July 19th, 2011 |
One significant advantage of the EB5 Immigrant Investor visa is that a successful applicant is able to include their spouse and all their unmarried children who are under the age of 21.
This is a major benefit for the many families who have very real concerns regarding the limitations imposed on them by a number of the alternative visa options.
There have been many high profile examples over the years of the difficulties faced by family members, when they time out on the particular visa they gained entry into the USA on.
The E2 is a particular example of where things can go wrong. The visa does not provide the protection of permanent residence for the applicant, their spouse or their children.
If we take as an example a family that relocated to the USA on an E2 visa seventeen years ago when their eldest child was three years old. Although that child has been bought up in the USA and may have had no contacts with her country of birth once she reaches the USA, she is no longer covered by the E2 visa once she reaches 21 and could end up being deported.
Many families on a range of different visas face this problem, which is one of the reasons the EB5 visa is seen as a much better option as each and every member of the family have their own green-card and permanent residency status.
The EB-5 visa requires an investment of $500,000 in a US Government approved Regional center program, additionally there are administrative and legal costs which are likely to add a further $50,000 to $70,000.
However, if one selects a program with a sound track record and gets back the investment in a reasonable period of time, the only expense for achieving permanent residence in the USA is the administrative and legal cost. If you consider this actual cost covers permanent residence for several family members the price of this may be considered reasonable by some.
For further information contact the partners at Which EB5
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Tags: E2, eb5, immigrant investor, permanent residence, regional center, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
July 13th, 2011 |
 A comprehensive immigration reform bill has been recently introduced by some leading Senate Democrats. The bill is intended to enhance U.S. economic productivity and national security. Political commentators have pointed out that the bill also “provides a path to legislation for 11 million undocumented immigrants”.
President Obama has previously emphasized the need for comprehensive immigration reform.
A previous attempt at comprehensive reform in 2007 failed, although at the time the Democrats had control of both houses of Congress and the support of the then Republican President, George W Bush.
The current EB-5 Immigration Investor (Regional Centers) visa is a pilot program that is due to time out in September 2012. The comprehensive immigration bill includes proposals to make this program permanent.
Despite Presidential support the bill has to overcome a number of obstacles if it is to be passed into law.
The USA is approaching a Presidential election (2012) and immigration reform is viewed by some as a contentious issue. There can be no guarantees that the bill will become law.
Currently then the ongoing survival of the EB-5 pilot program (beyond September 2012) is, among other things, tied into a complex comprehensive immigration bill, we will keep our readers updated on the progress of the bill.
For further information contact Chase Brodsky to arrange a free consultation with a senior partner at Which EB5
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Tags: comprehensive immigration reform, eb-5, George W Bush, immigrant investor, Immigration, pilot program, President Obama, regional center, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
June 28th, 2011 |
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa provides permanent residence (Green card) status in the USA for the applicant, their spouse and their unmarried children under 21.
Green Card status provides flexibility to study, retire, work or run a business and live anywhere in the USA. There are no educational or language requirements.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration service (USCIS) has approved approximately 135 entities called Regional Centers to offer projects that qualify for this visa.
These Regional Center projects are required to create at least ten jobs per investor and to qualify for the $500,000 investment need to be in specific rural or Targeted Employment Areas (TEA).
The minimum investment is $500,000 and associated administration, legal and filing fees will amount to approximately $60,000.
Several thousand immigrants have successfully relocated to the USA through the EB-5 visa program. However, there have been a small but important minority who has experienced problems, including loss of some or all of their investment. In addition some face potential deportation from the USA.
Regional Centers generally offer three types of project:-
- Loan based investments, generally for a specific number of years.
- Equity based investments in property, generally with a less clear exit strategy (when you get your investment back) i.e. dependant on the market at the time.
- Equity based trading businesses which may be affected by trading conditions; again their exit strategy is generally dependent on market forces.
Many previous EB-5 visa immigrants have placed an importance on a centers previous record of success and a clear exit strategy.
Unfortunately exaggerated sales claims can be a potential issue with a number of the programs and whilst the majority of participants have been successful and earlier clients, in specific programs have had their $500,000 investment returned in full, a few have had real problems.
To find out the advantages and disadvantages of the EB-5 Regional Center Program it’s well worth reading Green Card via the Red Carpet.
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Tags: deportation, EB-5 Visa, facts, green card, immigrant investor, permanent residence, problems, regional center, TEA, 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 » |
June 10th, 2011 |
 While the USA easily remains the world’s largest economy the latest unemployment figures climbed 0.1pc to 9.1 pc in May. At the same time the number of jobs showed its smallest rise in eight months. A disappointing 54,000 were added to payrolls for non-agricultural work – some 100,000 fewer than forecast.
Analysts have blamed the softness in the US economy on continuing problems in the important US housing market linked with poor consumer confidence, high energy prices, and supply chain disruptions following the Japanese earthquake plus tornadoes and flooding in some states.
In these circumstances, job creation opportunities such as the EB5 immigrant investor program, are increasingly viewed by many economists and politicians as important measures in turning the US economy back to a satisfactory level of growth.
The current weakness in the US economy also provides a number of advantages for those of you planning to move to the USA. The low dollar makes purchases relatively inexpensive, particularly housing which continues to be at very low prices throughout much of USA.
For information on how the current high unemployment trend can make the EB-5 visa an attractive option for you and your family to gain permanent residence in the USA please contact the independent EB5 experts at Which EB5.
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, eb5 experts, immigrant investor, jobs, permanent residence, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
May 19th, 2011 |
 If you are considering the EB-5 visa as the best route for obtaining permanent residence in the USA, this is one of the questions you may well be considering.
The answer will depend upon the regional center project you select.
This is an area where you need to be very careful. There is little point in focusing on a regional center program which claims a high rate of return if the program fails to secure your $500,000 at the end of the investment period and/or does not comply with I-829 requirements, (removal of conditions) with the result that your family end up being deported.
Your EB-5 visa choice requires a careful balancing act, and you may feel the priority should be maintaining visa status (i.e. I-829 approval) and obtaining the return of your $500,000 in a reasonable period of time, rather than being put at risk by promises of a significant monthly return which may never happen.
You should also be aware that monthly returns may not be guaranteed. As an example, if you select a property based EB5 program and due to market conditions the property proves difficult to rent out for instance, you will probably not receive rental income.
If you would like more information on the performance of the various regional center programs and their relative strengths and weaknesses please contact Which EB5
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, I-829, immigrant investor, investment, regional center, rental income, risk, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
May 18th, 2011 |
 The EB5 Immigrant Investor Program is designed to provide non U.S. investors with permanent residence in the USA based on an investment of $500,000 in a designated regional center project that is approved by the USCIS -AND- is located in a targeted employment area. (TEA)
The EB5 visa enables you and your immediate family to live in the USA as long as you chose. If you want after 5 years you can become a US citizen.
As much as we believe in the EB5 visa (we have had 100% success with over 200 families) we realize that every family has somewhat different reasons for immigrating to the USA. We are very aware that it can seem a daunting process (we are first generation immigrants ourselves) and there are many unscrupulous people out to mislead you. That’s why we wrote the best selling consumer guide to the EB-5 Visa “Green Card via the Red Carpet”, several web sites, and the leading EB5 blog on the subject. All these are designed to give you as much information as possible about the EB-5 process so you can make an informed decision.
If you would like more information on the EB5 visa, its strengths and weaknesses please contact the experts at Which EB5
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Tags: eb5, eb5 blog, Green Card via the Red Carpet, immigrant investor, immigrating, TEA, US Citizen, USA, visa, what is an eb5 visa?
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
May 5th, 2011 |
 For those of you searching the internet for information on the EB5 visa it is easy to believe that everything to do with this visa is good news and there are no negative points to consider.
This may be because Regional Centers and their agents tend to provide only the positive side of the story, after all they want people to invest in their program.
Additionally the USA is a nation of sales and marketing with many things given a positive spin.
While it is certainly correct that to date the vast majority of EB5 visa investors have been successful in obtaining the visa, and a high percentage have had their visa conditions removed, few to date have received their investment back.
Depending upon the regional center program chosen there may be good or bad reasons for this.
A very small minority of immigrant investors have been the victims of fraud from agents, had visa refusals through particular regional center programs or received back less than they paid in.
If you are considering applying for the EB-5 visa and would like to receive balanced independent information without the sales pitch then contact the partners at Which EB5
If you would like to read more impartial information on the EB5 visa this book will be of interest.
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Tags: eb-5, EB5 visa, immigrant investor, investors, regional center, USA, visa, Which EB5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
May 3rd, 2011 |
 We recently received a question from a gentleman who had been looking at the EB5 visa for some time. He felt it was the most appropriate visa to relocate him, his wife and children to the USA and provide them with permanent residence.
The question was straightforward – I have been told by my Attorney that Center X will guarantee the return of my funds as well as a 4% annual rate of return, is this right?
We have been advising people considering the EB5 visa for many years, have 100% success with over 200 applications and talk to an average of 20 people a day about the EB-5 but this question really worried us.
You may ask why, I will explain the reasons.
Regional Centers are not allowed to guarantee the return of the funds. USCIS require the investment to be at risk. Guaranteeing the return would contravene USCIS requirements and lead to eventual refusal.
No one can guarantee a 4% return per year on investment without adding some severe conditions to the claim; this is subject to market forces and circumstances.
This information was given by an Attorney. Potential immigrant investors have to trust someone and usually it is their Attorney. Yet the information given by the attorney is completely wrong!
It really is important to check, check and check again when looking at information on the EB5 Visa as we point out in our book Green Card via the Red Carpet
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Tags: attorney, eb-5, EB5 visa, guaranteed, immigrant investor, investment, permanent residence, regional center, USA, uscis
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
April 28th, 2011 |
 Following a request under the Freedom of Information Act, USCIS recently released the vast majority of the material it uses to train its staff adjudicating EB-5 immigrant investor cases.
Over the next few months it is likely that Attorneys and Consultants will provide their analysis of this information, some of their views will undoubtedly differ in interpretation.
What is clear is that the EB-5 visa can be a confusing mine of information and feedback from those that have actually successfully applied for the card and are now living in the USA can be very helpful.
If you would like to read of the experiences of immigrant investors from all over the world their details are here.
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Tags: attorney, consultants, eb-5, immigrant investor, training, USA, uscis, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
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