Laura Foote Reiff has more than 32 years of experience representing businesses and organizations in the business immigration and compliance field. She is also a business immigration advocate and has long chaired prominent business immigration coalitions. Laura is Co-Founder of GT’s Business and Immigration and Compliance Group which she co-led since 1999. She currently chairs the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. Immigration and Compliance Practice. Laura is also Co-Managing Shareholder of the Northern Virginia Office of GT, a position she has held since 2010. As a global leader in the business immigration community, Laura has served on the Boards of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Immigration Council, the National Immigration Forum and is currently the President of the America is Better Board.
Laura advises corporations on a variety of compliance-related issues, particularly related to Form I-9 eligibility employment verification matters. Laura has been involved in audits and internal investigations and has successfully minimized monetary exposure as well as civil and criminal liabilities on behalf of her clients. She develops immigration compliance strategies and programs for both small and large companies. Laura performs I-9, H-1B and H-2B compliance inspections during routine internal reviews, while performing due diligence (in the context of a merger, acquisition or sale) or while defending a company against a government investigation.
Laura represents many businesses in creating, managing and using "Regional Centers" that can create indirect jobs toward the 10 new U.S. jobs whose creation can give rise to EB-5 permanent residence for investment. She coordinates this work with attorneys practicing in securities law compliance, with economists identifying "targeted employment areas" and projecting indirect job creation, and with licensed securities brokers coordinating offerings. She also represents individual investors in obtaining conditional permanent residence and in removing conditions from permanent residence.
Laura's practice also consists of managing business immigration matters and providing immigration counsel to address the visa and work authorization needs of U.S. and global personnel including professionals, managers and executives, treaty investors/ traders, essential workers, persons of extraordinary ability, corporate trainees, and students. She is an immigration policy advocacy expert and works on immigration reform policies.
More Legal and Business Bylines From Laura Foote Reiff
- Investigating Director Mayorkas and the Inspector General Investigating Mr. Mayorakas – The Impact on the EB-5 Regional Center Program - (Posted On Thursday, December 12, 2013)
- Business Groups Urge House of Representatives to Revive Immigration Reform - (Posted On Wednesday, October 30, 2013)
- Insights on EB-5 Adjudications in the Shadow of Inspector General and Congressional Reviews - (Posted On Tuesday, September 17, 2013)
- Congress Returns from the August Recess to a Full Plate of Urgent Non-Immigration Related Issues - (Posted On Friday, September 13, 2013)
- Prospects for Comprehensive Immigration Reform: The House of Representatives Kicks the Can Down the August Recess Road - (Posted On Tuesday, August 06, 2013)
- U.S. Senate Passes Landmark Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation - (Posted On Friday, June 28, 2013)
- Actual, Hypothetical and Exemplar – Understanding the Difference Re: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) I-924 Application - (Posted On Wednesday, June 12, 2013)
- EB-5 Legislation Debuts in the House as Part of the “Supplying Knowledge-Based Immigrants and Lifting Levels of STEM Visas Act,” or the “SKILLS Visa Act” - (Posted On Thursday, May 23, 2013)
- Key EB-5 Issues Contained in the Senate Comprehensive Immigration Bill Introduced on April 17, 2013 - (Posted On Thursday, April 18, 2013)
- The Myths of Retrogression of the Visa Numbers in the EB-5 Program - (Posted On Saturday, February 23, 2013)
The National Law Review names Greenberg Traurig, LLP a Go-To Thought Leader in the field of immigration law for their ongoing coverage of the latest EB-5 classification news and updates. In 2022, Greenberg Traurig authors have written on topics such as Congress’ EB-5 reform, the EB-5 regional center extension, and the EB-5 adjudication process. Regular contributors include (but are not limited to): Kate Kalmykov, Jennifer Hermansky, Dillon R. Colucci, Laura Foote Reiff, and others.