A&M-Commerce Bangladeshi Student Association Brings Immigration Attorney Harry Joe to Campus

Texas A&M University-Commerce's newly formed Bangladeshi Student Association has invited prominent Dallas-based immigration attorney Harry Joe to speak on campus on April 2. Addressing international students on campus, Joe will focus on the challenges facing foreign students in seeking employment and/or extending their stay in the United States.

At the Bangladeshi Student Association's inaugural meeting, university provost Dr. John Humphreys challenged the group to organize an event that would impact students across the university community. Immigration law is a major concern for international students in the United States—and on A&M-Commerce's campus, where international student enrollment was 692 at the end of 2017, totaling 5.5% of 12,490 enrolled students.

Professor of Marketing Dr. Alma Mintu-Wimsatt remembered Harry Joe from a visit he made to her class a decade ago and reached out to him. “I wanted students to talk to someone who was faced with the reality of immigration every day,” said Dr. Mintu-Wimsatt. She hopes the opportunity to hear from Mr. Joe informs and prepares students to tackle immigration procedures conscientiously.

A highly rated immigration attorney, Harry Joe is a founding member of JMO Firm, PLLC and is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has been since 1980. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of North Texas and his Juris Doctorate Degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.

Despite early reports in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's election that international student enrollment and immigration was dropping, the Institute of International Education (IIE) found that total enrollment actually went up by 3.4%. More students are using their Optional Practical Training (OPT) post-graduation, according to the report, allowing graduates to work in the field of their area of study for 1-3 years. Having Mr. Joe make a campus visit will be invaluable at this critical moment.

The event will take place in the McDowell Administration Building, Room 221, at 1:00 PM.