How to ensure your EB-5 investment is in safe hands?

With the world in turmoil, it is important to hedge your risks and there is no better political insurance than a United States Passport. The EB-5 visa is an investment program that presents you with the golden opportunity of obtaining a Green Card and Citizenship of the United States. It requires an investment of $500,000 in a government approved Regional Center for achieving the immigration criteria for EB5. Investing and taking care of the immigration process side by side can be nerve wrecking and mind boggling as well, therefore having an expert managing your investment can help settle your nerves and Regional Centers are the way to go. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellensheng/2017/01/26/new-proposal-seeks-to-raise-minimum-investment-for-eb-5-visa/#1c8100dc2ee

Apart from safeguarding your investment, Regional Centers help in taking the burden off creating the jobs from the investor’s shoulder. The Regional Center allows the foreign investors to focus on other important areas apart from the regular managerial activities of their business project. Regional Centers act as service agent organizations for investors and play an indirect but eminent role in guiding an investor through the immigration and citizenship process. But it is important for a potential applicant to understand that there are over 880 approved Regional Centers in America and he needs to be extremely vigilant with his investment funds. You should choose a center with a proven track record, world class professionals and most importantly a prudent and conservative investment pedigree. Not only do you need to make sure that your investment is safe, but with new changes due to the incoming Trump administration, your immigration status is secure.

https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-fifth-preference-eb-5/immigrant-investor-regional-centers

To draw investors and to create further job opportunities USCIS introduced a New Policy initiative in 2013 in which it stated that Regional Centers (RC’s) were allowed to sponsor investors with I-526 petitions filed for projects outside the RC’s approved jurisdiction; this policy change paved the way for many foreign nationals whose petitions were pending for a long time. But USCIS never clearly clarified with regards to policy required for the approval of RC area expansions before investors could file I-526 petitions.

In a major turnaround on December 23, 2016, USCIS stated that RC would need to file I-924 if they need to expand their area but there were no clear instructions for the petitions filed for I-526. The policy change also stated any I-526 petitions filed after 23^rd December 2016 will be denied. Now the foreign investors who were in the process of filing the applications and those who have already invested in the business projects of Regional Centers that sponsor projects outside the approved area are in a major limbo because of the recent policy changes. Prior to policy changes, the EB-5 program enjoyed a surge in number of total petitions from October to December 2016 (4,395 applications filed), pointing towards the growing popularity among foreign nationals. It can only be assumed that hundreds of investors would be affected by these policy changes.

http://www.eb5insights.com/2017/03/09/recap-of-the-march-3-2017-eb-5-immigrant-investor-program-stakeholder-engagement/

US Freedom Capital (USFC) has always prioritized safeguarding the interest of the immigrant investor. The aim has never been rapid expansion or maximizing the number of investors. The principals have focused only on prudent financial management which had led to a stellar one hundred percent track record in EB-5 approvals. Therefore they have never misguided their customers or tried to leverage any loophole in the laws. And that is why none of our clients were affected by this recent policy change. But the same can’t be said for the other so-called leading RCs, who have time and time again used the loopholes in the policy for their own advantages. The result of which is many people after investing so much money, time and effort are left with an uncertain future.

How to safeguard your EB-5 investment?

A prospective investor must not be deterred by this out of character mutation of policy by the government. There is a good chance that on appeal the changes would be watered down to assist the affected investors. But this serves as a notice to investors that if things being promised to them are looking too good to be true, they probably are!!

US Freedom Capital’s Executive Team and Board of Advisors comprises of Former Director, Former Acting Director and former highest ranking career officer at USCIS. They not only understand the policy deeply, they helped shape it and understand how USCIS as a body thinks and operate. This insight is valuable with a new government in White House and major policy changes on the anvil. They have decades of experience in immigration and investment field. The principals have executed and participated in deals exceeding $3 billion dollars in banking, commercial real estate investment, development and construction. Instead of trying to be everything for everyone, they have stuck to the narrow path of proficiency they understand best and know will generate superior returns for all investors involved without jeopardizing the EB-5 process under any circumstance. The company has selected healthcare real estate, an established investment option with decades of history of stable performance. Moreover, it has a proven track record of generating the required amount of jobs, a prerequisite for EB5.

EB-5 Visa is a lucrative option for the wealthy and their families to secure their future in the biggest and strongest economy of the world. Successive governments have endorsed the program and it enjoys considerable support from both parties in the Congress. But there are still a lot of intricate details in the entire process. Investors must not believe that delivering the $500,000 is their only job. Selecting the attorney to process their application, along with choosing the right Regional Center is the difference between being citizens in 5 years versus being in a multi-decade limbo. Your experience of immigrating to the US should be one of hope for your future, investing in RCs who cuts corners are just a recipe for disaster. We, at US Freedom Capital, are dedicated to creating an ecosystem where the investor is hand held throughout the process and comes out as a proud Green Card holder with a secure investment.