February 28th, 2011 |
 There are a number of benefits in obtaining an EB-5 visa, these include –
- Legal permanent residents admitted through the EB-5 Investor visa enjoy many of the benefits of United States Citizens. Permanent residency requires no renewal or re-application. Other U.S. non-immigrant visas, such as E-2 and H1, often never result in permanent residency, have time limits, and require additional filing with USCIS the Department of State and can require travel to the US consulate in your home country every few years. Furthermore, U.S. immigration laws could change and prevent future approval when visa renewal becomes due.
- The United States is considered by many a safe haven for their family. Any member of the family granted a Green Card can come into the U.S. at any time and stay as long as they wish (subject to certain conditions regarding length of time when they leave the USA).
- EB-5 investors have constant easy access to the United States for personal and business purposes.
- Permanent residents can travel to the U.S. without the need of a visa. (they will need their green card) EB5 Investors may live, retire work, or own their own business anywhere in the United States.
- The U.S. has internationally recognized colleges and universities for both basic education and graduate study. These do vary enormously so it is worth seeking professional advice on this point. As a resident the EB 5 investor can benefit from lower tuition costs, particularly in your state of residence.
- The cost of living in the U.S. is often considered lower than other industrial nations. Consumer goods, services, and housing can be considerably less expensive than comparable goods and services in many other countries.
- Students may work in the U.S. while they attend college and thus help to offset tuition costs. They may also continue to work after graduation.
- The U.S. provides many financial, social and education entitlements: public schools, education and, after a period of contribution, medical and social security benefits.
- The investor has the ability to bring other family members to the U.S. and obtain U.S. citizenship – after 5 years.
More details on the EB-5 visa and green card are available from EB-5 Visa Experts where, If you are considering the EB5 visa, you can get a free evaluation of your case by a leading immigration attorney.
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Tags: benefits, citizens, citizenship, eb-5, green card, investors, permanent residency, students, united states, uscis, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
January 26th, 2011 |
The immigration process to the United States seems to have had its share of misleading information and fraud over the years. Following regular checks we have come across a number of problems that could have been avoided if proper independent and impartial advice had been sought before applying for an EB-5 visa.
A number of sales claims are presently being made by certain regional centers, as well as visa consultants, that need to be thoroughly investigated.
Recent examples of doubtful claims that require further explanation include:
There are key reasons why these statements require further research.
If you are considering the EB-5 visa it is very important that you are given hard hitting, in-depth impartial advice from experts who have actually visited the proven regional center programs. For more information contact Which EB5
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Tags: eb-5, fraud, government approved, guaranteed, regional center, united states, visa, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 11th, 2010 |
 In 1992, Congress approved the EB-5 Pilot Program (“EB-5 IIPP”). Congress’ intent was to enhance the EB-5 program’s attractiveness to foreign investors by making it possible to qualify for permanent residence with an investment of only $500,000 rather than $1,000,000, by making it no longer necessary to manage the business on a daily basis (or even to live near the business), and by making it possible to satisfy the employment creation requirement by showing the indirect creation of jobs based on calculations by an economist using reasonable methodologies.
The overall idea behind the EB-5 pilot program was to amass large amounts of capital from foreign investors in order to fund interrelated businesses and infrastructure projects in geographically defined “regional centers” in the hopes of providing the infrastructure, facilities, and capital to incubate innovative businesses that will grow and flourish, and thereby expand the job and tax base of economically depressed regions with unemployment 50 percent above the national average and underdeveloped rural regions.
As envisioned by Congress, the EB-5 IIPP was an important tool for regional government development authorities and private enterprise to attract investment capital, which they might otherwise have difficulty in attracting on the open market due to the current prevailing economic conditions in the area.
Troubles With The EB-5 Pilot Program
As with many things, however, the EB-5 program encountered difficulties during its early years, and did not initially work out as intended. When qualifying under the standard EB-5 program, many entrepreneurs found it difficult to reconcile the requirement of investing $1,000,000 right away in the formation stage of a business, and create and maintain ten new full-time jobs within the first two to three years of business, since this runs counter to the normal gradual buildup of investment and expansion of staff on an as-needed basis.
The EB-5 IIPP portion of the program also faced a number of problems as well. Buoyed by the prospect of securing foreign investment cash, a number of companies organized as regional centers and fought hard to win foreign capital. Some regional centers took shortcuts and were questionable in their compliance with the EB-5 statutes and regulations. In response, Legacy INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) and the U.S. State Department, through the U.S. consulates that it operates abroad, denied so many cases that the functioning of the program ground to a halt.
It is no wonder, given the history and the rocky start of the EB-5 pilot program, that investors were initially hesitant to use this program. However, reorganization of the program saw improved government oversight and the recognition that continued attention to and support for the EB-5 pilot program are necessary. Congress and successive presidents have continued to stand behind the EB-5 pilot program, approving several extensions of the EB-5 IIPP for the regional centers and adopting measures to resolve the issues of the earliest years of its existence.
As businesses compete for limited funding in the United States and the economy continues to struggle, private companies are bringing the EB-5 program to the attention of media and other foreign outlets to expand awareness of the program and lend support to interested immigrants and overseas investors. Suddenly, the program is gaining a lot of attention and interest in investing to immigrate through the EB-5 pilot program continues to grow.
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Tags: eb-5, foreign investment, permanent residence, pilot program, promising future, reforms, regional center, united states
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
June 3rd, 2010 |
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The location of the regional center and the center’s programs is sometimes thought to be irrelevant to EB-5 regional center investors. It’s easy to make that assumption because investing in a regional center means that you have the freedom to live anywhere in the United States. However, regardless of where you live, the location of a regional center and its projects does impact on your investment and visa success.
First of all, the location of the center and more specifically, the particular project that you are investing in matters because the amount of your required qualifying investment depends on that location. Your minimum investment will be either $500,000 or $1 million depending on the location of the project. The lower figure applies only to Targeted Employment Areas (TEA) and designated rural geographic regions.
It is imperative to make a distinction between the location of the regional center and the location of the project itself. It is entirely possible that projects within a given regional center will have different investment minimums depending on where the money is actually invested. You cannot assume that just because a center’s offices are located in an area that meets the $500,000 investment criteria that the project funds will be invested there. You can also not assume that just because the last project was invested in a TEA or rural area that the next project will take place in a similarly qualifying area. The investment minimum for visa approval could vary quite easily from one project to the next.
These are the basic reasons to consider the location of a project, but there are reasons that go deeper.
A regional center can be greatly influenced by their location and the location of their investments. There are tangible and intangible influences of the region where your center operates that may come into play. Factors like business climate, property markets, work force, local and state support of the project, and the presence or absence of worthwhile investment recipients can all make or break a project that sounds excellent on paper. Add to this the more fluid factors like public perception of the center, its projects, and even immigration and the EB-5 program itself, and suddenly something that looks good as a business plan can be much more tenuous as a dual-purpose investment and immigration vehicle.
Another very important consideration is the proposed exit strategy for the project. The location of a center can have a tremendous impact when it comes time to try to exit your investment at a profit. This is one of the areas that centers often gloss over.
Often the only way to know how a regional center’s location may impact upon its investments and investors is to take a lot of time getting to know the region, its potential, and its personality “quirks”. Actually physically visiting these regions is the preferable way to get to know the pros and cons of the particular area, and to know what other factors need to be looked into further. Taking that time can bring critical issues to light that would not come up through paper research. This is one area where proven, impartial advisors can prove their particular worth, because it is often unrealistic for a single investor to undertake this kind of travel and physically present due diligence on his or her own.
On the other hand, it is the job of the advisor to amass this kind of knowledge, and to know the centers, their regions, and the potential impact of that location on all of that center’s projects. So, while it may seem like a regional center’s location shouldn’t need to matter to you because you can live anywhere, you can see that in fact that location is still a big consideration. It may not come into play as you choose where to live, but it will certainly come into play as you decide the best, safest, most appropriate place to invest your money so that obtaining your visa and being cleared of conditional status and obtaining your Green Card is not a struggle.
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Tags: eb-5, exit strategy, green card, Immigration, regional center, TEA, united states, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
March 9th, 2010 |
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Tax Alert
The IRS has issued Revenue Procedure 2010-19 (“Deemed Dispositions by Individuals Emigrating from Canada”).The Revenue Procedure provides guidance on the new election procedure provided under the Fifth Protocol of the Canada/US tax treaty whereby individuals moving from Canada to the United States can elect an increased cost basis on their property for US income tax purposes.
Among other things, the Revenue Procedure describes the deadlines and procedures for making the election. In addition to other factors, distinctions are made:
1. For emigrations before March 29, 2010 and thereafter,
2. Between US citizens and nonresident aliens, and
3. Property that would have been subject to US tax on the ultimate sale, regardless of the emigration.
In many cases the individual must make the election on the individual’s timely filed US federal income tax return for the first year ending after the individual’s change of residence.Some elections may be time-barred under the statute of limitations.
Our thanks to International tax specialist Richard Brunton for this alert.
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Tags: Canada, eb5, international, IRS, tax, united states, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
January 28th, 2010 |
 You quite likely have an idea of what you will need to attend to in order to make the move from your home country to the United States. But have you considered all the finer points of what that entails? Have you thought about the actual act and timing of when to start looking for a home, how to go about doing that, how to secure a living space from thousands of miles away, and how to set up your financial house in the U.S. so that you are able to function once here?
Just to start you will need to consider these major relocation considerations:
• Where to live – where will you make your permanent U.S. home, and what type of property will best suit your needs? Is a temporary arrangement better for you and yours?
• Where to learn – if children are in your family picture, how will they be educated? What are your choices and responsibilities? How do you go about enrolling your child in a school or university in the United States?
• Health matters – the U.S. healthcare system is quite foreign to most immigrants. How do you navigate it? How do you obtain quality medical care in the U.S.? Are you prepared for an emergency upon arrival if need be?
• Financial concerns – your financial concerns are not ended with EB-5 investment; you still have the many daily concerns to consider and manage, including planning for living expenses, taxations, insurances, and even the mundane of day-to-day banking needs.
• Establishing credit in the U.S. is a very important factor, but one that is so often taken for granted and mistakenly overlooked. Learn the why and the how of reestablishing your good financial name so that you have the power to live well in the States.
These and many other finer points are all critical considerations to start learning about now. Relocation experts at WhichEB5 are available to help you with these and many other considerations.
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Tags: eb-5, Relocation, united states
Posted in Relocation | No Comments » |
January 12th, 2010 |
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From start to finish, how long will it be before you receive your green card? Unfortunately, there is no definite answer to this question but we can give you some general estimates.
For the first phase—the regional center investment phase—the timeline should not be overly long. Usually this can be accomplished in a matter of two to eight weeks after your decision has been made as to which EB-5 center to invest in; however, every center’s timing and timeline will differ.
The real timing begins with your specialist EB5 immigration attorney submitting your I-526 to the USCIS. The general waiting time for USCIS review of I-526 petitions was previously six to eight months, but since USCIS increased its staff of examiners, it is now down to as little as one to six months.
Once that is approved and your attorney files the application for adjustment of status or for application consular processing of an immigrant visa you will have another waiting time of about six to twelve months for adjustment of status, or two to six months for consular processing. These time-lines vary enormously so please contact us for updated timetables at any time.
The grand total timeline after you submit your original I-526 application is between six and fifteen months. This is the estimated amount of time it will take for you to receive your conditional green card and take up residence in the United States – if you would like advice on what you need to take into account to obtain the quickest time please contact Which EB-5 via email at info@WhichEB5.com or through our website at www.WhichEB5.com
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Tags: consular processing, eb-5, green card, I-526, Immigration, immigration attorney, regional center, united states, uscis, 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 » |
December 4th, 2009 |
It’s clear that despite all the concerns at the present time in the USA, particularly relating to economic uncertainty and the recession, The United States remain the country of choice for many affluent immigrants from countries throughout the world.
The EB-5 visa, by providing the security of permanent residence (green cards), has made a huge difference for many who, despite significant wealth, have previously not found a suitable visa route enabling them to work or retire in the USA.
Andrew Bartlett will be in Europe next week for a series of individual consultations and small group meetings. If you are interested in meeting in Europe in December to discuss your EB-5 visa options please email info@whicheb5.com for a full schedule and further details.
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Tags: andrew bartlett, eb-5, eb5, green card, united states, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 11th, 2009 |
 When looking for fast-track legal permanent residency (Green Card) in the United States via the EB-5 visa program, caution should be a critical consideration when selecting a specific regional center project for you to trust.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have approved a lot of regional centers which 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 could result in a revocation of your green card status after two years and possibly a loss of your initial $500,000 or $1 million investment.
As potential EB-5 investors there are several things beyond a return on your investment to worry about. It is important to be certain that the investment does meet the qualifications set by USCIS; it must also result in the creation of at least 10 jobs.
The EB5 program can provide an excellent way to speed up your Visa status, and ultimately U.S. citizenship, but you need to take the time to educate yourself before moving forward. Making a $500,000 investment is a big undertaking no matter the circumstances.
You 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 green card approvals.
The principals of Which EB5 are advocates of immigrant investors and have chosen to be independent by not representing any one regional center. They have worked with more than 900 families and more than 150 who have opted for a regional center program.
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, green card, investment, permanent residence, regional center, united states, US Citizenship, uscis, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
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