There have been some interesting shifts in the EB-5 visa statistics for FY 2016.

The fiscal year 2016 EB-5 visa statistics reveal changes in the origin countries of investors and the distribution of visas.

While investors from Mainland China remain the majority, with 7,516 EB-5 investors, there was a noticeable increase in the number of investors from outside countries. Roughly 25% of EB-5 visas went to investors outside of Mainland China. The top five countries below Mainland China on the list include Vietnam, South Korea, China Taiwan-born, Brazil and India. These countries account for 11% of the EB-5 investor visas in FY 2016.

Unsurprisingly, regional center investments in targeted employment areas remains the most popular choice for EB-5 investors with more than 91% of investors selecting that route. However, what is surprising is the increase in interest in direct investments not in targeted employment areas and in targeted employment areas. In 2016, 8.5% of investors choice direct investments, whereas, in 2015, only 1.6% of investors invested in a direct investment.

Investors continue to take advantage of targeted employment area investments. More than 97% of the EB-5 investors who received a visa in 2016 chose projects located in targeted employment areas for the reduced investment amount of $500,000.

For more information about EB-5 visas issued in FY 2016, visit here.