How to Choose an EB-5 Regional Center

WHY CHOOSE A REGIONAL CENTER?

The EB-5 Regional Center Program is a great choice for families seeking to invest in the United States and obtain their green cards. The majority of EB-5 investors choose the Regional Center program over direct investment in the EB-5 Program because Regional Centers often provide certain benefits such as:

• Lower Required Investment. Most Regional Centers develop real estate projects situated within “Targeted Employment Areas” which benefit from the lower $900,000.00 investment requirement.

• Hands-Off Management. The Regional Center investor typically does not need to involve him or herself with the day-to-day operations of the development project. Instead, the investor will often have a policy-adviser role, allowing them to focus on high-level decision making.

• Relaxed Job Creation Requirements.  The EB-5 program requires investors to create 10 full time jobs in order to obtain a permanent green card; however, utilizing a Regional Center can ease the burden of this requirement. Rather than directly proving job creation, Regional centers can pool together investment capital and are permitted to report job creation indirectly.  For example, instead of showing direct payroll records evidencing job growth, a Regional Center could use an economic report forecasting the economic impact and the number of jobs likely to be created.

• Expertise in the EB-5 Program. The law can be complicated.  Regional Centers often have lawyers and regulatory departments that make sure everyone is complying with the rules of the program, to ensure that immigrant investors will qualify for their visas.

CHOOSE A REGIONAL CENTER THAT YOU TRUST!

Should you decide to participate in the EB-5 Regional Center program, you will be investing a considerable amount of capital. Like any other investment you need to trust the people you are investing with.  At a minimum, the following should be considered:

• Track Record. How many development projects has the Regional Center completed? How many investors have approved I-526 applications? How many investors received their temporary green cards? How many investors received their permanent green cards? How many investors have gotten their investment money back?

• Investment in Real Estate. The vast majority of Regional Centers facilitate investments in real estate development.  Learn about the investment.  Ask yourself, how much of the developer’s own money is invested in the development project? Who are their construction lenders? Who is the general contractor?

• Team Members. Regional Centers consist of a team.  Find out who runs the Regional Center.  Get to know the team members.  Ask questions about their backgrounds and experience in the real estate industry and the EB-5 industry.  

Congress has recently extended the EB-5 Regional Center program through June 30, 2021. Reach out to a trusted Regional Center today!

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