The EB-5 Program was established by the United States Congress in 1990 to promote the American economy by allowing foreign investors to create jobs and invest cash in the United States, in exchange for permanent residency in the United States through the EB-5 investor visa program. The program looks for participants who invest in commercial companies which can be linked with Regional Centers that have been approved by USCIS based on plans for economic growth.
Investors who want to become permanent residents of the United States can do so through the EB-5 investor program. Investors in the USA EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program can apply for an investor visa and take advantage of a number of distinct incentives, including:
• There are no language requirements.
• There is no minimal educational requirement
• There is no requirement for previous business or management experience.
• A gift, inheritance, business ownership, or any other legal activity can provide investment funds for the investment visa.
• There is no requirement to live in their investment area.
• The ability to live, work, and study anywhere in the United States while paying lower tuition rates.
• All dependent children under the age of 21 are included.
Candidates must meet the following criteria in addition to one of the investment options to be considered for the investor visa program:
• They must be at least 21 years old.
• They must demonstrate the legal origins of their assets and finances with which investment is USA is made.
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program in the United States offers two investment choices to qualify for the investor visa.
Applicants must meet the following requirements to be considered for this investment option:
• Make an investment of US $1.8 million in a new commercial venture, or of US $900,000 investment if the business is in a specified commercial area, such as rural areas or places with unemployment rates of at least 150 percent of the national average.
• Create full-time jobs for at least ten qualified Americans who are direct employees of the commercial venture.
• Start managing the company's day-to-day operations and/or policy formulation.
• The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has pre-approved Regional Centers as investment prospects. Applicants must meet the following requirements to be considered for this investment option.
• Make an investment of US $900,000in a new commercial enterprise.
The third step in a successful EB-5 investor visa application procedure is to become a two-year conditional resident of the United States so they can execute the project that the EB-5 investment has supported. Once the I-526 petition is granted by USCIS, EB-5 investors will be able to become permanent residents of the United States. There are two ways to obtain residency:
1) If the investor has a lawful status in the United States, they must then file form I – 485 in order to change their status to a conditional permanent resident.
2) If they do not have an existing lawful status, they must apply for an immigrant visa using form DS-260, which they must submit to the National Visa Center and process through a US consulate or embassy in their native country.
The final phase in the EB-5 investor visa procedure is for candidates to remove their two-year conditional status and become unconditional permanent residents. The I-829 petition is filed with USCIS 90 days before the second anniversary of the applicant's conditional residency. This application demonstrates that the investor has met all of the EB-5 investor visa program's requirements. After the I-829 is submitted, the USCIS usually provides a permanent green card to the candidate after due processing time.