eb5exclusive

Foreigners seeking permanent U.S. residence have the opportunity to apply for an increasingly popular green card option, the EB-5 visa. The EB-5 is a business investment based visa where the qualified foreign applicant invests a minimum of $500,000 into a government approved EB-5 project.

In order for the applicant to meet qualification, the first EB-5 application must be filed with the investor’s immigration attorney and sent to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); this application is called an I-526. Upon submission of the I-526, the investor must go through extensive background checks and a medical examination. During this process the investment funds must also be sourced to ensure that they were obtained legally.

Essentially, the investor should have already chosen the EB-5 project they are going to be investing in. This can be a tedious process, with the amount of EB-5 projects – known as Regional Centers – expected to reach nearly 200 by 2011. Many investors have chosen to hire EB-5 consultants who have experience with the formation of Regional Centers and can best advise the investor on the many different options available in the EB-5 market.

Once the I-526 is approved by the USCIS, the investor, the investor’s spouse and their unmarried children under the age of 21 receive conditional status within the United States. Progression then depends on the Regional Center; the Center must reach its full capacity of investors before construction and development can begin. This is why practicing careful due diligence is important when deciding on a Regional Center. The Regional Center has 2 years to complete construction and create a minimum of 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers. When those requirements are met, the investor and the investor’s family receive their EB-5 visas and permanent residence in the United States.

The EB-5 visa is considered to be the fast-track to obtaining permanent U.S. residence. The applicant can receive the green card in as little as two years as opposed to other visa options where the time period is a lot longer or indefinite. The EB-5 visa also allows for indirect management of the business being invested in. In most cases, the investor becomes a limited partner and will eventually receive most, if not all, of the funds they invested into the Regional Center after the project is complete over a period of time. Again, all Regional Centers are different so examining their business plans and researching their history is very important.

All information pertaining to the EB-5 is available at http://www.eb5exclusive.com where all of the latest news and resources can always be found.