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August 17th, 2011 |
 If you are considering a course of study at a University or College in the USA, you may be aware of the need to obtain a suitable visa prior to starting your course of studies. For most Students this will be the F1 visa, however obtaining this visa does involve a number of potential complications.
The University admissions process in The USA has been known to make strange decisions. One often reported decision, which at the time caused many problems, occurred a few years ago when the admission of several hundred students from Asia was withdrawn due to concerns over SARS.
Once a student has satisfied University requirements and been offered a place they will need to schedule an interview at the relevant US consulate office. The Consular Officer will have absolute power to either grant or deny the visa and one particular issue may arise if they believe the student is actually intending to immigrate to The USA on an F1 visa – in such a case the visa will be denied.
The F1 visa in itself has some specific requirements which severely limit the students ability to work while in The USA, change to a different University or College, and classifying the student as an overseas student thereby paying the oversea student college fee rate rather than the much lower In State rate. The difference can be $20,000 to $30,000 each year, this is a considerable sum taken over four to six years of study.
The EB-5 visa avoids many of these problems. The Student can benefit from lower tuition rates, work (if they so chose) while at University, go on to work anywhere they wish in the USA after graduating, enjoy permanent residency in the USA and indeed apply for US Citizenship after five years.
The EB-5 visa requires a $500,000 investment in a United States Citizenship and Immigration center (USCIS) Regional Center Programs. The track record of these programs varies considerably and investment terms can be for as little as four years.
If you would like more information on these visa options and a free consultation contact Which EB5.
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Tags: Asia, Consular Office, eb-5, EB-5 Visa, F1, regional center, USA, uscis, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
June 23rd, 2011 |
 The United States dollar has continued to depreciate against many of the currencies of Asia.
This currency weakness in the US, along with a sovereign debt crisis in Europe and deflation in Japan has raised the question in Thailand; how will the baht cope with the turmoil in the world’s currency markets?
Currently the Thai Baht continues an upward trend which looks likely to continue, particularly with the massive capital outflows from the US into emerging Asian markets.
For many Thai Nationals the relative appreciation of the Baht represents a mixed blessing. There are some who feel that a strong Baht is not in their interests and depending upon various circumstances they may be correct. However, the recent currency fluctuations have proved to be a benefit to those Thai nationals interested in seeking American Immigrant Investor visa benefits.
The United States (Immigrant Investor EB-5 category) was designed to provide permanent residence status to otherwise qualified foreign nationals who wish to make a ($500,000) investment in legally eligible investment programs in the USA.
As the Thai baht has appreciated against the United States dollar it has become relatively “cheaper’ (in Baht terms) to meet this investment criteria in the United States. Therefore, as the dollar becomes weaker versus the Thai Baht it becomes less and less expensive, from a Baht standpoint, to invest in the USA.
For those wishing to immigrate to the USA, the current Baht/Dollar exchange rate combined with ever declining US housing prices is something of a windfall. Thai immigrants to the US also are attracted by US Schools and Universities for their children and excellent business opportunities.
For more information contact Which EB5 for an independent view of the important EB-5 program choices you face.
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Tags: Asia, EB-5 Visa, immigrant investor, permanent residence, Thai Baht, Thailand, USA, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
February 25th, 2011 |
As part of our ongoing research we have identified significant potential problems with a number of EB5 programs. We remain concerned that some families focus only on the legal implications of the EB-5 visa and seek minimal advice about the positives and negatives of the various regional centers or ask the wrong questions on the investment implications.
Even when looking at the investment side all too often clients start by asking which particular regional center program gives the highest return on their investment. This is not only the WRONG QUESTION TO ASK from a visa perspective, it can also be extremely dangerous.
With so many regional centers offering the EB5 pilot program, over 130 at the latest count, it is inevitable issues would arise sooner or later particularly with some investors from counties where English is not their first language. Frequently these families are reliant on local sales agents representing one or two programs and it is possible that a significant number of investors do not realize the weaknesses of the program they are offered.
A center that has, according to a recent report, run into problems sold extensively in Asia. The legal advice these families obtained focused mainly on obtaining the visa but the majority of investors failed to obtain separate independent advice on any other options and the implications of the center in question.
The problem now is not only do they stand to lose at least some of their investment by making the wrong decision on their choice of program but also their right to stay in the USA if the project fails and the jobs are not created.
As part of our process we monitor programs closely to identify issues which is, as you can imagine, a full time occupation – being aware of what is happening on the ground is very important and impossible to do if you are several thousand miles away relying on a local sales agent or an attorney focused specifically on just the legal immigration question as opposed to all the implications of the EB-5 program.
There are some excellent programs available and the EB5 visa is for many both the fastest and only option for permanent residency but obtaining impartial advice is very important. For more information contact Which EB5.
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Tags: Asia, eb-5, eb5, legal immigration, permanent residence, pilot program, programs, regional center, research, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
February 14th, 2011 |
As part of our ongoing research we have identified significant potential problems with a number of EB-5 regional center programs. We remain concerned that some families focus only on the legal implications of the EB-5 visa and seek minimal advice about the positives and negatives of the various regional centers or ask the wrong questions on the investment implications.
Even when looking at the investment side all too often clients start by asking which particular regional center program gives the highest return on their investment. This is not only the WRONG QUESTION TO ASK from a visa perspective, it can also be extremely dangerous.
With so many regional centers offering the EB5 visa program, over 130 at the latest count, it is inevitable issues would arise sooner or later particularly with some investors from counties where English is not their first language. Frequently these families are reliant on local sales agents representing one or two programs and it is possible that a significant number of investors do not realize the weaknesses of the program they are offered.
A center that has, according to a recent report, run into problems sold extensively in Asia. The legal advice these families obtained focused mainly on obtaining the visa but the majority of investors failed to obtain separate independent advice on any other options and the investment implications of the center in question.
The problem now is not only do they stand to lose at least some of their investment by making the wrong decision on their program of choice but also their right to stay in the USA if the project fails and the jobs are not created.
As part of our process we monitor programs closely to identify issues which is, as you can imagine, a full time occupation – being aware of what is happening on the ground is very important and impossible to do if you are several thousand miles away relying on a local sales agent or an attorney focused specifically on just the legal immigration question as opposed to the investment visa.
There are some excellent programs available and the EB5 visa is for many both the fastest and only option for permanent residency but obtaining impartial advice is very important. For more information contact Which EB5.
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Tags: Asia, dangerous, eb-5, eb5, independent advice, investment, problem, regional center, research, sales agents, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
March 11th, 2010 |
 As part of our ongoing research we recently identified significant potential problems with a particular EB5 program, this reinforces one of our ongoing concerns – that some families focus only on the legal implications of the visa and seek minimal advice or ask the wrong questions on the Regional Center program implications. All too often clients start by asking which particular program gives the highest return – this is not only the WRONG QUESTION TO ASK in relation to visa considerations, it can also be extremely dangerous.
With so many regional centers offering the EB5 pilot program it is inevitable issues would arise sooner or later, particularly with some immigrants from counties where English is not their first language. Frequently these families are reliant on local sales agents representing one or two programs and it is possible that a significant number of them do not realize the potential weaknesses of the program they may have entered.
A center that has, according to a recent report, run into problems, sold extensively in Asia. Legal advice focused mainly (as it should) on obtaining the visa but, the majority of clients failed to obtain separate independent advice of any other options and the financial implications of the center in question.
The problem now is not only do they stand to lose their $500,000 by making an inappropriate decision on their program of choice but also their right to stay in the USA if the project fails and the jobs are not created.
As part of our investigations we monitor programs closely to identify issues, this in itself can be a full time occupation – being aware of what is happening on the ground is very important and nearly impossible to do if you are several thousand miles away, possibly relying on a local sales agent or an attorney focused specifically on just the legal emigration question as opposed to the other important repercussions.
The potential problems with this project, as well as the earlier cases of alleged fraud by a visa consultant which is presently still being investigated by the Secret Service, emphasize the importance of seeking independent advice before selecting a regional center – there are some excellent programs available and the EB5 visa is for many the fastest and only option for permanent residency, but obtaining impartial advice is critical.
If you are interested in finding out more about the EB-5 Visa program visit Green Card via the Red Carpet.
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Tags: Asia, eb5, financial implications, fraud, Green Card via the Red Carpet, jobs are not created, pilot program, regional center, USA, visa, visa consultant
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
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