EB-5 Program Overview

The EB-5 visa for Immigrant Investors is a United States visa created by the Immigration Act of 1990. The program is currently scheduled to end on September 30, 2012.

This visa provides a method of obtaining a green card for foreign nationals who invest money in the United States. To obtain the visa, individuals must invest $1,000,000 or at least $500,000 in a
Targeted Employment Area, creating or preserving at least 10 jobs for U.S. workers excluding the investor and their immediate family.

Investments can be made directly in a job-generating commercial enterprise. This could be

1. New Business Enterprise,

2. Troubled Business

3. Regional Center

Regional Center is a 3rd party-managed investment vehicle (private or public), which assumes the responsibility of creating the requisite jobs. Regional Centers may charge an administration fee for managing the investor's investment.

Below is a list of all the USCIS approved Regional Centers

USCIS Approved Regional Center List

If the foreign national investor's petition is approved, the investor and their dependents will be granted conditional permanent residence valid for two years. Within the 90 day period before the conditional permanent residence expires, the investor must submit evidence documenting that the full required investment has been made and that 10 jobs have been maintained, or 10 jobs have been created or will be created within a reasonable time period.

In 1992, Congress created a temporary pilot program designed to stimulate economic activity and job growth, while allowing eligible aliens the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents. Under this pilot program, foreign nationals may invest in a pre-approved regional center, or "economic unit, public or private, which is involved with the promotion of economic growth, including increased export sales, improved regional productivity, job creation, or increased domestic capital investment". Investments within a regional center provide foreign nationals the added benefit of allowing them to count jobs created both directly and indirectly for purposes of meeting 10 job creation requirement.