How to Get a US Visa with Work, Travel, and Study Freedoms

Here’s how to get a US visa that comes with access to unrestricted career opportunities, expanded travel freedoms, educational benefits, and more.

When looking into how to get a US visa, one may see multiple options, but the one that offers all of the above listed freedoms is a little known visa program called the EB-5 Program.

About the EB-5 Program

The EB-5 Program offers foreign nationals the opportunity to receive US permanent resident cards for investing capital in US job-creating new commercial enterprises. The foreign investor, their spouse, and their unmarried children under the age of 21 years may all receive green cards under the principal investor’s application.

The EB-5 Program includes two different investment paths. The first is the EB-5 Direct Investment Program. This program is for investors who would like to maintain control over their investment. The other path is the Regional Center Program. This program is for investors who prefer a more hands-off investment. Both programs require 10 jobs to be created, but the EB-5 Regional Center Program can more easily fulfill these requirements due to their ability to count indirect and induced job creation in addition to direct job creation.

How much capital must be invested to qualify for EB-5? 

Eligible foreign nationals must invest either $900,000 in a targeted employment area project or $1.8 million in a non-targeted employment area project. A targeted employment area (TEA) is a rural or high unemployment area.

Do you qualify for EB-5?

EB-5 investors are typically accredited investors. To be considered an accredited investor, one must:

-Have a net-worth of at least $1 million (not including the value of their primary residence);

-Or, have an income of at least $200,000 (or $300,000 jointly with a spouse) for each of the last two years, and have the expectation of the same income for the current year.

Although funds can come from a wide variety of sources such as income, sale of assets, investments, or inheritance, investors in Regional Center projects often look into taking out a loan or using gift funds to make their investment as it may save time and be easier to document.

3. Once the investor’s I-526 Petition is approved they may apply and receive their conditional permanent residency cards when visas become available. See the latest processing times here.

4. The investor then has roughly two years to show that they maintained their investment and that the EB-5 project created 10 full-time jobs for US workers. Their immigration attorney then files the I-829 Petition to Remove Conditions on their Permanent Residency.

5. Upon approval, the investor and their family will be eligible for unconditional green card status and later US citizenship.

Major EB-5 advantages over other visa categories:

Unrestricted Career Opportunities

Unlike the H-1B visa, EB-2 visa, or the EB-3 visa, the EB-5 visa does not require its applicants to find employer sponsors, or possess advanced degrees, or have specialty training, or require certain skills, or restrict the length of time they can work. The EB-5 visa gives eligible foreign nationals, their spouses and their children green cards so that they can apply to work in any field, for any employer, and for any length of time. And if an EB-5 investor or their family members wish to delay finding jobs, become full-time investors, or retire, they may do so without visa constraints.

Expanded Travel Freedoms

EB-5 investors and their family members can travel freely outside of the US for work or tourism without needing a visa to reenter the US. Having a green card can make traveling to many foreign nations easier because of the travel visa waivers they have with the US.

Educational Benefits

Rather than apply for the competitive limited spots available as an international student, EB-5 investors (or their children) can apply as green card holders, which has a considerably better acceptance rate, especially at elite universities. Green card holders also receive lower tuition rates and can apply for local financial aid.

READ: 8 of the 10 Top Global Universities Are in the US

International students who opt for a F visa may face restrictions on what they can study, where and when they can work while studying, and how long they have to file for extended stays after completing their studies. EB-5 visa holders do not have to worry about any of these limitations.

Additional EB-5 visa benefits:

• Ability to live and retire anywhere in the US.
• Access to a wide range of business and investment opportunities.
• Unmarried children under the age of 21 years can receive green cards under their parent’s EB-5 application.
• Since EB-5 investments are “at-risk” there is potential for passive income from the EB-5 investment on top of receiving repayment for their funds at the end of the process.
• The cost of living (housing, consumer goods, services, etc.) in many popular US areas may be significantly lower than in many investors’ home countries.
• Eligibility for US citizenship 5 years after conditional permanent residency.

Now you know the basics of how to get a US visa, is EB-5 right for you?

Other visa categories may never result in the permanent residence. For the right foreign investors, EB-5 may have everything they’re looking for in a US visa. To get started with the EB-5 Program process, fill out our free evaluation below and find out if it’s the right fit for you and your family.