What is an EB5 Regional Center?
EB5 Regional Centers are legal entities, organizations, or municipal or state agencies approved by USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) that allow foreign investors to qualify for a green card through investment. Regional Centers provide investors with a portfolio of EB5 projects in specific areas throughout the United States defined by the law as targeted employment areas. Targeted employment areas are areas that the government has designated to promote economic growth through new jobs, economic activity, export sales, and development.
An EB5 Regional Center project allows you to qualify for a green card without having to start your own business and be responsible for creating ten jobs. If you invest through a regional center, you can live anywhere in the United States, engage in any other activity, work, or retire.
What is the EB5 Regional Center investment amount?
As of November 2019, the minimum investment in an EB5 Regional Center project is USD $900,000 (nine hundred thousand dollars). This amount is invested directly with the EB5 regional center project of your choice. Regional Centers also charge additional administrative fees.
How do I choose an EB5 Regional Center Project?
There are hundreds of approved Regional Centers throughout the United States. Choosing the right one can be a daunting task. If you are looking for a Regional Center project to invest, you should conduct indeendent due diligence prior to making the investment. Investors must understand how the Regional Center of their choice works. After all, investments are at risk. Due diligence ensures that the Regional Center project will create new jobs in the targeted areas and is less of a financial risk.
How to start the EB5 Application Process with a Regional Center?
If you are interested in an EB5 green card, our attorneys can handle your case from beginning to end. Many clients come to us wanting to invest in an EB5 Regional Center project but do not know where to start. We start by assisting individual foreign investors with evaluating and reviewing EB5 project documents to assess EB5 compliance and eligibility.
Steps to the application process:
- Secure the USD $900,000 investment money in a bank in the U.S.
- Secure the regional center administrative fees
- Prepare the Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor, Form I-526
- Submit the form to USCIS with government fees and supporting evidence that qualifies the investor for the EB5 green card
We assist with the preparation of all the supporting evidence that accompanies the application to USCIS. The supporting evidence must include proof that the investment funds were legally obtained and ensuring that the Regional Center project documents comply with the applicable immigration laws. Once the application is submitted, the processing times can be 24 months. If approved, USCIS will send the approved case to the National Visa Center for consular processing at the US Embassy or Consulate abroad.