EB-5 Regional Centers

In 1990, the United States Congress developed the EB-5 immigrant visa for individuals who seek to engage in a business enterprise that will aid in the creation of at least 10 full time jobs, thus benefiting the U.S. economy. Investors are subsequently granted a green card and a conditional permanent US residence. The amount required in order to qualify for EB-5 status is $1 million. However, if the investment is made in a “targeted employment area (typically rural and with a high unemployment rate),” the the amount may be $500,000.

In lieu of creating a new commercial enterprise, some immigrants opt to invest in an EB-5 Regional Center. Regional centers are US Government sanctioned investment enterprises that are charged with the creation of new jobs, essentially these centers are handling the responsibility of job creation for you. As with any investment, there is an inherent risk. As an investor, it is important to research the 147 approved EB-5 Regional Centers in order to determine which would be a good fit for you. These EB-5 centers are located within 39 states and the District of Columbia and Guam. You can find an EB 5 regional centers list at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Department’s website or you can speak with an immigration attorney in order to determine if this is a plausible route to take in order to acquire a green card.

Some interesting EB 5 statistics were released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Department (USCIS) on June 30, 2011. Approximately 90-95 percent of EB-5 petitions filed each year pertain to investments with Regional Center commercial enterprises. One can deduce from these numbers that more immigrants choose this method of investing, instead of going about business of creating a new business enterprise and being tasked with creating 10 jobs. At the end of the 2010 Fiscal Year, 89 percent of the petitions for EB-5 status were approved and during the first two quarters of Fiscal Year 2011, there was an 81 percent approval rate. The United States government has allocated 10,000 EB-5 green cards but on average, the USCIS receives less than 2000 petitions each year. Thus, one can surmise that if you have the capital, the information collected on your EB-5 questionnaire is accurate, and there are no items that would prohibit your petition from being approved, you may be eligible for an EB-5 green card.

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