Understanding the world plays a huge role in my life in immigration law. I love exploring different cultures, meeting new and interesting people, and spending time with them to experience their way of life. I gain new perspectives and learn what is special in their lives. While I don’t travel as much as I used to after the birth of my son, who is now 4 years old (outside of the yearly trip to India to visit my wife’s family!), these experiences have given me many wonderful memories, enriched my life, and helped shape the person I’ve become.
I want to share a few of those experiences with you. About 15 years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Peru. I went up to Machu Picchu and spent a week in the Amazon. The Amazon isn’t for everyone, believe me. It’s a test of endurance as you are swarmed by mosquitoes and reminded by monkeys that this is their territory. It’s a beautiful place, filled with wonderful sights and people, but it’s a place where nature asserts itself. It’s not an experience I’d be quick to do again!
When I was in college, I traveled around Europe with a good friend. When we arrived in Spain, she wanted to see the running of the bulls. Our timing was perfect. We were looking forward to this experience, but we were also two very exhausted people. We ended up sleeping through the whole thing. Honestly, I was only a little bit disappointed because we didn’t let it diminish the rest of our experience.
And that’s important. These journeys may not have been perfect. I may have been eaten alive by mosquitoes and I may have missed the running of the bulls, but I also gained so much. That’s what really counts. It’s about what it takes to “get there” and the people you meet and things you learn along the way. In my life, I’ve experienced “getting there.” I immigrated with my family from South Africa. We made the journey to the United States and that experience is a major influence on why I started Ranchod Law Group.
I opened my first office in San Francisco 13 years ago and I did so after immigrating to the U.S., growing up in Washington state, getting an education in California, and working for a law firm and corporation doing consulting. Four years ago, we expanded to the Sacramento area, where I now live with my family. I’m realizing my own “American Dream,” while helping others work their way toward the same.
Helping others through the immigration process is a reward in itself. I love to see the hard-fought-for results we get for our diverse clients, including doctors, engineers, and the many Hispanic clients who want nothing more than to broaden their lives in the U.S. I know at the end of the day, our work is going to make a difference in people’s lives.
We’re there to help people overcome the challenges they face when they come to the U.S. and want to build their lives. Every day, we deal with a bureaucracy that doesn’t really seem to care about people. We work with agencies that often see people as nothing but numbers. The immigration process is lengthy and can be very stressful. When it takes so long for anything to happen, people get anxious. We’re here to ease the burden and relieve the stress and anxiety that comes with the territory.
I’m proud to be a part of the journey so many individuals and families have taken and look forward to the many more to come!
– Kaushik Ranchod, Managing Attorney, Ranchod Law
