Mariana Ribeiro co-leads Gunster’s Immigration practice group and serves as co-chair of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Forum. Mariana has been featured in Chambers USA among “Leaders in Their Field” in immigration law and in Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star.” She is a frequent author, lecturer and panelist on a wide variety of business immigration law matters. A native of Brazil, Mariana is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.

Her primary practice focuses on multi-faceted and complex employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa matters, including Investor visas, Professional/Specialized Knowledge visas, Intra-Company Transferee/Multinational Executive or Manager visas, Trainee visas, Extraordinary Ability visas, Labor Certification Applications and Consular Processing.

Mariana possesses experience in counseling employers regarding policies, required documentation and procedures related to sponsoring foreign nationals and compliance with U.S. immigration laws, including H-1B Labor Condition Application document maintenance and I-9 employment eligibility verification requirements. Mariana represents clients in a variety of industries, including finance and banking, healthcare, fashion and modeling and technology, among many others.

• Chambers & Partners, “Leaders in Their Field,” Immigration, 2012-23
• Member of Gunster’s immigration law practice ranked “Band 1” by Chambers USA, 2014-21
• Florida Super Lawyers, “Rising Star,” 2010-19
• Florida Trend, “Legal Elite,” Immigration & Nationality, 2019
• Book Award, European Community Law, 2005

• “Truth, Justice, and the New College Way,” Nimbus, the Alumni publication of New College, the Honors College of the State University System of Florida, Fall 2018
• “Fear of Compliance,” Florida Trend, October 2018
• “Permanent Visas”, Florida Trend, October 2018
• “Legal U.S. Immigration Considerations for Foreign Investors in the New Era of President Trump”, Private Briefing for Multinational Investment Bank and Financial Services Company, Miami, Florida, scheduled for October 2018
• “The New Era of Broadened Immigration Enforcement: Employment Eligibility Verification,” Sarah Lea Tobocman, Mariana Ribeiro and Beatriz Osorio, Private Immigration Briefing to Public Company and its subsidiaries involved in Critical Infrastructure, broadcast from Miami, Florida, July, August and September 2018
• “The New Era of Broadened Immigration Enforcement: Employment Eligibility Verification,” Sarah Lea Tobocman, Mariana Ribeiro and Beatriz Osorio, Private Immigration Briefing to Private Company Property Manager, Cleveland, Ohio and Palm Beach, Florida, August 2018
• “What You Need to Know about Immigration Sponsorship for Foreign National Allied Healthcare Professionals and Physicians” Sarah Lea Tobocman, Mariana Ribeiro, and Beatriz Osorio, Lee Health, Fort Myers, Florida, May 2018
• “H-1B and LCA Obligations,” Private Immigration Briefing, Asset Management Firm, San Francisco, California, February 2018
• “The New Era of Broadened Immigration Enforcement: What You Need to Know About Immigration Sponsorship of Foreign Nationals in the Finance Sector & Employment Eligibility Verification”, Sarah Lea Tobocman, Mariana Ribeiro, and Jay Carmichael, Private Immigration Briefing, San Francisco, California, May, 2018
• “The New Era of Broadened Immigration Enforcement: What You Need to Know About Immigration Sponsorship of Foreign Nationals for Foreign National Allied Healthcare Professionals and Physicians,” Sarah Lea Tobocman, Mariana Ribeiro, and Beatriz Osorio, Lee Health, Fort Myers, Florida May 2018
• “Feeling Pushed Up Against the Wall? Current U.S. Immigration Climate Demands That U.S. Employers ‘Think Outside the Box’,” by Mariana Ribeiro and Beatriz Osorio, International Law Quarterly, Volume XXXIIII, no.2, Spring 2017
• “Fundamentos sobre Imigração aos EUA – O que os empresários e investidores brasileiros precisam saber,” Mariana Ribeiro and Sarah Lea Tobocman, Gunster, presented to Demarest Advogados, October, 2016
• “Fundamentos sobre Imigração aos EUA – O que os empresários e investidores brasileiros precisam saber,” Mariana Ribeiro and Sarah Lea Tobocman, Gunster with Maria Carolina La Motta Araújo, Almeida de Advogados, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, Brazil, October 2016
• “Fundamentos sobre Imigração aos EUA – O que os empresários e investidores brasileiros precisam saber,” Mariana Ribeiro and Sarah Lea Tobocman, Gunster, Abe Guimarães e Rocha Neto Advogados, São Paulo, Brazil, October 2016
• “Fundamentos sobre Imigração aos EUA – O que os empresários e investidores brasileiros precisam saber,” Mariana Ribeiro and Sarah Lea Tobocman, Gunster, with Tamira Fioravante, Almeida de Advogados, São Paulo, Brazil, October, 2015
• “Fundamentos sobre Imigração aos EUA – O que os empresários e investidores brasileiros precisam saber,” Mariana Ribeiro and Sarah Lea Tobocman, Gunster, with Tamira Fioravante, Almeida de Advogados, Instituto dos Advogados de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, October, 2015
• “Fundamentos sobre Imigração aos EUA – O que os empresários e investidores brasileiros precisam saber,” Mariana Ribeiro and Sarah Lea Tobocman, Gunster, with Tamira Fioravante, Almeida de Advogados, Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil , São Paulo, Brazil, October, 2015
• “Fundamentos sobre Imigração aos EUA – O que os empresários e investidores brasileiros precisam saber,” Mariana Ribeiro and Sarah Lea Tobocman, Gunster, with Tamira Fioravante, Almeida de Advogados, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, October, 2015
• “Visa Options for Residents, Interns and Physicians,” Gunster’s Immigration Practice Group, presented to Memorial Healthcare System, S. Broward Hospital District, June 2015
• “Employment-based Visa Sponsorship for Healthcare Organizations: What you need to know,” Gunster’s Immigration Practice Group, presented to Memorial Healthcare System, S. Broward Hospital District, June 2015
• “Immigration of same sex couples around the world and employment issues,” Globalaw webinar co-presented with Sarah Tobocman, December 2014
• “Your I-9 Program Under the ICE Magnifying Glass and Opportunities and Obligations for Sponsorship of Foreign Nationals for Employment,” Private Training Session, Orlando, Florida, April 17, 2014
• “In-Bound and Out-Bound/LGBT Couples & Families Traveling Abroad – Duties of the U.S.,” University of Miami School of Law, panelist, April 2, 2014
• “Immigration Basics for LGBT Families” presented by Gay & Lesbian Lawyer’s Association, part of Miami Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, panelist, August 14, 2013
• “How Business Immigration Affects Your Practice: The ABCs of Corporate Immigration,” CLE Seminar, co-presented with Sarah Tobocman and Jay Carmichael, January 2011, October 2012
• “Healthcare Immigration Essentials & Issues Under The New Administration,” S.E. Association of Healthcare Recruiters, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, April 2009
• Legal Art Immigration Workshop, University of Miami, October 2007
• “Brazilians Flock to Miami, but How Many is Anyone’s Guess,” Miami Today, March 2012
• “Recruiting Foreign Workers in the United States – How to Remain Competitive and Ensure Compliance in a Climate of Increased Government Scrutiny,” Mobility magazine, co-authored with Sarah Tobocman and Jay Carmichael, August 2010
• “Immigration Law,” National Association for Health Care Recruitment Handbook 2010, co-author, April 2010
• “Not So Model Behavior: How Fashion Modeling Agencies Can Protect Themselves from Violating U.S. Immigration Laws,” ApparelSearch.com, October 2009 and Fashion Models Magazine, December 2009, January 2010
• “Temporary Visa Options for Personnel From Luxury Lifestyle Businesses Expanding to the United States,” Gunster International Business Alert, June 2009
• “Understanding Immigration Laws,” The Miami Herald, My View, February 16, 2009, co-authored with Luciana Melo
• “Maria Lugones’ Work as a Human Rights Idea(l),” The Berkeley La Raza Law Journal, vol. 18, 2005, co-authored with Professor Berta Hernandez Truyol

• American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2009
• Florida Bar
  • Young Lawyers Division
• American Bar Association, 2007
• Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce