The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa

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EB-5 Dhar Law LLP

An Attorney and Service Provider’s Overview of Requirements for Eligibility and Implications under Different Areas of the Law

By: Wassem Amin, Esq., M.B.A.[1]

[NOTE: The following is a preview of a forthcoming Article on the same topic.] Updated with link below.

Click Here for the Full Article in PDF Format.

In 1990, the United States Congress created the employment-based fifth preference (“EB-5”) immigrant visa category for immigrants who invest in and manage U.S. commercial enterprises that benefit the U.S. economy and create jobs. Allotted 10,000 immigrant visas annually, the EB-5 immigrant visa was designed to attract foreign direct investment into projects that would directly impact the economy (i.e., not merely passive investments).

Immigrant investors can apply for an EB-5 visa through two primary routes. The first route is through a direct investment into a qualifying “new commercial enterprise.” The second is through the Regional Center Pilot Program. Created by Congress in 1992, and recently extended by President Obama in the fall of 2012 an additional three years, the Pilot Program allows the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) to designate so-called Regional Centers to function as conduits or administrators of large or medium scale projects funded, at least in part, by EB-5 investors.

However, due to inconsistent administration by USCIS primarily caused by lack of proper training for its adjudicators, the Regional Center Pilot Program—as well as the EB-5 visa overall—was relatively under-utilized by practitioners, investors, and developers. For example, in Fiscal Year 2007, USCIS approved only 11 Regional Centers and issued 473 EB-5 Visas—out of the 10,000 available under the quota. In the following years, however, EB-5 visa issuances and Regional Center approvals exponentially increased in number. In FY 2012, EB-5 visas are projected to reach the visa cap for the first time in the program’s history.[2] Furthermore, Regional Center approvals in the same period spiked to an all-time high of 209. The increased interest in EB-5 investments has been attributed to a combination of factors including: (1) the overhaul of the program by USCIS and the creation of a dedicated EB-5 adjudication department; (2) the decrease in domestic investment capital after the 2008 recession; and (3) the increased political instability in foreign countries leading many high-net worth immigrants to relocate to the United States.

Forecasts for FY 2013 estimate that EB-5 capital will account for over $2 Billion in foreign direct investment. Since 2005, the program has injected over $6 billion in capital to the U.S. economy and added over 95,000 U.S. jobs. There have been many EB-5 and Regional Center success stories.

A particularly notable example is the Vermont EB-5 Regional Center. The Vermont EB-5 Regional Center is the only USCIS-designated Regional Center in the United States that is owned, controlled, and supervised directly by a state government. In fact, as Brent Raymond—who is the Director of the Regional Center as well as International Trade and Foreign Investment for the state—noted, the Vermont Regional Center has had a 100% success rate with immigration filings for affiliated alien investors and with investment returns on individual projects.

Advocacy groups have also had a strong positive impact in promoting the EB-5 Visa. The Association to Invest in the USA (“IIUSA”) is non-profit trade association that lobbies on behalf of Regional Centers nationwide. Led by Director Peter Joseph, it was founded in 2005 and represents over 80 Regional Centers, accounting for approximately 95% of all EB-5 capital.

Unfortunately, due to the growing popularity of the program, unscrupulous individuals and entities in the United States, as well as so-called “visa consultants” abroad, have attempted to use the EB-5 visa to defraud foreign investors. Foreign investors need to be diligent in their research and vetting process of such projects. Not surprisingly, counsel for the foreign investor or a Regional Center usually plays an integral role in this process. Unlike a traditional private offering, however, an attorney advising on an EB-5 visa, whether on behalf of the alien investor or the investment soliciting funds, needs to be well-versed in, not only also immigration law, but also corporate law, securities laws and regulations, tax law, international law, real estate law, and estate-planning—in addition to a fundamental understanding of business and economic forecasting models. It is a unique intersection of several areas of the law–each with their own complex regulatory and statutory regime.

Click Here for the Full Article in PDF Format.

[1] Wassem M. Amin, Esq., MBA is an Attorney at Dhar Law, LLP in Boston, MA. Wassem has extensive experience as a business advisor and consultant, domestically and abroad (in the Middle East region), having worked as a consultant for over 9 years. Wassem currently focuses his practice on Corporate Law, Business Immigration Law, and International Business Transactions; where he works with Firm Partners Vilas S. Dhar and Vikas Dhar to advise Regional Centers and individual investors on EB-5 Visa matters. For more information, please visit http://www.dharlawllp.com and email Wassem at wassem@dharlawllp.com.

Disclaimer: These materials have been prepared by Dhar Law, LLP for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. This article is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship, and readers should not act upon it without seeking professional counsel. This material may be considered advertising according to the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Reproduction or distribution without prior consent of the author is prohibited.