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On April 9, 2019, Rep. González-Colón (R-PR-At Large) introduced H.R.2173 – a bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reserve EB-5 visas each fiscal year for investors in new commercial enterprises in areas where a major disaster has been declared by the president.

The bill is not publicly available as of this writing, but staff informed EB-5 Insights that it proposes to set aside 100 immigrant investor visas per year for areas designated by presidential declaration to be major disasters.

Rep. González’s legislative approach recognizes the economic benefits of the EB-5 program and the ability to fund vital government programs while creating new jobs for Americans in new and creative ways.

However, the EB-5 program is in great need of long-term authorization and modernization, especially as relates to the current 10,000 annual visa cap. Due to family derivatives count and per-country caps, the actual number of annual EB-5 investors is approximately one-third of annual visas, thus restraining the economic potential of the program.

According to a recent economic study by the EB-5 Investment Coalition (linked above), EB-5 modernization, such as removing derivatives from the annual visa cap and/or expanding the annual visas available, could unleash EB-5 as an economic engine to fund vital government programs well above-and-beyond its constrained status today.

Please check back for additional information on this development and other matters as information becomes available.

For more on the economic impact of EB-5, click here.

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Photo of Laura Foote Reiff ‡ Laura Foote Reiff ‡

Laura Foote Reiff has more than 35 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

Laura Foote Reiff has more than 35 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 Co-Chairs the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice’s International Employment, Immigration & Workforce Strategies group and 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 America is Better Board. She is currently on the Board of the National Immigration Forum and chairs the US Chamber of Commerce Immigration Subcommittee.

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. She works closely with Exchange Visitor Programs on Designation, Change in Control and Compliance.

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.

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.

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

Photo of Dillon Colucci Dillon Colucci

Dillon R. Colucci practices and handles U.S. immigration concerns and helps individuals, families, professionals, skilled workers, investors, and businesses live, work, invest, and do business in the United States. Dillon handles a wide range of immigration matters, including nonimmigrant and immigrant employment-based cases.…

Dillon R. Colucci practices and handles U.S. immigration concerns and helps individuals, families, professionals, skilled workers, investors, and businesses live, work, invest, and do business in the United States. Dillon handles a wide range of immigration matters, including nonimmigrant and immigrant employment-based cases.

Dillon provides business immigration counsel to clients, including HR managers, high-level executives, and employees to pursue a positive immigration outcome for all stakeholders involved. Dillon has focused on administrative appeals work, successfully representing several clients in their appeals of adverse decisions. He also spends time on I-9 employment verification matters as well as H-1B and LCA compliance, including internal and external audits and reviews to minimize employer liability.

Additionally, Dillon focuses on EB-5 immigrant investor matters, regularly working with developers across a variety of industries, as well as private equity funds on developing new projects that qualify for EB-5 investments. This includes the creation of new Regional Centers, having projects adopted by existing Regional Centers or through pooled individual EB-5 petitions. Dillon also counsels foreign nationals on obtaining permanent residency through individual or Regional Center EB-5 investments.