TOP AT TORNEYS IN SPECI ALIZED FIELDS
ANGELO PAPARELLI
SEYFARTH SHAW LLP | PARTNER
Angelo Paparelli is co-chair of
the EB-5 immigrant investment
specialty team and a partner
in the business immigration
practice group of Seyfarth Shaw
LLP. A certified immigration law
specialist with a background in international business and tax
law, Paparelli brings unique expertise to the EB-5 field. He is
recognized as a Brand 1 immigration attorney by Chambers,
Legal 500, LawDragon, Best Lawyers and the Who’s Who of
Corporate Immigration Lawyers.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
THE EB-5 INDUSTRY CHANGE
FOR A BETTER FUTURE?
Until economic conditions provide objective reasons to
stem the flow of foreign capital, there should be no annual
quota for the EB-5 program because it creates jobs,
promotes economic development, and generates urgently
needed tax revenues. Federal immigration policies should
embrace, rather than deviate from, accepted, otherwise
lawful business and investment practices. Defrauded
investors should be given a soft landing to allow them to
transition into another lawful status with work permission.
These should be done to show the global investment
community that the U.S. is committed to EB-5 program
viability and integrity.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
WHEN IT COMES TO EB-5 LITIGATION
OR ADVOCACY?
Fortunately, EB-5 litigation trends are mirroring the
successful outcomes of multiple immigration-related
challenges to the USCIS’s informal practice of adopting new
policies by web publication and individual adjudications
without first complying with the requirement of the
Administrative Procedure Act (APA) to provide public notice
and offer interested stakeholders an opportunity to
comment before any change takes effect. In terms of
advocacy, as allowed by the APA, the EB-5 industry should
proactively propose workable and enlightened regulations
rather than merely waiting for Congress or USCIS to act.
LAURA FOOTE REIFF
GREENBERG TRAURIG LLP | CO-CHAIR, BUSINESS IMMIGRATION & COMPLIANCE GROUP
Laura Foote Reiff has been
involve d in E B - 5 sinc e the
program’s inception in 1990.
With roots as a business
immigration attorney
assis ti n g wi th E B - 5 dire c t
investments, Reiff has grown to become co - chair of
Greenberg Traurig, LLP ’s business immigration and
compliance group, a co-managing shareholder for the
firm, and the leader of the EB-5 Immigration Coalition — a
diverse organization of trade associations and businesses
working to advance the EB-5 program. Reiff collaborates
with Greenberg Traurig’s dedicated EB-5 team, which
includes professionals such as economists and securities
attorneys, to assist both investors and developers across
the full spectrum of EB-5 matters.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
THE EB-5 INDUSTRY CHANGE
FOR A BETTER FUTURE?
record make it appealing for foreign investors. However,
the USCIS review of these cases have been growing
increasingly harder.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
WHEN IT COMES TO EB-5 LITIGATION
OR ADVOCACY?
I have been actively committed to reforming one of the
most challenging aspects of EB-5: the program’s policy
complexities. I find the bureaucracy of interfacing with
agencies is frustrating and works against the EB-5
program’s underlying goal of creating U.S. jobs. Despite
the intricacies of navigating EB-5 policy, I find that working
toward transparency in business immigration laws and
regulations is one of the most rewarding components of
my job. My endeavors as a registered lobbyist for the EB-5
Immigration Coalition allow me to have a direct effect in
promoting and supporting the continuation of the EB-5
Immigrant Investor Program.
There has been some real changes on the horizon for the
EB-5 program. The program’s popularity and proven track
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