US EB-5 – Fulfilling the American Dream without Facing the Backlog

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations released its latest immigration report, “World Migration Report 2022.” This is the 11th report in the series, aiming to provide authoritative displays and interpretations of migration and mobility worldwide to offer references for investors choosing countries for immigration and settlement. According to the report, as of 2020, the total number of global migrants had reached 281 million people, accounting for 3.6% of the world’s population, which means that there is one immigrant among every 300 people. The numbers have increased by 3.5% compared to the 272 million immigrants in 2019.

 

Among them, the United States is the primary destination country for immigrants, with over 51 million international immigrants living on this land, accounting as much as 18.1%. US immigration has always been known for its high demands and long processing time, but under the new policy, EB-5 fully demonstrates the advantages of “no waiting time” for rapid entry into the United States.

 

Interpretation of the new policy by Globevisa US EB-5 Immigration Lawyers

In March 2022, President Biden signed the latest EB-5 bill, bringing the EB-5 program back into the public’s view. Today, we have invited EB-5 investment immigration lawyers to interpret the new policy. As the fifth preference category for US employment-based immigration, the EB-5 program has simple application requirements, does not require employer sponsorship, and does not require top-notch skills or work in a particular industry. It also doesn’t require one to spend time managing a company or employing workers, and there is no mandatory work experience requirement. Compared to other immigration categories, the EB-5 program does have its unique advantages. 

“Since the EB-5 program has such unique advantages, why have we not heard much about it in recent years?” 

“The EB-5 program entered the Chinese market in 2010 and instantly attracted many Chinese investors. In 2015, due to the overwhelming demand for applications from regions such as China and India, country-specific quotas were implemented, leading to backlogs and longer processing times. As a result, the popularity of the program gradually cooled off, and the Chinese & Indian applicants faced longer waiting times to obtain a green card. Fortunately, the new policy issued last year has addressed this backlog issue. (The following figure shows the number of applications from major countries from 2010 to 2020, with dark blue representing the situation of Chinese applicants.)”

 

How does Globevisa select EB-5 programs in the United States?

As a professional immigration service provider in the industry, Globevisa has always been very cautious in the selection of programs. After the launch of the EB5 new policy, Globevisa’s research and development department, and the US programs department conducted research on many programs on the market. So what are the factors that Globevisa considers when selecting programs? 

1. Can the project help investors lock in the reserved visa quota as much as possible? The projects we choose are all target employment area projects, mainly in rural and high-unemployment urban areas. On the one hand, the investment amount for target employment area projects is lower, only $800,000, and most importantly, they can enjoy the reserved visa quota. From the applicant’s perspective, submitting their applications earlier means facing the lower risk of waiting, so that they can get their green cards earlier. 

2. Can the project lower the over-risk in obtaining a green card? After all, the US EB5 is an immigration driven project, and the ultimate goal of applicants is to obtain the US green card. There are two major stages in the EB5 application: the I-526 petition stage, which examines the compliance of the project and the source of fund explanations for the applicant, and the I-829 petition stage, the application for green card which mainly looks at the employment creation rate of the commercial project previously invested by the applicant. Therefore, when selecting a project, the project’s overall progress, employment creation, and other factors will be important considerations for Globevisa. 3. The possibility of future refunds from the project, and the importance of the regional center.

Regional Centers 

Behind the careful selection of programs, it is worth mentioning the program sponsor of Globevisa – EB5 Regional Center – EB5AN. As one of the top and experienced EB-5 regional center operators in the United States, EB5AN was established in 2013 and has over 10 EB-5 regional centers covering over 20 states in the United States. They have served more than 2,000 EB-5 investors from over 60 countries and regions. Currently, their total assets under development exceed $4 billion, and their project approval rate is 100%. They have completed and are currently running over 30 different EB5 funds, with maintaining the largest number of approved cases.

A reliable regional center ensures the possibility of future returns on investment. The EB-5 program requires applicants to invest $800,000 in a commercial project, which uses the low-interest capital from EB-5 funds to create jobs and help investors meet immigration requirements. Over 98% of EB-5 investors choose projects affiliated with regional centers, which supervise private equity funds that pooled money from investors and invest in commercial projects through debt or equity financing. When selecting projects, Globevisa considers various factors that affect the possibility of future returns on investment, such as the developer’s background, project location, and completion of past projects. This is to ensure the maximum protection of investors’ interests. The EB5AN team has been involved in over $4 billion in leveraged acquisitions, initial public offerings, and real estate development. Its founders, Michael Schoenfeld, and Samuel B. Silverman, are business and strategic consulting experts and national winners of the Forbes Magazine “30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs” award.

 

Among them, the “Utah Golden Eagle Golf Estate Villas” one of Globevisa’s projects, is a rural select program operated by EB5AN. The project is located between Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah, and features real estate as collateral for loans. The project is fairly large scaled and can create four times the required employment opportunities for each investor, maximizing the opportunities of the green card acquisition for applicants and ensuring the overall project’s high degree of safety.

 

Fulfilling your American Dream now without facing the backlog? What are you waiting for, contact Globevisa as soon as possible!