EB-5 Investor Visa Program

What are Regional Centers?

Under the EB-5 program, there are private, public and public-private organizations that are approved and authorized by the U.S. government to accept investments for certain industries. These organizations are known as regional centers. These centers offer ready-made opportunities to invest. They take away the stresses of meeting the requirements of the EB-5 program.

Investing through a regional center is ideal for those immigrant investors, who want to acquire U.S. green card without expecting high return on their investment. Investors do not have the responsibility to manage or handle their investment and this is what makes it so attractive. Today, nearly 90 percent of the EB-5 applicants invest their capital via regional centers.

There are three basic steps in the EB-5 investor visa application process.

• Fill and submit the I-526 application to the USCIS to show the investor has made an EB-5 investment. This investment can be in an individual capacity or through an approved regional center.
• After the I-526 application is approved by the USCIS, the investor then files the I-485 or DS-230 application. This application is to get conditional permanent resident approval, thereby letting the investor and immediate family get U.S. Green Card.
• After 2 years, when the foreign investor meets the EB-5 requirements, he or she has to file the I-829 application to remove the conditions of residency. This allows the investor, spouse and unmarried children under 21 to receive 10-year U.S. Green Cards and paves way for filing an application for citizenship after 5 years.

The Future of EB-5 Visa

The future of EB-5 visa looks bright, as more and more foreign investors have become aware of the visa and its use and benefits. Foreign investors view the EB-5 program as a way to accelerate their U.S. residency and ultimately citizenship and are keen to engage regional centers that are approved by the government.

Even among politicians and bureaucrats responsible for economic development programs, the EB-5 program has won approval since it has been responsible for creating thousands of jobs for American citizens and also generated a lot of money for the economy. The program has proven to be beneficial for all stakeholders – foreign investors, American citizens and the U.S. economy.

The biggest success of the EB-5 program was seen from 2008, when the U.S. was experiencing an economic downturn. It is reported 75 percent of all EB-5 visa have been issued since 2008. In fact, the USCIS has increased the number of employees manning this program from 10 to 50. It also has been reported the hotel industry has received the maximum benefit from the EB-5 program, as large number of foreign investors view hotels as safe investment vehicles that can thrive in any part of the U.S.