Questions you should ask when investing in an EB-5 Regional Center Project
The United States EB-5 investor green card allows a foreign investor to place $500,000.00 in a Regional Center, which is an approved investment enterprise that has met the criteria set out by the USCIS to accept foreign investments in order to apply for U.S. permanent residency. Regional Centers have seen a surge in popularity in recent years – not only in investor applicants, but in the number of Regional Centers themselves. However, not all Regional Centers are created equal. Below are the top 5 questions an investor should ask when considering what Regional Center to invest in:
When was this regional center certified by the USCIS?
The EB-5 program was created by Congress in 1990 and to date, there are almost 300 Regional Centers throughout the United States. Some Regional Centers have been around longer than others. Those that have been around longer will have a more extensive track record for the investor to evaluate (i.e, successful projects, approvals, rejections, etc.). On the contrary, recently certified Regional Centers will be less likely to demonstrate a successful track record, simply because the process of initial investment to the removal of conditional residency will take at least 2-3 years. Therefore, a prudent investor should look for a Regional Center who has been around longer.
How long do I have to keep my investment in the project?
While the regulations require you to keep your money invested in the Regional Center for at least two years after you are approved for conditional residency, Regional Centers usually require you to keep the money invested for anywhere from three to seven years. This means that you may not be entitled to get your $500,000 back until long after you have received permanent residency. A lot of newer Regional Centers will provide a shorter lock-in time of your investment in order to entice you to invest in their projects, while older, more established Regional Centers will require you to keep the investment in the project for a longer period of time.
Please click here for more information on the EB-5 green card.