigration as their first thought, but then after they're staying here for a while, they have other issues like how do I make sure my children get assets that we're building up, how do I get help for my health care, how do I source housing."
This holistic approach to immigrant support reflects Wong's deep understanding that immigration is not a single legal transaction but a complex life transition that touches every aspect of a person's existence.
Navigating the Shifting Immigration Landscape
Having practiced immigration law for nearly 30 years, Wong has witnessed significant policy shifts across multiple administrations. Her observations reveal the pendulum swings of U.S. immigration policy and their real-world impacts on foreign nationals.
Wong notes that recent months have brought rapid changes: "I think it definitely has gotten harder within the past two months, but prior to that, maybe the four years post-first Trump administration, it was actually becoming more humane. The US Government was trying to acknowledge the value and the contributions of a lot of the foreigners coming to the US and not immediately put up walls and be suspicious of their intent."
The contrast between administrations is stark in Wong's description. During the Biden administration, she saw efforts to make immigration more accessible and dignified: "They started reviving the entrepreneur visa...They started to extend the EAD cards for people who are in the green card process. There were little subtle things for which they were allowing people to gain more footing to be able to make their day-to-day life as a foreign national in the US a little more humane."
Now, Wong observes a shift toward greater restriction: "The underlying position the government's taking is, are you going to take away resources from US workers? Are you going to drain our healthcare resources? There's a much more protectionist kind of attitude towards American jobs."
The Changing Face of Global Mobility
One of Wong's most insightful observations concerns how global mobility patterns are evolving in response to U.S. immigration policies. Rather than simply seeing decreased interest in coming to America, Wong points to a more nuanced reality where talented individuals maintain global options.
"I can tell you that a lot of companies are using technology as a way to work collaboratively with people who are not physically in the US," Wong notes. "By having these hurdles, it's actually fueled growth potentially in countries that are more hospitable to foreign nationals, like Canada for example, and even parts of Europe."
Wong challenges the conventional interpretation of increased H-1B lottery registrations as evidence of growing demand. "I think the demand is a little deceptive because the way that the registration is working with the H1B lottery now...it's just like you need minimal information just to register the foreign national."
She suggests that while the United States remains attractive, highly skilled immigrants increasingly view it as just one option among many: "Most of the foreign nationals that are that smart and educated, they're not going to be limited to the U.S. Their world is much bigger than that because their skill set is applicable and valuable to so many different organizations and countries."
This perspective offers a crucial insight: restrictive immigration policies don't necessarily reduce immigration pressure but may instead redirect global talent to more welcoming destinations.
The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Immigrants
Throughout her career, Wong has observed a remarkable trend among her clients—a powerful entrepreneurial drive that uses traditional employment paths as stepping stones to greater ambitions.
"I've been seeing a lot of people who are looking to be national interest waivers who are thinking about themselves outside of the company," Wong explains. "They're not just company people. They actually have their own desires and their own thoughts about how to use their hard work in earning their master's degree or PhD to do something where it contributes to the good of either humanity or even the world."
Wong sees this entrepreneurial spirit particularly among tech professionals: "There are people that want to come in and work for Oracle, they may come in and work for Meta, but the reality is they want to start their own thing. They may use that bridge to get here, but once they're here, they always are open to like, how can I start my own business? How can I get my green card and have more freedom?"
This observation aligns with research showing immigrants' outsized role in American entrepreneurship and innovation, highlighting how immigration pathways that begin with employment often lead to broader economic contributions.
The Future of Immigration: Technology and Economic Value
Looking ahead, Wong envisions significant changes to how immigration functions in the United States, with technology playing a central role and economic contributions becoming increasingly important in determining who gains entry.
"I think things are going to be filed online. I think there's going to be more technology used to limit any sort of misrepresentation where all the systems are going to start talking to each other more probably with AI," Wong predicts. "U.S. Immigration may end up changing in terms of how many people are going to be let in and whether or not it's going to be treated as sort of a high-level value in some ways or tied to some kind of financial value."
Wong believes immigration may increasingly shift toward economic models: "Right now, there's that sense of like, oh, if you're hardworking and you're capable, you'll still get the visa, but there could be more of a, hey, if you can pay for it...if you have the money, then you may be more of a benefit."
Despite these shifts, Wong maintains that America's appeal remains strong for certain immigrants: "There's still that sense of freedom here to actually achieve that. The US has that allure, like if you come here and you work hard, you may be able to do something that will change the world."
A Vision for Community Support
Wong's dual practice structure—maintaining her primary immigration law firm while building Mission Law and Advocacy—reflects her commitment to giving back to the community after decades in the field.
"I figured, you know, it's time to give back to the people in the community. Time to just help people and also to teach the people that are coming up under me, the younger people, on anything that's useful for them," Wong says.
This mentorship element is central to Wong's vision for her practice, as is reuniting families: "I see the unification of families. So that's always satisfying to see how people will come back and get their parents to get a visa or things like that."
For Wong, the practice of immigration law intertwines legal expertise with human connection: "What I love about it is that you actually learn so much about people and you learn about...the world that you live in, you know, as an attorney widens when you get to expose yourself to so many different types of cultures, people, lifestyles, and work that they do."
The Enduring Appeal of American Immigration
Despite policy fluctuations and growing global competition for talent, Wong believes the fundamental appeal of American immigration endures—not just as an economic opportunity but as a chance to make a meaningful impact.
"I think the community in the US is still welcoming to foreign nationals," Wong observes, while acknowledging that "there are pockets of protections that are being set up now that are hostile."
Wong's career embodies the complex duality of American immigration—its challenges and barriers alongside its enduring promise of opportunity and renewal. Her work at Mission Law and Advocacy continues a tradition of community-centered legal practice that sees immigration not just as a legal status change but as a transformative life journey worthy of comprehensive support.
As immigration policies shift with political winds, practitioners like Wong serve as steady guides, helping newcomers navigate not just the legal labyrinth but the broader challenge of building meaningful lives in a new homeland—fulfilling the age-old American promise that with hard work and determination, immigrants can not only find success but "do something that will change the world."
This article is part of LegalBridge's ongoing series featuring immigration law practitioners who bring unique perspectives to the field. Follow us for more insights from legal professionals shaping the future of immigration law.We invite law firms, corporate leaders, and immigration professionals to join us in these discussions. Your unique perspectives and experiences can help shape the future of immigration law and policy.If you're an immigration law firm or Leader of In house Global Mobility, interested in sharing your insights and being featured in our next interview, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us to be part of this important conversation about the future of global mobility.
