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At the time of this writing, immigration reform is front and center in media and policy circles in Washington, D.C. The U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Boehner has announced that his side of the Congress “basically” has a deal on immigration. The bipartisan Senate group (gang of eight) just announced its principles for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) and the president is set to announce his CIR plan as well.

The call for CIR to address the seriously broken immigration system began in the late 1990s. There was and continues to be a central recognition that the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 left the immigration system without a key component – a workable non-immigrant visa system program for lesser-skilled workers to enter the United States. Following the 1986 amnesty, workers streamed across the border in unlawful status to the tune of almost 12 million. These workers became embedded in the U.S. workforce. From construction to health care to food processing, undocumented workers permeated the U.S. workforce. It was estimated that this undocumented workforce made up about five percent of the U.S. workforce. It was also estimated that about 70 percent of those undocumented workers were from Mexico. The immigration policy debates blow hot and cold and are now blowing steadily.

Some of the key principles for immigration reform concerning the workforce were and are:

  • Reform should be comprehensive, addressing future workforce needs, the existing unauthorized worker population, and a workable employment eligibility verification system.
  • Reform should create an immigration system that allows for sufficient numbers of immigrants and temporary workers to meet the economic needs of the country.
  • Reform should create a program for hard working, tax paying unauthorized workers to earn permanent status after meeting strict requirements, such as law enforcement screening and learning English.
  • Reform should create a fair employment eligibility verification system that functions efficiently, effectively, and inexpensively for employers, workers and government agencies.
  • Reform should ensure that U.S. workers are not displaced by foreign workers.
  • Reform should strengthen homeland security by providing for the screening of foreign workers and creating a disincentive for illegal immigration.
  • Reform should strengthen the rule of law by establishing clear, sensible immigration laws that are efficiently and vigorously enforced.

If Congress and the president can join together, the winds of CIR might actually become new policy.

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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.