Raymond G. Lahoud is a Member at Norris McLaughlin, P.A., and Chair of its Immigration Law Practice Group.

Ray focuses only on the area of immigration law and deportation defense for individuals, families, small to large domestic and multinational businesses and corporations, employers, international employees, investors, students, professors, researchers, skilled professionals, athletes, entertainers, in every type of immigration or deportation defense matter—whether domestic or foreign. While Ray’s immigration practice global in reach, with service to individuals and organizations across the United States and beyond, he is located primarily at Norris McLaughlin’s three globally linked offices: Allentown, Pennsylvania, New York, New York, and Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Ray’s practice is broad in immigration scope, from areas of corporate and employment immigration compliance to immigration and deportation litigation before agencies and courts across the United States, for corporations and individuals alike. His practice includes significant experience in each area, including immigrant and non-immigrant visas, visa overstays, immigrants who entered without inspection or authorization, EB-5 investor visa (serving investors, regional centers, and project developers), citizenship and naturalization claims, deportation and removal litigation at the immigration court and all appellate levels, E Visas, E-3 Visas, H-1B Visas, H-2B Visas, L Visas, O Visas, P Visas, Q Visas, R Visas, TN Visas, Exceptional Ability Immigrant Visas, Extraordinary Ability Immigrant Visas, Physician and Nursing Visas, K-1 Visas, K-3 Visas, Multinational Manager/Executive Immigrant Visas, Outstanding Professor/Researcher Immigrant Visas, PERM Labor Certification, Family Petitions, Adjustment of Status, Marriage Petitions, Asylum, and VAWA applications. Ray also works in the field of Immigration Waivers, such as the Visa Waiver Program, National Interest Waivers, Hardship Waivers, and J Waivers.

Ray’s corporate immigration practice includes extensive experience representing businesses of all sizes, in all corporate immigration and employer immigration compliance matters. Ray’s has served nearly every industry, including healthcare, education (community colleges, colleges, universities, as well as students, professors, and researchers), manufacturing, global and domestic employment/talent recruitment, warehousing and distribution, pharmaceutical, economic development, local, county, and state government agencies, non-profit, religious, real estate development and EB-5 investor financing, information technology, marketing, entertainment, sports, and beyond. Ray’s corporate immigration and employer immigration compliance practice includes all non-immigrant and immigrant visas, recruitment of international talent and students, consular processing, to Form I-9 and Department of Labor Wage & Hour Division compliance. Further, Ray has litigated corporate immigration matters before the Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division, the Department of Homeland Security’s investigative bodies and agencies, the State Department, the United States Court of Appeals for International Trade, and Customs & Border Protection review board, to federal appellate courts—seeking review employer immigration compliance and other immigrant and non-immigrant visa issues.

Ray’s immigration litigation practice includes deportation defense, at the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Administrative Appeals Office, and federal district and circuit courts from coast to coast. He has defended thousands of individuals against deportation across the United States. In state and federal trial and appellate courts, he seeks post-conviction relief for the underlying crime that led to the commencement of removal proceedings, and serves as immigration counsel to non-citizens accused of removable crimes. Ray’s ability to understand each interaction of criminal law with immigration law has led to him becoming a leading expert on issues of “crimmigration” before state and federal courts reviewing post-conviction relief claims.

As Chair of the Norris McLaughlin Immigration Law Practice Group, Ray Lahoud oversees a leading team of immigration attorneys, immigration review compliance experts, employer immigration auditors, and paralegals and legal assistants, with extensive and continuing immigration law training and significant immigration practice experience.

Ray has received numerous accolades. He has been awarded the “Empire State Pro Bono Counsel Award” each year since 2012, has been selected as “Lead Counsel,” received the Martindale-Hubbell “Platinum Client Champion Award,” has been named a Super Lawyers “Rising Star,” ranked as a “Top Rated Immigration Attorney” in the New York Metro Area, and was selected as EB5 Investors Magazine’s “Top-5 Rising EB-5 Investor Immigration Attorneys” nationwide. Ray was also named one of the 40 young professionals from the Greater Lehigh Valley as the Lehigh Valley Business 2017 “Forty Under 40” for his commitment to business growth, professional excellence, and the community.

At Lehigh, Ray was Editor of The Lehigh Review, earned Deans List, was named a President’s Scholar, was inducted into Phi Beta Delta, and received, among other awards, the Williams Award, Treen Scholarship, and Littner Scholarship. Prior to that, he served as a United States Congressional Page, under then-Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL). He also served as a legislative aide to State Senator Lisa Boscola (D-PA).

In law school, Ray earned Deans List, received CALI awards in many courses, and worked on the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. He was actively involved in additional programs and other organizations including the Barristers’ Counsel, ABA Law Student Division, ACLU at GULC, Catholic Student Association, and the Innocence Project, and worked for the Honorable Joanne Seybert, Federal District Court Judge for the Eastern District of New York. Ray also has a long history of political and business management expertise, having managed several global private equity groups prior to his practice of law.

In 2017, Ray Lahoud was featured in an NBC News special: Daily Life with an Immigration Attorney. To watch the special, please click here.