EB-5 Immigrant Green Card Processing

As a stimulant to the U.S. economy, Congress created the EB-5 immigrant green card program using job creation and foreign investment as method of sponsoring economic growth. One of the criteria to the program is that investments are tied to commercial business.

Application for the green card requires two actions. First, to start a new business or to purchase or invest in an existing business, which can be restructured or reorganized to be a new commercial business with profitable outcomes. Secondly the investment must generate a 40 percent increase in the business’s net worth and hire at least 10 new full time U.S. citizens or legal resident employees in addition to the current workforce.

Financially, the investment amounts of an application for green card needs to be approximately $500,000 to $1 million for a business in a specific employment area. The investment amount is required to be invested over a two year period with fees or costs of the investment being paid for by a separate financial source. Typically the businesses are established as LLC’s or limited partnership with foreign investors purchasing an interest in business or commercial projects doing business.

Target employment of application for green card are areas that have an unemployment rate over 150 percent compared to the U.S. average unemployment rate and are usually in a rural area. By definition a rural area is outside of a metropolitan district or on the outside boundaries of a city with a population of 20,000 or more.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are responsible for green card processing of investors and immediate family members meeting the criteria for the EB-5 visa program. Immigrant investors receive a conditional green card status with green card spouse and children under the age of 21 within five months of the green card processing. The investor has two years to complete the business requirements to obtain permanent green card status with eligibility of U.S. citizenship in five years.

Foreign investors are looking to obtain assurance of an equitable return of investment prior to consideration of green card processing for themselves and a green card spouse during the two-year timeframe. Over the next three years a permanent green card status and a green card spouse becomes part of the goal in reaching eligibility for U.S. citizenship and continuation of business profitability to develop an appropriate standard of living here in the U.S.

Incoming search terms:

• EB-5 return of investment five years

Popular Search Queries