The EB-5 application process begins with filing an I-526 or I-526E form with USCIS. To file, the investor must have already committed the required capital to a new commercial enterprise (NCE). The minimum investment amount is $1.05 million or $800,000 if the investment is made in a targeted employment area (TEA). The investment must be...
Jacqueline Trevino
For H-1B visa holders, transitioning to an EB-5 visa can be an attractive option to secure permanent residency. This path eliminates the need for employer sponsorship and can bypass the lengthy visa bulletin backlogs typically encountered when needing to file an I-485 after I-140 approval. Maintaining H-1B Status If an EB-5 applicant is from a...
The Social Security Administration (SSA) issues Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and cards to U.S. citizens, immigrant visa holders, and certain nonimmigrant visa holders residing in the U.S. with work authorization from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Applying for an SSN is free. SSNs are used for reporting earnings and taxes to the IRS,...
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program provides a pathway for foreign investors to obtain a green card by investing in job-creating projects in the United States. One of the fundamental aspects of this program is the ‘at-risk’ requirement, which determines an investment’s eligibility. USCIS requires that the investor’s capital be at at-risk throughout the investment period,...
Apr192024
Foreign investors have two options when investing in an EB-5 project. They can either invest through a USCIS-designated regional center or invest directly in an EB-5 project. The EB-5 investment amounts are either $800,000 or $1,050,000, depending on whether the investor invests in a rural, high-unemployment, or infrastructure project. These investments are directed into a...
Discover how EB-5 Regional Centers drive economic development through job creation and capital investment in targeted areas. EB-5 Regional Centers- What Are They and What Do They Do? EB-5 investors can invest directly. Or, they can invest through an EB-5 regional center. Regional centers are in the U.S. They foster job creation and economic development...
The America Immigrant Investor Alliance (AIIA) has recently released data on EB-5 supply and demand for reserved or set-aside categories. This data was obtained from USCIS through various Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. This information is crucial for estimating and predicting wait times for prospective investors interested in the visa set-aside categories. Since the...
The visa bulletin is a monthly publication issued by the US Department of State that provides information on the availability of immigrant visas. It categorizes applicants based on their priority date and country of birth, determining when they can proceed with applying for a green card. On the visa bulletin, the 5th preference category refers...