UNITED STATES – EB 5 IMMIGRANT INVESTOR PROGRAM
The USA is the world’s foremost economy having global interests and an unmatched global reach. With immense benefits in health, education and business, USA stands as the most sought after destination for every individual. The United States has a capitalist economy. USCIS administers the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, created by Congress in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors.
- Location: North America
- Capital: Washington DC
- Passport Rank: 5th (As per Global Passport Power Rank 2021*)
- Visa Free Travel: 184 Countries
- Language: English
VISA FREE TRAVEL TO 184 COUNTRIES
| Asia
Bangladesh * Brunei Cambodia * Hong Kong (SAR China) Indonesia Japan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Laos * Macao (SAR China) Malaysia Maldives * Mongolia Nepal * Philippines Singapore South Korea Sri Lanka ** Taiwan Tajikistan * Thailand Timor-Leste *
Europe Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia
|
Faroe Islands
Finland France Germany Gibraltar Greece Greenland Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City |
Africa
Botswana Burkina Faso * Cape Verde Islands * Central African Republic Comores Islands Egypt * Equatorial Guinea Eswatini (Swaziland) Ethiopia * Gabon * Gambia * Guinea-Bissau * Kenya * Lesotho Madagascar * Malawi * Mauritania * Mauritius Mayotte Morocco Mozambique * Namibia Reunion Rwanda * Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Seychelles * Sierra Leone * Somalia * South Africa St. Helena * Tanzania * Togo * Tunisia Uganda * Zambia * Zimbabwe * |
Oceania
American Samoa** Australia ** Cook Islands Fiji French Polynesia Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia New Caledonia New Zealand ** Niue Northern Mariana Islands Palau Islands Papua New Guinea * Samoa * Solomon Islands* Tonga * Tuvalu * Vanuatu
Caribbean Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Bonaire; St. Eustatius and Saba British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curacao Dominica Dominican Republic |
French West Indies
GrenadaHaiti Jamaica Montserrat Puerto Rico St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Maarten St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands US Virgin Islands
Americas Argentina Belize Bermuda Bolivia * Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Ecuador El Salvador Falkland Islands French Guiana Guatemala Guyana Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay * Peru Uruguay |
Middle East
Armenia Bahrain * Georgia Israel Jordan * Kuwait * Lebanon * Palestinian Territory Qatar Saudi Arabia * United Arab Emirates * |
*Conditions Apply.
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
Launched in 1990, EB-5 Program offers an exclusive category of US immigration Visa that allows Investors, their spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 to obtain Green Card within 24 to 36 months*. This allows them the legal right to live, work, study and travel anywhere in the United States without restrictions.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
In order to qualify, foreign investors need to meet specific United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requirements. They are required to:
- Make a minimum investment of $500,000 (or it’s equivalent in a foreign currency, either individually or combined with their spouse or partner) in a commercial entity located in a targeted employment area (TEA).
- Investment shall result in creation of 10 full-time jobs for US Citizens.
- Business/Management experience: No Prior business management experience is required.
- Other factors: In addition to the above selection criteria, other factors such as age must be 21 years old, no language proficiency is required, no requirement of education, and legal source of funds plays an important role in the process.
US E-2 VISA
- Expeditious processing: U.S. E-2 visa can generally be obtained within 3 months*
- Unlimited number of extensions
- Investor’s spouse and dependent children under 21 years old may be included
- Investor’s spouse can apply to work anywhere in the U.S.
- Free high-school education for children in the U.S. with E-2 visa and in-state college tuition rates
- E-2 can have the potential to be converted to EB-5 over the course of time
- Investor and dependents may spend time in the U.S. without being subject to world-wide income tax.
IMMIGRATION QUALIFICATIONS
E-2 requires that you to be at least a 50% owner of the business and have a direct role:
- 50% owner of the Class A Units with another E-2 Investor
- Investor Option to make the full investment and own 100% if desired
- Involvement in the decision making process
** Legal and Professional fee is applicable.
APPLICATION PROCESS & TIMELINE FOR EB5
STEP 1: Client will sign the office contract with WWICS, initial payment as per contract needs to be made.
MONTH 1
STEP 2: Preliminary Check on applicant’s profile and technical assessment process takes place. Client receives the documents checklist and applications package.
MONTH 1
STEP 3: Opening of Escrow account
Step1: Transfer of investment funds into the Escrow Account along with admin fee.
Step2: Filing of I-526 Application to USCIS by the attorney.
MONTH 1
STEP 4: Client Receive I-526 Approval.
MONTH 12-14
STEP 5: Submit Immigrant Visa Application to National Visa Center.
MONTH 14-18
STEP 6: Upon approval the client undergoes Medical Test and Interview
MONTH 19-20
STEP 7
Step1: Client Receive Immigrant Visa.
Step2: Client has to enter the country within 6 months.
MONTH 22-23
STEP 8 – AFTER POST LANDING
Step1: Client receives conditional Green card.
Step2: Attorney will file I-829 to USCIS before the conditional green card expiry.
STEP 9 – AFTER POST LANDING
Step1: Client Receive un-conditional Green card.
Step2: File Application for Naturalization after 5 years.
MONTH 24
Q1. What is the US EB-5 Visa?
The EB-5 Visa is a US Visa created by the Immigration Act of 1990 which provides a method of obtaining the US Green Card for foreign nationals who invest money in the United States. To obtain the Visa, individuals must invest at least $900,000 in a Government approved Regional Center.
Q2. What are the benefits of the Green Card?
The key benefits are:
- All legal permanent residents under the EB-5 Investor Program enjoy the same benefits as every other United States resident.
- The U.S. is a safe harbor for your family as well as your personal and business investments. Any member of the family with a Green Card can enter the U.S. at any time and stay as long as he or she wishes.
- The cost of living in the U.S. is less than most of the large industrial nations. Consumer goods, services and housing cost is significantly less expensive than the same goods and services in most countries.
- Students may work in the U.S. while they attend college and then continue to work afterwards, enabling the student to pay for part of his education and to work while attending graduate and postgraduate studies.
- The U.S. provides many financial, social and educational entitlements: public schools, health and medical attention and social security.
Q3. Who all can apply for this Visa?
People from all the walks of life can apply for this Visa ranging from Professionals, Business persons and Retirees.
Q4. Does the investor have to stay in the area of the Regional Center, once he/ she invests in a Regional Center project?
No. After green card one can live anywhere in the United States, without any restrictions.
Q5. What is meant by the requirement that the investor's assets should be “lawfully gained”?
- Under USCIS regulations, the investor must demonstrate that his assets were gained in a lawful manner, and that the investment funds were obtained through lawful business, salary, investments, property sales, inheritance, gift or other lawful means.
Q6. What is a Designated Regional Center?
A “Regional Center:”
- Is an entity, organization or agency that has been approved as such by the Service;
- Focuses on a specific geographic area within the United States;
- Seeks to promote economic growth through increased export sales, improved regional productivity, creation of new jobs, and increased domestic capital investment.
Q7. Can money gifted by a parent or other relative be used for an EB-5 Investment?
Yes, provided the gift taxes, if applicable are paid. It must be demonstrated that the gift is an actual arms length transaction and is not merely a ruse or is a loan of some kind which will be re-paid after permanent resident status is granted.
Q8. How will a Green- Card holder get the Citizenship of USA?
- Once the applicant receives the Green Card, he will have to stay in the US for 30 months during the 5 years prior to the naturalization application. On becoming a US citizen, the applicant is entitled for all the benefits including the right to vote and hold public office.
