Kristen Ng is an immigration attorney at
Greenberg Traurig LLP. Her practice is focused
on matters involving business immigration and
compliance, including citizenzhip issues; such as
attainment, retention, and relinquishment; immigrant and non-immigrant employment-based
cases; investor cases such as E-2 and EB-5 visas;
and more, including legislative matters.
(NYU) expressed his opinion about
the original intent of Congress
in enacting TEAs, and suggested
that Congress should look towards
another method for determining
TEAs and to shift the TEA designation authority from states to USCIS.
After the testimonies from both
witness panels, the Members
present at the Senate Judiciary
Hearing asked questions of the
second witness panel. Senators
Grassley and Leahy focused on TEA
reform and raising the minimum
investment amount. The witnesses
answered that reforms are welcome
and that higher investment
amounts were to be expected.
Senators Cornyn and Schumer both
also discussed the need for reform,
and called for consensus and
compromise in making the EB-5
program stronger and more robust.
Senators Flake, Tillis, Klobuchar,
and Blumenthal also asked
thoughtful questions surrounding
current TEA policy and how to
address rural and urban issues. The
witnesses proposed ideas for TEA
reform such as commuting patterns
and a focus on distressed and poor
areas. The consensus from Senators
Cornyn, Schumer, Flake, Tillis,
Klobuchar, and Blumental was that
TEA reforms are needed, minimum
investment amounts will likely be
raised, and more visa numbers are
necessary for the success of not only
the program, but for the program.
Laura Foote Reiff is an EB-5 immigration
attorney who focuses on business immigration,
regulations and laws that affect foreign and
U.S. companies, and related legislative and
employment compliance matters. She is the
co-chair of Greenberg Traurig LLP’s Business
Immigration and Compliance Group, comanaging shareholder for the firm, and also
co-Founder of the EB-5 Investment Coalition.
Matthew Virkstis is an immigration attorney
in the business immigration and compliance
practice group of Greenberg Traurig LLP. He is a
member of the firm’s EB-5 team, and his practice
is focused on business immigration regulations
and laws that impact international and U.S. companies. In addition to working with EB-5 clients,
he also works with the policy team.
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