May 28th, 2010 |
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As the EB-5 program has now been operating for several years there are a numbers of families who have experienced the entire cycle. They originally obtained their I-526’s, and their green cards, had conditions removed via the I-829, have lived in the US long enough to apply for citizenship, and have had a return on their original $500,000 investment or are due to in the next few months.
Their experience on the return on their investments are particularly interesting for those considering the EB-5 option as some investing in particular regional centers received back less than they originally invested; others are likely to receive back at least the $500.000 they initially invested possibly more.
It is also interesting to analyze the experience of the many regional centers that have been approved by the USCIS to offer regional center EB-5 programs; there are significant differences when using different criteria to measure results, all of which are important for potential EB5 investors to understand.
If you are seeking feedback of either immigrant’s experience of the EB-5 or the experience of the various regional centers it would be worth contacting Which EB5 who have carried out extensive research in these areas and received feedback from families who have been through the entire EB-5 process.
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, eb5 investors, green card, I-526, I-829, information, investment, investors, regional center, uscis, visa, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
May 20th, 2010 |
 A clear exit strategy for the return of their $500,000 investment is for many EB-5 immigrant investors, one of the most important considerations when selecting which EB5 regional center to choose.
If you follow the information on the website WhichEB5 you will already know that after a time period, which can range from five or more years (Sometimes the time period is very ambiguous) you may be eligible to divest yourself of the investment you made in a regional center in order to get your green card. The most important words above are “you may be eligible”.
For the purpose of this discussion let us assume that you want to get your funds back. Of course, if the regional center is paying you a handsome dividend you may want to take advantage of that long past the time you could get your money back. With many of these programs that is not likely to be the case.
So what are the options? Some regional centers have a clear and definitive idea of how the limited partnership (this is the typical business structure of a regional center) will be dissolved. It is important however to make sure that the plan for dissolution is sound from a business perspective and not simply designed to look good on paper.
Some centers might state that the limited partners (insert “you” in there) CAN sell their holding to a willing buyer. This is where it may get tricky. Let’s look at one possible scenario; Imaging you are a fractional (i.e. 1/20, 1/100 or whatever the total number of partners/investors are) and you want to sell. How many other people in the same investment partnership agree with you? What if they don’t? Would you be able to sell your fractional share if none, or a limited number of others, do? Are you starting to see some of the elements of a slightly difficult situation?
As we have mentioned before, this is not a simple decision and one regional center may or may not be better, in your eyes, than another. It comes down to having all the facts carefully explained and you fully understanding all the elements that go into a successful EB-5 regional center program.
We can go through with you which centers have repaid their investors in full, which have not and which have a fixed term repayment term clearly laid out.
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, exit strategy, immigrant investor, investment, regional center, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
May 19th, 2010 |
 What is the EB5 Regional Center Track Record? One of the first questions that immigrants want answered is – What is the regional center’s track record for getting EB-5 visas approved?
Although this is an extremely important question to have answered, this is also a question that needs qualification, and is only a place to start. The inquiry should certainly never end here, and no decision should be based only on the percentage or number of successful EB5 visas approved through a given center and particularly any specific program from that center. In addition to this figure, some other important questions to consider include (but certainly not limited to):
- How “old” is the regional center?
- When was the center approved?
- Has the regional center been reviewed by the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO)?
- Is the regional center affiliated with a government agency or entity?) Does the Center claim to be operated by the government? Some do but when they are not.
- How many years’ experience does the principal manager of the regional center have in working with EB-5 centers?
- How many years’ experience does the principal manager have working in job creation and developing new jobs?
- How many I-526 petitions (Immigrant Petition for Alien Entrepreneur) have been filed for the regional center? – Of those, how many were approved? How many were denied?
- How many I-829 petitions (Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions) have been filed for the regional center? – Of those, how many were approved? How many were denied?
- Are fees being charged to you as an investor for information and materials?
- Will the Regional Center in question escrow invested funds?
- What happens to escrowed funds if the I-526 is rejected? Are they refunded?
- What is the project and how will investment funds be used?
- What type and frequency of project status reporting can I expect?
- What is their actual track record of returning investors $500,000 funds, actual as opposed to exit strategy, hype etc?
This list alone constitutes a lot of questions and answers; and that is not nearly the end of the inquiries that need to be made to ensure the safety of your investment and reliability of your application being approved. Even if you were able to get full and genuine answers to all of these questions (and realistically that is very hard and in some cases a near impossibility for a private investor), just having the answers will not tell you how to evaluate them. Every answer that is collected needs to be put into perspective not only for that particular center, but in perspective in comparison against other prospective regional centers as well. For most of the questions that need asking there is no one right or wrong answer—only an answer that needs further consideration and evaluation. This is what an impartial adviser will do—first get the answers that elude you, and then secondly sit down with you, discuss the implications of each one, and help you decide its bearing on your investment and your regional center selection.
The track record of the regional centers that you are considering will be the first thing that your adviser will discuss with you. That is because the track record alone will “weed out” a lot of the centers that are either simply too risky, or not right for you. From there, your adviser will walk you through a number of other evaluations, and address many more concerns to ensure the viability of the center, its projects, and their fitness for your needs.
More detailed information on the EB-5 immigration investor visa can be found in Green Card via the Red carpet – a comprehensive guide to US immigration options by Andrew Bartlett and Stephen Parnell
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Tags: andrew bartlett, eb-5, eb5, Green Card via the Red Carpet, I-526, I-829, immigrants, impartial adviser, investment, investor visa, regional center, stephen parnell, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
April 8th, 2010 |
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A number of regional centers offering commercial property have suggested in the past that although all Regional Centers carry risk, property has certain advantages, particularly if it has no debt attached to it.
The basis of such an argument is that when compared to a trading enterprise or a loan, property is a solid tangible entity. Although buildings can be destroyed, as long as covered by insurance they can be rebuilt.
However, during periods of downturn, property values can substantially decline and although in some countries they can recover relatively quickly in others this has traditionally not been the case. The key to property performance can be how much was paid for a property in the first place and for reasons that we can explain, who it was bought from.
Ultimately, if a property based investment visa program does not attract sufficient clients for it to be constructed, or does not attract sufficient jobs in the required EB-5 time scale, this may lead to problems at I-829 stage of your EB-5 process.
For free advice on working your way through the implications of the different EB-5 regional centers contact Andrew Bartlett and Stephen Parnell – Authors of Green Card via the Red Carpet.
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Tags: eb-5, Green Card via the Red Carpet, I-829, investment
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
April 7th, 2010 |
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A few Regional Centers offer fixed term loan based programs, where your funds are lent to another organization. Sometimes these are government agencies such as development corporations for local infrastructure projects, where a municipality or associated development agency usually becomes responsible for repaying your capital.
The implications of these options can vary considerably and certain ones with a fixed term loan basis are becoming very popular given the current economic situation.
For free advice on working your way through the implications of the different EB-5 regional centers contact Andrew Bartlett and Stephen Parnell – Authors of Green Card via the Red Carpet
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Tags: eb-5, Green Card via the Red Carpet, investment, regional center
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
February 9th, 2010 |
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Many potential EB-5 visa applicants have questions on this point, here is a recent one:
“I am extremely interested in the EB-5 Visa. I would like to bring my family to the USA during 2011. We have sufficient funds and should not have a problem meeting eligibility. I have tried to do research on the net. However, there is one issue that the vast majority of EB-5 websites seem to completely avoid – getting your money back at the end of it.
I am only interested in programs where the exit strategy is clear and a defined, and the end to my investment is indicated. [You mention on your website that ...” there are very few proven centers currently operating this program.] I am very keen to pursue immigration to the US, but would like a concrete solution to this exit issue”.
The question is important, it continues to frustrate us that some regional centers are so ambiguous about their exit strategy; this is often of concern to potential EB-5 participants, particularly in the present economic climate.
Very few regional centers actually have a clearly laid out fixed term exit. We have looked into the exit process in some detail and have visited centers with a measurable track record.
For further information contact us using the short form on the right of this page.
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, fixed term exit stratergy, investment, regional center, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
January 14th, 2010 |
 Don't overlook the important issues in EB-5 selection I am continuing yesterday’s blog from a freezing cold and snowed-in Gatwick airport, London, where I have spent the last 24 hours waiting for the airport to clear a few inches of snow. It never ceases to amaze me when traveling all over the world, including countries where there is an awful lot of snow, such as Canada, Russia, Austria, Germany, to name but a few, that in the UK it only takes a little snowfall to close one of the world’s major airports! To make matters even worse, to rebook the flight you are put into a four hour line, longer than any of the ones you may go encounter for a ride in Disneyland, this would never happen in the USA, anyway enough about my rant for the day!
Yesterday we covered areas that are all too often overlooked by those considering the EB-5 visa, particularly when identifying issues that are very important leading up to the removal of conditions and the exit strategy for the eventual return of the $500,000 investment.
Today we will look at the implication regarding the 10 jobs per investor that will need to be created. Many programs refer to these jobs and refer to an economic model that will lay out how they will be created. However, there are other implications to these jobs which are very important but all too often not discussed.
Let us say you are investing in a program that is investing funds in a portfolio of different investments. For example a hotel, office building, medical center etc. Although the economic model they use to determine jobs may be sufficient to obtain successful approval at I-526 stage, what happens in two years when conditions are due to be removed? Will the projects be completed? Will sufficient tenants be found? Will those tenants provide sufficient proof of jobs to satisfy USCIS? There are a lot of questions that need answering and your continued stay in the USA may depend on those answers.
Taking a completely different scenario; what happens in a project which is in a particularly disadvantaged area? Let us say it actually does create the jobs required, however, the exit strategy to obtain the return of your investment requires the eventual sale of you and your fellow investors shares in the project. Will the project sell, if the area surrounding it remains depressed?
There are many other issues to be considered relating to the creation of jobs as well as exit strategy and tomorrow we will examine a jobs model in more detail that may take some of the uncertainty out of the process.
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, economic model, I-526, investment, job creation model, removal of conditions, USA, uscis, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
December 22nd, 2009 |
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Green card restrictions can be removed long before investments pay off.
Immigrant investors looking for the right Visa to gain residency in the United States shouldn’t expect a fast return on their money from the EB-5 program. Still, when the right choice in a regional center is made, green card restrictions can be successfully removed fairly quickly and risk can be minimized.
The EB-5 program provides a relatively fast way to obtain a permanent green card, but it doesn’t necessarily offer a fast return on investment. There are risks involved in all regional center investments, but they can pay off with eventual earnings returns and, more importantly, a permanent green card.
Immigrants who choose the EB-5 Visa route can expect to have to wait between 21 to 24 months before they can file an I-829 petition for the removal of conditions on a green card. After this, the wait can be several years for an investment return.
The general rule of thumb is five years, Still, it is important to keep in mind that regional centers are not allowed to guarantee a return on investment. Although the EB-5 program is still relatively new, some early immigrants are beginning to see their returns now.
There are steps investors can take to increase their chances of seeing a return on investment. Carefully researching different regional centers, their programs and the stability of investments is vital. Consultants and experienced advisers can be very useful in this process.
Ask all pertinent questions before making a decision with an EB5 investment visa.
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Tags: consultants, eb-5, eb5, green card, I-829, immigrants, investment, investment visa, regional center, removal of conditions, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
December 17th, 2009 |
 Thanks to the recent three-year extension of the EB5 Visa program this path to a permanent residency in the United States is becoming increasingly popular. Considering what potential immigrants will have at risk it is smart for them to exercise caution throughout the process.
The EB5 Visa program calls for potential immigrants to make an investment of at least $500,000 in an approved EB5 regional center. These centers are generally in areas that have been identified as those that would benefit from an economic infusion and job creation.
Once investments are made in government-approved regional centers potential immigrants receive a two-year conditional green card. The conditions are removed at the end of two years if certain requirements are met.
EB-5 Visas are extremely useful for immigrants that desire a relatively fast way to permanent residency.
Since immigrants will have both their residency status, and initial half-million-dollar investment riding on the regional center’s performance, it is imperative to make certain the choice of regional center is viable.
Even after potential immigrants receive independent information about regional center choices it is perfectly acceptable for them to seek additional help and advice.
It can be useful to consult with a business attorney and/or a Certified Public Accountant to have the security of the investment evaluated, EB-5 Visa applicants can never be too cautious.
For further help or information please contact Which EB5 today
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Tags: advice, attorney, certified public accountant, eb-5, eb5, green card, help, immigrants, investment, permanent residence, regional center, visa, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
December 14th, 2009 |
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Picking the right regional center isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Foreign investors looking for fast-track permanent residency in the United States can take heart in the recent three-year extension of the EB-5 regional center program. This approval, however, shouldn’t be seen as cause to throw caution to the wind.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have approved a tremendous amount of regional centers that qualify for EB-5 investment status. On the surface, this provides excellent choice, but there are some pitfalls. Making the wrong decision on where to invest can result in a revocation of status after two years and also a loss of the initial $500,000 to $1 million investment.
EB-5 investors have several things beyond making their money back to worry about. They must also be certain the investment does meet the qualifications set by Washington, D.C., and it must also result in the creation of at least 10 jobs.
The EB5 program does provide an excellent way to speed up your Visa, and ultimately your citizenship process, but investors should take the time to educate themselves before moving forward. Making a $500,000 investment is a big undertaking no matter the circumstances.
Potential immigrants need to gain solid information about a number of factors before moving ahead. Some of the things to consider include which regional centers obtain green cards the fastest, which ones are offering a rapid return on investment and even which ones have a 100 percent rate of obtaining green cards.
What is the best way to choose an EB-5 Regional Center?
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Tags: citizenship, eb-5, eb5, green card, immigrants, investment, investors, permanent residence, regional center, united states, visa, washington dc
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
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