A Medieval labyrinth, one of the best known of its type, is inlaid in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France.

According to scholars, labyrinths offer one pathway that leads inexorably from the entrance to the goal, although by the most complicated and winding routes.
Labyrinths & Mazes Resource Centre
The Federal courts have compared the task of immigrants and their lawyers to navigating a labyrinth. Litigants must weave a complex tapestry of evidence, then juxtapose and reconcile it with the voluminous and sometimes inconsistent and ever changing administrative and court precedent. "These factors and related legal requirements are daunting enough for a seasoned immigration lawyer….It is no wonder we have observed with only a small degree of hyperbole, the immigration laws [are]…second only to the Internal Revenue Code in complexity. A lawyer is often the only person who could thread the labyrinth." Baltazar-Alcazar, 386 F.3d 940, 947-48 (9th Cir.2004).

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"Immigration flowed toward America in a series of continuous waves. Every new migration gathered force, built momentum, reached a crest, and then merged imperceptibly into the great tide of people already on our shores."

A Nation of Immigrants
by John F. Kennedy, p 10.

Karen Gilbert Law is a Seattle, Washington law firm dedicated exclusively to the practice of citizenship and immigration law. The firm assists clients around the U.S. and world-wide. Firm clients are individuals, families, non-profit organizations and businesses from around the world, including businesses hiring foreign nationals; families intending to re-unite in the United States; individuals claiming asylum; diplomats; entrepreneurs and investors; religious workers; hospitals and health care professionals; high tech employers; colleges and universities; scientists and individuals with exceptional talent and achievements.

The laws governing visas and U.S. immigration are complex. Immigration and citizenship laws, policies and procedures are ever changing. The processing of petitions, applications, and visas involves multiple government agencies, each with its own set of rules and requirements. Successfully navigating this complicated labyrinth can be daunting and time-consuming.

Gilbert Law guides clients in selecting the best options for achieving individual immigration-related goals and minimizing system-created difficulties and delays. The firm offers services in most areas of immigration law, processing cases before agencies in the United States and at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, and handling appeals and Federal litigation. The firm advises businesses in compliance and record-keeping: two corporate compliance areas that have become a priority with the Federal government.

The Statue of Liberty (Lady Liberty), on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, is a gift from the French to the American people in recognition of friendship formed during the American Revolution. The statue was designed by artist Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, who named it "Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World." Dedicated in 1886, it has become an international symbol of freedom, liberty and democracy. The Americans built the pedestal, on which is engraved the 1883 poem by Emma Lazarus "The New Colossus."

From 1892 until 1954, Ellis Island, situated in the New York Harbor, was America's premier immigration station, serving as a gateway for millions of immigrants. Immigrants came to America in a series of waves from all over the world, welcomed by Lady Liberty.

"The contributions of immigrants can be seen in every aspect of our national life… in religion, in politics, in business, in the arts, in education,…in athletics and in entertainment. There is no part of our nation that has not been touched by our immigrant background. Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life." A Nation of Immigrants by John F. Kennedy, p. 3.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Emma Lazarus 1883

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