 |
 |
 |
EB-5 News Archive for May, 2011
There is plenty of information on-line regarding the EB-5 investor visa program. However, authors of hundreds of articles on the EB-5 program are not always providing correct or impartial advice. This definitely makes it difficult for foreign nationals to understand how the complex EB-5 process actually works and what risks should be avoided.
The good news, is that the EB-5 program has existed long enough to where there are a few EB-5 consulting companies that are actually experienced and reputable, Consultants that have successfully consulted hundreds of clients from different parts of the world and visited or observed many EB-5 Regional Centers. Having seen the good and the bad.
For the foreign investor seeking to obtain a green card through investment it is important to consider the experience of previous investors, as well as the history of various EB-5 Regional Centers and EB-5 Projects. Looking at both success stories and failures can give foreign investor a better understanding of what aspects of the EB-5 visa process to focus on. It will enable an EB-5 investor to identify the most important issues to consider when choosing EB-5 project to place investment funds into in return for EB-5 visa and to identify what could be the most appropriate EB-5 Regional Center to consider for your investment.
If you would like Fred Burgess or Joe Sloboda from Exclusive Visas to share their opinion on various EB-5 Regional Centers and EB-5 Projects available for you and your family please contact them through email at info@exclusivevisas.com or fill out our online request form.
Immigration to the United States of America remains to be very popular with people from all over the world who want to start their new life in America. However, many of these people, who wish to immigrate, often face difficulties when trying to accomplish the goal of residency.
Foreigners have only so many options to get an immigrant visa with the ability to eventually obtain a green card in the Unites States and even citizenship.
One of the most popular options is to get sponsorship from a company in the Unites States that would want to hire you because they cannot find a suitable candidate among the US applicants for the position they offer. This is a so called H1-B visa that could eventually lead to obtaining a green card some years later. Many foreign nationals have been able to immigrate in the United States using this route. However, today, with the high unemployment level in the US market, many American companies have plenty of well-qualified people with necessary skills. Therefore, it is not that easy to obtain an H1-B visa today.
That is one of the many reasons the EB-5 visas has been gaining popularity in the last 4 years. The EB-5 Investment Program was created by the US federal government and it allows foreign nationals to obtain a green card through investment of $500,000 in one of the many available EB-5 Regional Centers.
To find out if the EB-5 Program meets your personal goals and to learn more about how Exclusive Visas can help you obtain information on various approved EB5 Regional Centers and EB-5 Projects please email Fred Burgess or Joe Sloboda at info@exclusivevisas.com or call our office +1-954-727-9800.
USCIS Proposes Significant Enhancements to EB-5 Visa Processing to Help America Win the Future
released May 19, 2011
Actions Will Streamline Program Designed to Create Jobs
Will expedited processing finally become a reality?
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today proposed significant enhancements to the administration of the USCIS Immigrant Investor Program, commonly referred to as the EB-5 Program—transforming the intake and review process for immigrant investors as part of the Obama administration’s continued commitment to improve the legal immigration system and meet our economic and national security needs for the 21st century.
The EB-5 Program makes 10,000 visas available annually to immigrant investors who invest in commercial enterprises that create at least 10 U.S. jobs. EB-5 investors may petition independently or as part of a USCIS-designated Regional Center.
“Congress created the EB-5 Program in 1990 to attract investors and entrepreneurs from around the globe to create jobs in America,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. “We are dedicated to enhancing this program to ensure that it achieves that goal to the fullest extent possible.”
USCIS is proposing three fundamental changes to the way it processes EB-5 Regional Center filings. First, USCIS proposes to accelerate its processing of applications for job-creating projects that are fully developed and ready to be implemented. USCIS will also give these EB-5 applicants and petitioners the option to request Premium Processing Service, which guarantees processing within 15 calendar days for an additional fee.
Second, USCIS proposes the creation of new specialized intake teams with expertise in economic analysis and the EB-5 Program requirements. EB-5 Regional Center applicants will be able to communicate directly with the specialized intake teams via e-mail to streamline the resolution of issues and quickly address questions or needs related to their applications.
Third, USCIS proposes to convene an expert Decision Board to render decisions regarding EB-5 Regional Center applications. The Decision Board will be composed of an economist and adjudicators and will be supported by legal counsel.
This proposal will be online until June 17, 2011, for public comment—providing stakeholders an opportunity to offer feedback on the proposed changes to the administration of the EB-5 Program.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The Beacon.
Reposted by ; Joe Sloboda
Every day we see an increase in the number of information sources on EB-5 program. Foreign investors can obtain information on investor visa history, EB-5 requirements, and easily get the list of EB-5 Regional Centers.
However, not all information available on-line is up to date. Moreover, to get the full list of Regional Centers is one thing, but what are you going to do with that information?
Imagine, we all know that in order to get the latest updated list of Regional Centers all we need to do is to visit the official USCIS website (Immigrant Investor Regional Centers). You can also go to Exclusive Visas Regional Center Directory which gets updated once new Regional Centers get approved or existing Regional Centers shut down. No matter what source you choose, once you got there and have the list of over 130 approved EB-5 Regional Centers in front of you, how do you know which one is the best to invest in? Moreover, how do you know which of those Regional Centers actually have EB-5 projects ready for investors’ subscription?
There are two paths to take: the long and exhausting one is to start contacting all Regional Centers yourself to find out if they even have a project available that will allow you to get the green card through investment, then to gather information on those projects, compare them, identify the safest ones, etc.; or you take an easy way and have someone to do that homework for you.
The EB-5 consultants from Exclusive Visas team will:
- identify your eligibility for the EB-5 green card;
- consider your needs and expectations from participating in the EB-5 program;
- prepare comparative analysis of several EB-5 Projects considering the most important issues, such us job-creation, government support, percentage of EB-5 capital in the project and many more;
- go over advantages and disadvantages of the projects;
- upon investor’s choice of one EB-5 project prepare and provide a comprehensive due diligence report.
We provide many other services as well, such as relocation support, arranging meetings with Regional Center management, quarterly updates on the status of your investment, etc.
Do not hesitate to start the process, Fred Burgess or Joe Sloboda today and receive complimentary evaluation of your eligibility for the EB-5 program.
The fear of failure is something that is of great concern for everyone, especially when it comes to investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a business located in a foreign country. Usually foreign investors want to know what EB-5 Regional Centers have failed in the past and why this could have happened. The ability to get answers to those questions can be vital for investor’s choice of a particular EB-5 Project being considered for investment.
When it comes to failure in the world of EB-5 investment this fear can manifest itself at several stages. Failure of the I-526, failure for removal of conditions or failure to create the required jobs, failure to complete construction of a project, failure of the business you have invested into and potentially a failure to repay your investment at the agreed upon time. While many people would like you to believe that this has never happened, there are unfortunately EB-5 Regional Centers that had experienced problems in the past and even a few that are experiencing problems now.
It is important for an investor to understand the actual reason of a particular EB-5 Project’s failure on each stage: whether it is investor’s I-526 application denial caused by investor’s inability to provide source of funds; or a denial of I-829 petition as a result of failure to create requisite number of jobs or finish construction on time.
Understanding the circumstances under which some EB-5 projects have failed can prevent foreign investors from repeating mistakes others may have made in the past.
Being in the industry almost 4 years, the Exclusive Visas’ team has witnessed various issues and problems with more than a few Regional Centers, even those that have had previous history of multiple I-526 approvals and even I-829 approvals. We have done our research and analysis of the reasons that stand behind those failures and we will be glad to share our findings with you.
Contact Fred Burgess or Joe Sloboda today so that together we can provide you with information that could prevent you from making a decision that could lead to a potential costly mistake of investing into an EB-5 Regional Center that is possibly facing issues. Issues that could prevent your conditional green card from becoming permanent or the possibility of you losing your investment all together.
Email Fred Burgess or Joe Sloboda for more information at info@exclusivevisas.com or contact us by calling +954-727-9800