EB-5 Investment Amount: A Deep Dive into the Latest Regulations and Trends

Understanding the EB-5 Investment Program

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program is a United States visa program created by Congress in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors.

The program allows foreign investors to obtain a green card by investing $500,000 in a new commercial enterprise in the United States that creates at least 10 jobs for American workers.

EB-5 Investment Amount: Key Considerations

Investment Amount Options

The minimum investment amount for the EB-5 program is $500,000. However, investors may also choose to invest $1 million in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA), which is a rural area or area with high unemployment.

Job Creation Requirement

In addition to the investment amount, investors must also demonstrate that their investment will create at least 10 jobs for American workers.

The jobs can be created directly by the investor's business or indirectly through the creation of jobs in other businesses in the community.

Investment Types

EB-5 investors can choose to invest in a variety of businesses, including real estate, manufacturing, and infrastructure projects.

The investment must be in a new commercial enterprise, which means that it must be a for-profit business that has not been previously established.

Regional Centers

Investors can also choose to invest through a Regional Center, which is a public-private partnership that promotes economic development in a specific geographic area.

Regional Centers offer investors the opportunity to pool their investments with other investors and to invest in projects that are pre-approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Recent Changes to the EB-5 Program

The EB-5 program has undergone several changes in recent years, including:

• Increase in the minimum investment amount from $500,000 to $900,000 for investments in non-TEA areas and from $1 million to $1.8 million for investments in TEA areas
• Elimination of the "direct" job creation requirement, which allowed investors to count jobs created by their own businesses
• Requirement that investors maintain their investment for at least five years, rather than two years

Conclusion

The EB-5 program is a complex and ever-changing program.

Investors who are considering investing in the program should consult with an experienced immigration attorney to ensure that they understand the requirements and risks involved.

Eb 5 Investment Amount