Meet Garrett

Garrett Steck is a member of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s corporate and employment practice groups where he represents international and domestic clients with regard to the cross border movement of goods and personnel.

IMMIGRATION

Garrett has experience in managing cases and representing multinational corporations, healthcare facilities, large and small businesses and individual clients before the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, US Department of State and US Department of Labor. His practice facilitates the movement of key executives, management, technical and skilled workers and their family members into the US by obtaining and maintaining temporary and permanent visas for specialty occupation workers, NAFTA professionals, intra-company transferees, investors/traders, nonagricultural workers, exchange visitors and for aliens possessing extraordinary ability. Garrett also provides strategic consulting and advice concerning foreign workforce availability for new US start-up operations and the impacts to foreign workforce associated with mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and other downsizing efforts.

He provides counseling and guidance with regard to E-Verify, I-9 and SCIIRA employment verification compliance matters and audits. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and frequent lecturer on employment-based immigration topics.

CORPORATE

Garrett offers a broad range of transactional services to his clients with a focus on corporate formation and governance, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, foreign sourcing and distribution and contract drafting and negotiation. He assists clients in complying with the Federal International Traffic in Arms Regulation and US export control laws as regulated by OFAC, BIS and DDTC, including regulation and licensing of noncitizen nationals.

EXPERIENCE

• •  Obtains nonimmigrant visas for foreign nationals in E1/E2, H1B, H2B, J1, L1, O1 and TN status
• •  Petitions for lawful permanent residency for outstanding professors/researchers
• •  Conducts I-9 audits of client employment files and develops compliance policies and training modules to ensure continued employment authorization for all workers
• •  Represents clients before ICE, HSI and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation during employer compliance audits and investigations
• •  Obtains work permits/visas for US citizens for temporary outbound placement
• •  Obtains J1 waivers for foreign medical graduates under the Conrad 30 Waiver Program
• •  Establishes export control policies for clients to assure compliance with ITAR, OFAC and BIS licensing regulations

• University of South Carolina, J.D., 1998
• University of South Carolina, M.P.H., 1995
• Wofford College, B.A., 1992

• South Carolina, 1998

• The Best Lawyers in America© Immigration Law (2022-2025)
• Greenville Business Magazine “Legal Elite of the Upstate Top Attorney Vote” International Law (2015, 2019, 2021, 2024)
• Greenville Business Magazine “Legal Elite of the Upstate” Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions (2021), Immigration Law (2024) and International Law (2013-2024)

• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• Upstate Global Professionals
• Japan America Association of South Carolina
• German American Chamber of Commerce
• South Carolina Bar
• Coach, youth soccer and basketball

• “HSB Employment Law Webinar: Immigration Law Update, Including the Latest on H-1B Visa Filings,” February 22, 2024
• “Immigration Issues in a Non-Traditional Context,” South Carolina Bar Convention, Charleston, SC, January 18, 2024
• “Back to Normal? Immigration in the Post-COVID Business Environment,” HSB Employment Law Webinar, March 2, 2023
• “Ask the Attorney” (Panelist), HSB 2019 Employment Law Seminar Series
• “Melting the ICE - Can an ICE Raid, Investigation or Audit Freeze Your Client’s Project?” 2019 NC/SC Bar Association Joint Construction Law Conference, Charleston, SC, September 20, 2019
• “ICE Audits and Employer Compliance,” HSB 2019 Employment Law Seminar Series
• "Immigration Law Update," HSB 2018 Employment Law Seminar Series
• "Immigration Law Update," HSB 2017 Employment Law Seminar Series
• "A Discussion of Immigration-Related Developments and How They May Impact You as a Human Resource Professional," HSB 2016 Employment Law Seminar Series
• "Immigration: A discussion of immigration-related developments at the federal level and how they may impact you as a human resource professional," HSB 2015 Employment Law Seminar Series