Great news! The EB-5 Regional Center Program has been extended until February 15th. You may have heard about the popular program and now that it has been officially extended, you’re interested in learning more. Here’s what you need to know:

Find out what the program is, how it works, and how it can benefit you and your immediate family.

What is the EB-5 Regional Center Program?

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program was developed by Congress in 1990 as a way to stimulate the U.S. economy through foreign capital investment into qualified U.S. job-creating commercial enterprises. In 1992, Congress created the Regional Center Pilot Program which permitted designated regional centers to pool the capital of multiple foreign EB-5 investors into investments in qualified projects in defined geographical areas.

What are EB-5 regional centers?

EB-5 regional centers are public or private economic units in the U.S. and are designated by USCIS to participate in the EB-5 Program. They sponsor capital investment projects for investment by foreign entrepreneurs.

The major benefits of investing in a regional center project include:

1. The advantage of having a more expansion definition of job creation. Regional centers can not only count direct jobs, but they have the distinct benefit of being able to count indirect and induced job creation. Job creation is primary requirement for EB-5 investors looking to fulfill program requirements and obtain green cards.
2. EB-5 investors do not have to take on day-to-day management of the projects. A regional center may handle the main management duties. EB-5 regional center investors can, instead, take on a policy-making role to fulfill program requirements.
3. Regional Centers can pool capital from multiple investors, meaning that EB-5 investors will have access to larger and lower-risk projects that create a high amount of jobs.

How can you become an EB-5 investor?

Individuals who have the $500,000 minimum investment required and who are interested in becoming an EB-5 investor can fill out the free evaluation below. In the free evaluation, you can also request a referral for an experienced EB-5 immigration attorney to help you get started on filing the initial petition. Potential investors have until February 15th to file their I-526 petition.

What are the benefits of the EB-5 Regional Center Program over other categories of visas?

The EB-5 Regional Center Program has unique benefits that other visa categories.

• EB-5 investors’ spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 years may all qualify for green cards under the principal applicant’s petition.
• EB-5 investors and their immediate family members can live, work, and attend school anywhere in the U.S. regardless of the investment project’s location.
• EB-5 investors will have access to word-class schools for their children and additionally may qualify for lower in-state tuition fees.
• EB-5 investors are not tied to their employment or school, unlike other visa categories.
• EB-5 investors may travel freely anywhere in the U.S. and may benefit from easier travel throughout the world.
• Five years after qualifying for conditional permanent residency, an EB-5 investor may be eligible for U.S. citizenship.
• Although some countries such as China and Vietnam are in EB-5 retrogression, most countries are not and can benefit from the shorter wait time to obtain their U.S. conditional residency under the EB-5 Program compared to other visa categories.

For more information about the EB-5 Regional Center Program, send us a message.