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The Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (“EWIC”), co-chaired by Greenberg Traurig Business Immigration & Compliance Practice Co-Chair Laura Reiff, issued the below reaction to the release of Republican standards for immigration reform following the annual House Republican retreat held this week.

Reaction to the Release of the Republican Standards:

IMMIGRATION REFORM IS KEY PRIORITY FOR THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS 

2014 IS THE YEAR FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM

The business community expressed its strong support for the principles laid out by the House Republican leadership this week.  House Republicans have identified key principles that line up with tenets long endorsed by the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition.  These principles include among other things:  (i) security at our borders; (ii) a workable worksite enforcement system; (iii) a temporary worker program that will respond to the needs of our economy; and (iv) a program that will bring hardworking unauthorized immigrants out of the shadows to be considered for legal status.

We are encouraged by the importance House leadership has assigned to this issue, and we look forward to enactment of sound immigration reform legislation.  This sets the stage for the House to move ahead with the immigration bills that have already passed out of committee and introduce other bills that comport with the principles.  EWIC looks forward to continuing to work with the House to find a solution to the nation’s immigration policy problems.

The Essential Worker Immigrant Coalition (EWIC) is a broad-based coalition of national businesses and trade associations from across the industry spectrum concerned with the shortage of both semi-skilled and unskilled (“essential worker”) labor.  EWIC supports policies that facilitate the employment of essential workers by U.S. companies that are unable to find American workers (www.ewic.org). 

Additional press releases from EWIC members are included below:

Associated Builders and Contractors

Associated General Contractors of America

American Health Care Association

American Hotel and Lodging Association

International Franchise Association

Immigration Works USA

National Association of Home Builders

National Association of Manufacturers

National Roofing Contractors Association

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Tags: Border Security, EWIC, Immigration Reform
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Photo of Laura Foote Reiff ‡ Laura Foote Reiff ‡

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

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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 Chair 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.

‡ Admitted in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Not admitted in Virginia. Practice limited to federal immigration practice.

Read more about Laura Foote Reiff ‡
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