Green Card through Investment
Employment Fifth Preference (E5): Immigrant Investors
You can obtain lawful permanent residency (Green Card) though an investment in the United States. Fifth Preference applicant must file an Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, Form I-526, with USCIS. Labor certification is not required for Immigrant Investors. To qualify as an Immigrant Investor, a foreign citizen must invest between U.S. $500,000 and $1,000,000, depending on the unemployment rate in the geographical area, in a commercial enterprise in the United States which creates at least 10 new full-time jobs for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or other lawful immigrants, not including the investor and his or her family.
Amount of capital
- The standard EB-5 Visa investment amount is USD$1,000,000. However in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) which is defined as an area with an unemployment rate of 150% or more above the U.S. national average or in a rural area (defined as being within the boundary of a city or town with a population of 20,000 or less). the required investment is USD$500,000 for an established business
Types of capital
- Investment in the EB-5 Visa program is flexible and can be made in the form of cash, cash equivalents, equipment, inventory or other tangible property.
- Capital does not include loans made by the investor to the venture, however if the investor borrows the investment money it must be secured by assets owned by the investor, and the investor must be personally liable for the loan
- The investor may receive a gift of funds, subject to payment of all required taxes by law have been paid.
Source of capital
- The USCIS is notified when the investment is made into the respective project. The current guidelines requires investment for a TEA at USD$500,000. Prospective investors are eligible to invest the required amount alone, create a qualifying business with other foreign investors and/or with a U.S. citizen or other people not seeking classification as a foreign investor. In these scenario, all persons seeking classification as a foreign investor must have invested the required USD$500,000 amount, however each investor can use the same employees to reach the required 10 new positions.
“At risk”
- The USCIS requires validation that all capital investments be classified as “at risk” with no guarantees made by the project to the investor. This is to verify that the capital will actually be used for the purpose of creating jobs and profit-generating activity. Proof of actual business activity is required and the use of capital investment for expenses or reserve accounts unrelated to job creation does not constitute “business activity”.
Verification of lawful source
- Proof that the actual investor has invested the capital is required. The documentation should verify the capital from the investor directly to the investment.
- Proof that the investment funds was obtained legally is required by the USCIS and documentation that proves the source of their investment. Proof of documentation is usually provided through previous tax returns and financial statements.
Regional Center projects or Private Investments
By investing in certain qualified investments or regional centers with high unemployment rates, the required investment amount is $500,000. The Immigrant Investor Pilot Program was created by Section 610 of Public Law 102-395 on October 6, 1992. This "Pilot Program" required only $500,000 of investment in exchange for permanent resident status. The investment could only be received by an economic unit defined as a Regional Center
A Regional Center is defined as any economic unit, public or private, engaged in the promotion of economic growth, improved regional productivity, job creation and increased domestic capital investment. The individual receiving the visa is not required to actively manage the business invested in. For investors who wish to invest in a new or existing business, have an active role in the management of the operation (although simply being a Limited partner in the organization that owns the business qualifies as "AN ACTIVE ROLE."), and have at least one million US dollars to invest ($500,000 if the business is located in certain areas deemed as Rural or with very high unemployment), then the traditional EB-5 visa is the best option.
List of USCIS Approved EB-5 Regional Center projects
Alabama
Alabama Center for Foreign Investment Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: State of Alabama
Allowed Activities: Heavy and light manufacturing; agriculture; high technology; construction; hospitality, resort and service industries (hotels, restaurants, resorts, golf courses, entertainment, and the like); schools, health care facilities, and infrastructure; and cruise line support services.
Arizona
Arizona EB-5 Regional Center (Green Card Fund)
Geographic Area Covered: State of Arizona
Allowed Activities: Healthcare (Hospitals and Medical Office Buildings); Education; Hospitality (Hotel & Motel); Residential; Retail; Office; Restaurants; Banking; Technology; Distribution; Heavy and light manufacturing; Construction
California
American Logistics [International] Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: South Central Los Angeles, with an emphasis on the cities of Carson, Compton, parts of the cities of Lynwood and Long Beach, the Wilmington
Allowed Activities: 1) Advanced logistic operations; 2) U.S. Customs bonded warehouse services; 3) U.S. Customs approved Centralized Examination Station.
California Consortium for Agricultural Export
Geographic Area Covered: San Joaquin Valley, CA
Allowed Activities: An agricultural investment program purchasing and converting fallow or row crop lands into permanent commercially viable fruit and/or nut trees and grape vines for the domestic and export markets, wineries, and elevator platform machinery manufacturing.
California Global Alliance Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Central California
Allowed Activities: Hotels, Restaurants, Retail shopping centers, Retail automotive dealerships, nursing home and assisted living facilities, casinos
California Investment Immigration Fund, LLC
California Military Bases (CMB) Geographic Area Covered: Former military bases located in Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties, CA
Allowed Activities: Redevelopment and rebuilding of former military bases.
California Wineries & Vineyards, LLC Regional Center (CWVRC)
Geographic Area Covered: Napa & Sonoma counties, CA
Allowed Activities: Purchase vineyards and wineries and invest in troubled wineries.
El Monte Regional Center
FFC-East Bay Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
Allowed Activities: Equity funding of or third party loans to enterprises engaged in real estate construction, renovation and management; construction and development of infrastructures; design, development and operation of manufacturing facilities; and design, development of support services for specialized software and/or hardware; and preliminary funding for biotechnology development. Industry clusters include the following: Healthcare; Logistics; Digital Arts; Food Manufacturing and Distribution; Biotechnology (R&D and Manufacturing); and Clean or Alternative Energy
Imperial Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Heber and surrounding areas in Imperial County, CA
Allowed Activities: Mixed use commercial projects designed to attract high volume consumers in retail, wholesale, dining, entertainment, and hospitality industries
Los Angeles Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: All Los Angeles County
Allowed Activities: Real Estate Construction and Management within the following industries: Hotel, Manufacturing, Retail, Medical Offices, Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
California Global Alliance Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: 12 Counties in Central California
Allowed Activities: Automotive, Hotel, Restaurant, Office, Nursing Home
Los Angeles County Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Los Angeles County
Allowed Activities: Agriculture & food processing, alternative energy, health services, higher education, motion picture & film, technology and transportation.
Regional Center Properties, Inc.
Geographic Area Covered: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside, Orange, and San Diego Counties, CA
Allowed Activities: Mixed use shopping centers
Regional Center Management Los Angeles
Geographic Area Covered: Los Angeles Enterprise zone to Eastside Enterprise Zone and the area in between bordered by Glendale Blvd and the Santa Monica Freeway
Contact Info: commercial/industrial developments; Private/public arrangements with governmental agencies, non-profits or others to develop civic/public facilities and infrastructure; Renovation of functionally obsolete buildings; Residential developments; Capital, loans, or investments to businesses in RC area; Establish or invest in lending institutions
South East Los Ageles RC (SELARC)
Geographic Area Covered: City of Vernon, CA (Southeast of LA)
Allowed Activities: Food products; Apparel manufacturing; Transportation and warehousing; Household furniture and furnishings
Victorville Regional Center Geographic Area Covered: City of Victorville, CA (Northeast of LA)
About: City (Government Sponsored Project) Project: Infrastructure Development at Southern California Logistics Airport
Connecticut
American Hospitality Investments LLC has a number of qualified traditional EB-5 Investments in the hospitality industry that are real estate backed and have a much higher rate of return then any regional center investments with much less risk of loss.
DMG Studio Holdings, LLC in Stratford, CT has a significant number of qualified EB-5 Investments in the digital media industry that are backed by real estate and other underlying assests such as IP and FCC licenses.
Hartmann Development LLC Has a significant number of qualified EB-5 Investments in the Digital Media Industry that are backed by Real Estate, We also have Resort Properties Museum and Marinas & Construction Companies. We have Associates in Hong Kong, Main Land China, Tokyo & South Korea to help you.
District of Columbia, (Washington, DC)
Capital Area Regional Center (CARC)
Geographic Area Covered: Washington, DC; Alexandria, VA; Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties, MD; and Arlington and Fairfax Counties, VA
Allowed Activities: Mixed hotel, office, retail and residential space; Soccer stadium; Conference center space; Industrial space
EB-5 America
Geographic Area Covered: District of Columbia
Allowed Activities: Hospitality; Mixed use real estate construction
Florida
Florida Regional Center is an approved EB-5 Regional Center in Palm Beach County, Florida. It's allowed activities are Mixed-Use Commercial Projects, Hospitality, Retail, Restaurant, Office Space, Marina and Entertainment. It's current project is the Town of Jupiter's downtown district, Harbourside Place.
Palm Coast Florida Regional Center Geographic Area Covered: St. Johns, Flagler, Brevard, Orange, Volusia, Seminole, and Indian River Counties. Allowed Activities: Hotel, Shopping Centers, Light Manufacturing, Office, Medical Office
Florida Equity & Growth Fund Regional Center (FEGF-RC)
Geographic Area Covered: Florida High Tech Corridor
Allowed Activities: Traveler accommodation; Food services and drinking places; Retail trade; Real estate; Manufacturing; Performing arts; Museums, historical sites & similar institutions; Professional scientific and technical services.
Florida Overseas Investment Center
Geographic Area Covered: All of Florida
Allowed Activities: Hotel and Hospitality, Retail Shopping, Industrial, Restaurant, Office Buildings, Hospitals and Senior Care Facilities, Agriculture, Educational Facilities, Sports Entertainment, Energy, Food Processing, Mixed Use Projects.
Lake Buena Vista RC
Geographic Area Covered: Orlando-Kissimmee Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area
Allowed Activities: Development and expansion of Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa
Palm Beach RC
Geographic Area Covered: Miami-Dade and Monroe counties
Allowed Activities: Intermodal traffic and cargo distribution center; Manufacturing and research facilities; Commercial and office space; Film and TV production
South Atlantic Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Palm Beach county
Allowed Activities: Senior Housing, Hotel, Retail, Restaurant, Office, Medical Office, and Industrial
South Florida Investment Regional Center (SFIRC)
Geographic Area Covered: Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties, FL
Allowed Activities: Construction of a hotel complex (includes spa, restaurants, and retail space).
Hawaii
Hawaii DBEDT Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: the entire Hawaii state
Allowed Activities: Tourism of all kinds; Technology, Research & Development and Life Sciences; Transportation in Air, Harbors and Highways; Trade & Manufacturing; Health Services: Hospitals, Nursing homes, Private medical offices, In-Home healthcare, Outpatient services, Ambulance services and Laboratories; Agriculture and Food Processing, Aquaculture, Major agricultural production, Exotic and specialized crops; Higher Education, both Exported and Foreign Students; Leashold improvements in commercial real estate; Alternative energy in Geothermal, Hydro-power, Ocean Thermal, Solar and Wind; and Motion Picture and TV Productions
Golden Pacific Ventures Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Hawaii County
Allowed Activities: Farming tropical fruits: Lychee, Longan, and Rambutan.
Illinois
CMB, California Military Base. Main offices in Illinois
Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group (CFIG) Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Illinois Counties of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, McHenry, Will, Lake, Kankakee, Boone, Winnebago, Ogle, and Stephenson.
Allowed Activities: Accommodation, Agriculture, Education, Entertainment, Health Care, and Manufacturing
Iowa
Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED)
Geographic Area Covered: Iowa
Allowed Activities: Dairy farms
Kansas
Kansas Bio-Fuel RC, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: 21 counties in Southwest Kansas
Allowed Activities: Development and operation of fuel grade ethanol production facilities
Louisiana & Mississippi
Gulf Coast Funds Management, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: States of Mississippi and Louisiana
Allowed Activities: Shipbuilding; Food Processing; Manufacturing
New Orleans' Mayor's Office RC
Geographic Area Covered: New Orleans
Allowed Activities: Leasehold improvements to fixed asset commercial buildings sector; Mobile medical services facilities sector; Commercial lodging, hotels, and hospitality sector; Mixed-use real estate construction/reconstruction sector; Mixed-use residential lease and rental properties sector; Arts and sciences industry sector.
Noble Coastal Ventures—Louisiana Mississippi Regional Center Geographic Area Covered: States of Louisiana and Mississippi
Allowed Activities: Leasehold improvements to fixed asset commercial buildings sector; Mobile medical services facilities sector; Commercial lodging, hotels and hospitality sector; Mixed-use real estate construction/reconstruction sector; Mixed-use residential lease and rental properties sector; Arts and sciences industry sector; Harbor facilities sector; Gaming and casinos sector; Marine sector.
Michigan
EB-5 Michigan Regional Center, LLC in East Lansing, Michigan (MI) Name: EB-5 Michigan Regional Center, LLC Street: 333 Albert Ave, Ste 500 Postal address: East Lansing, MI Phone: (517) 242-7004
Nevada
Nevada Regional Economic Development Center (NREDC)
Geographic Area Covered: Nevada
Allowed Activities: Service Industry, Infrastructure, Waste Mgmt & Transportation.
American Dream Fund - Las Vegas
Geographic Area Covered: Clark County
Allowed Activities: Casino, Food and Beverage, Hotel, Senior Care
New Jersey
New Jersey Regional Center, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Passaic, and Union Counties, NJ
Allowed Activities: Hotels; Restaurants; Retail stores; Office buildings; Light industrial warehouses; Civic buildings; Apartments/Condominiums; Mixed use I (hotel/retail/apartments); Mixed use II (office buildings/retail/condominiums)
New York
New York Immigration Fund, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: New York counties of the Bronx, Kings, Queens, Richmond, New York City and Long Island
Allowed Activities: Capital loans & investments; building renovation; real estate development (mixed use); hospitality; industrial space; conference space; U.S. Customs Bonded warehouse services; nursing homes; assisted living facilities; health services & medical technology; manufacturing; and technology
New York City Regional Center, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: New York City counties of Bronx, Kiings, Queens, and New York (Manhattan)
Allowed Activities: Hotels; Restaurants; Retail stores; Office buildings; Light industrial warehouses; Civic buildings; Apartments/Condominiums; Mixed use I (hotel/retail/apartments); Mixed use II (office buildings/retail/condominiums)
Upstate New York Regional Center (UNYRC)
Geographic Area Covered: 22 counties of Western upstate New York
Allowed Activities: Agriculture, Natural Resources and Mining; Manufacturing; Trade, Transportation and Utilities; Information; Financial Activities; Leisure and Hospitality; Professional and Business Services; Education and Health Services; Other Services.
Buffalo Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Buffalo, NY
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia PIDC Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Philadelphia County, PA
Allowed Activities: Tourism; Trade; Technology; Higher Education; Transportation; Leasehold improvements of commercial office space
Pennsylvania DCED Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: most counties of PA
Allowed Activities: Tourism and hospitality; Technology; Transportation; Manufacturing and Trade; Health services; Agriculture and food production; Higher education; Leasehold improvements to commercial office and mixed-use spaces.
South Carolina
Carolina Center for Foreign Investment RC
South Dakota
South Dakota SDIBI
Geographic Area Covered: Eastern South Dakota
Allowed Activities: Animal dairy farm operations; Animal heifer ranch operations; Animal feedlot operations; and Meat processing and packing operations.
Texas/Oklahoma
Global Century Development, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: Houston's Chinatown area
Allowed Activities: Hotel and Hospitality; Retail; Mixed use residential; Commercial office; Restaurant/Entertainment
South West Bio-Fuel RC, LLD
Geographic Area Covered: 40 counties in Northwest Texas and 9 counties in Western Oklahoma
Allowed Activities: Development and operation of fuel grade ethanol production facilities.
Utah
Mountain States Center for Foreign Investment (MSCFI)
Geographic Area Covered: Utah
Allowed Activities: Hospitality, resort and service industry, horse ranch development, high technology, health care services and innovation, entertainment, educational, and infrastructure
Vermont
Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development EB-5 Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: The entire state of Vermont
Allowed Activities: Ski Industry Development, Manufacturing, IT, Professional Services, Education,Retirement Home
Washington
Aero-Space Port International (ASPI)
American Life Ventures Everett, Washington
Geographic Area Covered: City of Everett, WA
Allowed Activities: Renovation of Industrial facilities or new construction of facilities to be leased to business tenants engaged in light manufacturing, or retail sales activities.
American Life Seattle RC/Golden Rainbow Freedom Fund
Geographic Area Covered: Jackson County, Oregon and the City of Seattle Neighborhood Reinvestment Area, WA
Allowed Activities: Air cargo and manufacturing facility; Commercial/industrial/residential development; Provide capital, loans or investments; Establish or invest in lending institutions
American Life Ventures, Tacoma, Washington
Geographic Area Covered: City of Tacoma, WA
Allowed Activities: Renovation of industrial facilities or new construction of facilities to be leased to business tenants engaged in light manufacturing, warehousing, or retail sales activities
American Life Ventures, Lakewood, Washington
Geographic Area Covered: City of Lakewood, WA
Allowed Activities: Renovation of industrial and commercial facilities or new construction of facilities to be leased to business tenants engaged in light manufacturing, warehousing,hospitality industry or retail sales activities
Whatcom Opportunities RC
Geographic Area Covered: Whatcom County, WA
Allowed Activities: Assisted living facilities for the elderly
Wisconsin
Ecorntech Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: 164-acre (0.66 km2) park located at Arlington Prairie Industrial Park, 101 Skyline Dr., Arlington, County of Columbia, Wisconsin Allowed Activities: The production and sale of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) and the production and sale of Cornstalk Polymer Composite (CPC).
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
Geographic Area Covered: Southeastern Wisconsin
