Your Golden Ticket– Citizenship by Investment
Perhaps the fastest way to get a Green Card in comparison to other paths like the EB-1/2/3 the EB-5 program allows foreign nationals to make a qualifying investment into a new or existing US commercial real estate project that creates 10 jobs in exchange for a Green Card. EB-5 Investors and their families may gain permanent residency to reside anywhere within the U.S. A single investment allows the applicant, spouse, and any unwed children under the age of 21 to obtain Green Cards.
Overseen by the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services EB-5 investments must comply with strict guidelines to promote job creation. The minimum qualifying investment threshold varies depending on the location of the business or project to help stimulate job creation in targeted areas. If an EB-5 project is in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) an investment of $900,000 will open the gateway to your Golden Passport. Outside of a TEA, investors must contribute $1.8MM to obtain a Green Card. At the end of a 2-year conditional residency period, the investor must show that the investment was maintained and at least 10 jobs were created for the Green Card to become permanent.
Benefits of EB-5
The goal of a typical EB-5 investor is to obtain a Green Card and receive their investment principal back. Well-structured EB-5 offerings have a structured exit strategy in which the EB-5 investors are repaid in-full plus interest. The capital must remain invested or “at-risk” until the investor has completed their Conditional Residency, failure to do so may lead to revocation.
EB-5 projects assume many different business models and industries; however, most EB-5 investments tend to include real estate development as job creation is easiest to show via construction. The flood gates have opened as the U.S. is expected to issue 18,500 EB-5 visas under the investment program in 2021.
