Four Reasons Demand for EB-5 is Rising in South Africa

While traditionally the EB-5 visa has been most popular in China, demand from Chinese investors has fallen in recent years, and the program has drawn wider international interest. One such country where investors’ interest in the EB-5 program has increased is South Africa.  Here are four reasons demand for the EB-5 visa is rising in South Africa.

1. Fast Track to a U.S. Green Card.

It’s no secret that obtaining an American green card can take many years; however with an EB-5 visa, an investor could be receiving their green card in only a few years. Right now, there is no backlog of South African EB-5 applications; this means that once a South African EB-5 investor has their I-526 petition approved, they are immediately eligible to apply for an EB-5 visa and conditional green card (although processing their application may take several months).  This is much faster than other visa categories, which can sometimes take more than a decade before the applicant receives their visa. 

2. Access to the American Economy

In the wake of the worldwide economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, investment in the United States is more appealing than ever. America’s GDP will have returned to its pre-pandemic levels by this summer and economists are forecasting that yearly GDP growth for 2021 will be at its highest since 1951. EB-5 investors are free to live and work anywhere in the US, and take advantage of all the opportunities that entails. Additionally, while an investment in an EB-5 project will not provide immediate returns, EB-5 investors are often able to earn passive income from their EB-5 investment. 

3. Family-sized Green Card Package

Although the EB-5 program requires a minimum investment of $900,000 (provided that the investment is in a Targeted Employment Area), it includes green cards for the principal investor, their spouse and all their unmarried children (under the age of twenty one). Whether an investor has one child or four or more they could all potentially qualify for a green card under the principal applicant’s petition, which makes the EB-5 visa the most efficient option to obtain green cards for your family.

4. Opportunities for their Children

Often, EB-5 investors are not motivated by the potential financial gains of immigrating to America, but by the opportunities it affords their children. America’s higher education system is regarded as the best in the world, and parents want to send their children to American colleges.  As mentioned above, the EB-5 program includes green cards for an investor’s children, which allows them to freely study in the US. This permanent resident status makes the college process much easier for the child of an EB-5 investor. Rather than paying an inflated international tuition rate and having to jump through the myriad hoops required of international students, children of EB-5 investors who have migrated to the U.S. will be treated the same as a U.S. citizen applying to college. Additionally, top colleges often place caps on the number of international students they admit each year, making a wide pool of applicants compete for a select number of seats. By applying with a green card, children of EB-5 investors extradite themselves from this pool of international students, and have a much greater chance of admission. 

What Does the Future Hold?

While predicting a boom in EB-5 demand might seem premature with the program currently set to expire on June 30, the future is in fact bright for the EB-5 program. Legislation that aims to reauthorize the EB-5 program until 2026 has already been introduced to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Even if the EB-5 program were to expire on June 30, it would likely only put a hold on USCIS processing of new petitions until Congress reauthorizes the program. Furthermore, President Biden has made it clear that he intends to overhaul American immigration and ensure USCIS can process petitions in a timely manner. While EB-5 legislation and reforms to the immigration system will take time, they will lead to a vastly improved EB-5 program, which should in turn increase demand for EB-5 visas in South Africa, as well as across the world. 

Don’t wait until June 30, 2021 – fill out our form, below, and let us help you get your EB-5 application submitted right away.