What’s positive with the EB-5 Immigration Investor Program

[Source: Suzanne, www.lucidtext.com]

To close a week of complaining about what’s wrong with the EB-5 program, I’d like to conclude with pointing out that the EB-5 program has been functioning, despite the challenges.  Even in 2012, when many of the processing problems that we complain about came to a head, USCIS still approved 3,677 new EB-5 immigrant petitions and verified successful job creation and granted permanent residence to 736 investors. (See my FY2012 stats post for detail.)  Those numbers represent half a million to a million dollars per investor going into US businesses and 10+ verified jobs created per investor. Those numbers are not small, despite all the problems. You’ll recall that the US Department of State issued a record total of 7,641 EB-5 visas to investors and their families in FY2012, prompting fears that EB-5 visa usage might approach its limit for the first time ever...

Looking at the positives of the EB-5 Program continued 

 

China's billionaires on rise

[Source: WANG ZHUOQIONG - China Daily]

China has had more billionaires created by its stock markets this year than in the United States - 212 compared with 211 - a new survey revealed on Thursday.

According to the latest Hurun Global Rich List 2013, there were 1,453 people in the world with personal wealth of $1 billion or more at the end of January.

Another significant sign of more wealth being created in the East came with figures showing Asia was home to the highest number of billionaires, with 608, followed by 440 from North America and 324 from Europe, said Hurun researchers.

Among individual countries, the US and the Greater China area dominated with 408 and 357 respectively, followed by Russia, Germany and India. 

Between them, the US and China now have half of all billionaires on the planet.
Moscow, with 76 billionaires, is the billionaire capital of the world, followed by New York, Hong Kong, Beijing and London, according to the report. 

More on the Chinese billionaires article HERE

USCIS EB-5 to move from California to Washington DC

[SOURCE: Suzanne (www.lucidtext.com) 2/3/2013]

USCIS Director Mayorkas sent an email last July announcing that USCIS would create a new office to oversee administration of the EB-5 program, and he discussed the proposal with stakeholders in December. I didn’t comment much at the time because the talk sounded preliminary and I didn’t expect to see action any time soon. But there has been action, as well as more talk, and I’m taking the plan seriously. Here are notes on what I know so far about the proposal. The details come from the 07/18/2012 Public Engagement email, the 12/03/2012 Conversation with the Director, and the 01/15/2013 National Stakeholder Engagement.

• USCIS proposes a “realignment of responsibilities” for administration of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program to a new EB-5 Program Office to be located in Washington DC.

• Once operational, the office will deal with I-924 applications and I-526 and I-829 petitions. Only the I-485 will be handled elsewhere.

• The agency intends to accomplish the realignment very swiftly, with the goal to have the new EB-5 program office up and running and evaluating cases by June 2013. Applicants and petitioners will continue to work with the California Service Center until the shift occurs.

• The new office will be led by a new Chief of Immigrant Investor Programs. The program chief will have significant experience in the business world and will assume responsibility for ensuring that the program is administered efficiently, with integrity, with predictability, and with an understanding of today’s business realities. The chief of new EB-5 program office will report directly to Deputy Director of the agency. Robert Cox of the USCIS Office of Chief Counsel has been named as acting chief of the immigrant investor program during the bridge period.

• The new EB-5 program office will be staffed with personnel with economic, business, and legal expertise and experience. This includes the adjudicators themselves as well as policy personnel.

• The staff will include dedicated staff drawn from other components within agency, including full-time public engagement resources, legislative affairs resources, and personnel from fraud protection and national security.

• It hasn’t been decided yet whether there will be there be specialized adjudicators, counterparts to “the economist,” the “lawyer,” the “business specialist” and so on. Director Mayorkas likes the idea of a team specializing in project-eligibility and another team specializing in client eligibility. The question is how precisely to divide the specializations, and which areas of the adjudication process would most benefit from dedicated specialists. (The EB-5 team at the CSC currently has over 50 dedicated staff, including 40 service officers and supervisors, eight economists, and two securities attorneys.)

• The new program office will incorporate channels of direct communication with the review board team. Email is expected to be the primary channel. The hope is “to divorce ourselves from the static institutional model of communication” between adjudicators and applicants and to achieve a greater fluidity of communication.

• Director Mayorkas has in mind a goal of reaching 90-120 day processing times, including for I-924 applications.

The Ombudsman’s office is holding an engagement on March 5th that will discuss the “new EB-5 adjudication unit in Washington, D.C.” among other matters. Stakeholders are invited to submit written comments by February 15th.

With comprehensive immigration reform on the table, the EB-5 program may be up for changes even beyond the realignment of responsibilities to Washington DC. See: President Obama Addresses the EB-5 Regional Center Program Legislative Update: Prospects for Immigration, and EB-5 Program, Reform

Creating US Jobs and changing lives

 [Courtesy of:ByCommunications/Youtube]

The United States has always been a melting pot for foreign immigrants that dates back to our forefathers. The beliefs and ideals of capitalism made the United States what it is today, free to achieve dreams and aspirations. An EB-5 investment is used for the sole use of creating US JOBS and economic development in the United States. Foreign entrepreneurs looking to gain United States residency can use the USCIS EB-5 Immigration Investor Visa program.

Some key benefits of a EB-5 Visa program are:
· Any family member with an EB-5 Green Card can enter the U.S. anytime and stay as long they wish.
· Your spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 will have admittance to the U.S.
· As a permanent resident, you and your family can benefit from lower college tuition costs and the best education in the world.
· You and your family may work, live, and establish a business anywhere in the United States.
·  Permanent residency requires no renewal or re-application, except for a processing fee.

For more information on the USCIS EB-5 Immigration Investor program and investment options,

 

CONTACT EMPIRE STATE EB5 REGIONAL CENTER TODAY!

2815 Monroe Avenue, Suite 2100

Rochester, New York 14618

Tel: (866) 763-6515

                                                         EMAIL HERE or WEBSITE HERE

Project developers use EB-5 program for new constructions

New York Times published on September 6, 2012 a news article titled "Visas-for-Dollars Program a Boon to Hotel Developers" written by Janet Morrissey. In the past few years and current more hotel developers have successfully utilized EB-5 regional center program to raise funds for their projects throughout the United States. A main point in the article is that most foreigners who want to be involved with the EB-5 program are more concerned of receiving their permanent visa, than a high rate of return on their investment.

See full article at  NEW YORK TIMES

For more information on EB-5 financing for development projects,

CONTACT US TODAY!

2815 Monroe Avenue, Suite 2100

Rochester, New York 14618

Tel: (866) 763-6515

                                                         EMAIL HERE or WEBSITE HERE

EB-5 Stakeholder Engagement - Teleconference on Regional Center Discussion July, 26, 2012

The USCIS will be holding a teleconference on July, 26, 2012. The sign up deadline for participating ends June, 25, 2012. The USCIS focus for this engagement will address general thoughts and concerns of Regional Centers in the EB-5 program. Any interested EB-5 stakeholder is welcome to participate and there will be an open forum for additional questions. If you have interest in attending or looking for more information, follow the link below to the USCIS invitation.

EB-5 Stakeholder Engagement Invitation

Need more information regarding financing or investing in a project through EB-5:

Empire State EB-5

2815 Monroe Ave
Rochester, New York 14618
Tel: (866) 763-6515

WEBSITE HERE or EMAIL HERE

 

 

Last weeks EB-5 Ohio Trip

Early last week Empire State EB-5 was invited to Ohio to meet with Ohio International Fund and other representatives in the state of Ohio. The meetings discussed future sharing of tasks and responsibilities for Empire State EB-5 and Ohio International Fund to become more efficient and cost effective with current and future clients. Some points of interest discussed were streamlining the projects process and effectively positioning clients in the right direction regarding EB-5 services. Empire State EB-5 believes these relations will strengthen the overall process when deliberating EB-5 discussions. We want extend our thanks to the Ohio International Fund and others.

Do you have projects that need help with financing in New York or Ohio? Contact us now to see if we can help.

2815 Monroe Avenue, Suite 2100
Rochester, New York 14618
Tel: (866) 763-6515

WEBSITE HERE or EMAIL HERE

Why Chinese investors attract interest in EB-5 Regional Center program

We have seen increasing demand for EB-5 visas from the Chinese investor market in the past couple years and it shows this trend will continue to magnetize investment from Chinese nationals in years to come. This is terrific news to many EB-5 regional centers and project developers, especially for hotel and real estate developments.

The reasons for Chinese investment in quite simple:

1. Put their children in some of the best American schools without the rigorous competition back in China
2. Securing funds in US bank accounts to avoid potential risks in China
3. More consumption (a new home, car, etc.) without spending too much money
4. Leave the corrupt Chinese officials behind
5. Enjoy a healthy and peaceful lifestyle without worrying about environmental hazard

We have projects that have investment opportunities. Contact us NOW!

2815 Monroe Avenue, Suite 2100
Rochester, New York 14618
Tel: (866) 763-6515

WEBSITE HERE or EMAIL HERE

Overseas Funding EB-5 Workshop: New York City Foreign Capital Workshop hosted by Greenberg Traurig

Empire State EB-5 will be attending the Overseas Funding EB-5 Workshop: New York City Foreign Capital Workshop hosted by Greenberg Traurig the next two days (May16-17). The next few days will  extremely busy and informative. The seminar is a jam packed two day event with exciting topics, breakout sessions, and meet & greets.  Empire State EB-5 is looking forward in gaining some new perspectives from some of the key speakers that are attending. Click here for a list of all the speaker. 

2815 Monroe Avenue, Suite 2100
Rochester, New York 14618
Tel: (866) 763-6515

WEBSITE HERE or EMAIL HERE

Review and Photos of 2012 EB-5 Investment Summit NYC

2815 Monroe Avenue, Suite 2100
Rochester, New York 14618
Tel: (866) 763-6515

WEBSITE HERE or EMAILHERE

Empire State EB-5 wants to thank Artisan Business Group for holding a positive seminar on EB-5. We also want to thank all the speakers and VIP guests which include Ron Klasko, Jeff Carr, Ronnie Fieldstone, Joseph Whalen, Kevin Wright, Joseph McCarthy, Dr. Scott Barnhart, Jo Ann Clark, John Jiang of Micon Int'l, Hong Yu of Wailian, John Li of EB5Supermarket.com.Empire State EB-5 gained a great deal of insight on what and where the EB-5 program is headed. We networked and mingled with the crowd and received some terrific connections at the event. Empire State EB-5 tips our hats to Brian Su who pulled off another extremely well organized event for the EB-5 community and new individuals entering the field. 


Here are some photos speakers and attendees from the 2012 EB-5 Investment Summit: Dealmakers Conference NYC.

Speaker Ronald Klasko:
Mr. Klasko (Ron) is recognized by businesses, universities, hospitals, scholars, investors and other lawyers as one of the country’s leading immigration lawyers.  A founding member of Klasko, Rulon, Stock & Seltzer, LLP and its Managing Partner, he has practiced immigration law exclusively over three decades.

Speaker Jeffrey Carr:
Mr. Carr has nearly 30 years of experience in economic analysis, economic forecasting, regional economic and fiscal impact analysis, financial analysis, economic-tax revenue forecasting, and preparing and presenting state economic-fiscal data to Wall Street bond rating agencies.

Speaker Ronald Fieldstone:
Mr. Fieldstone is a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust and the Tax Law Sections of The Florida Bar. He served as a panel member of the American Arbitration Association for 17 years and is a title agent of several title insurance companies. Mr. Fieldstone has published numerous articles and has been a lecturer in the fields of real estate, corporate, tax and franchise law for the past 30 years. He practices in the areas of real estate, corporate and taxation, with a specific emphasis on the corporate and tax planning of complex real estate transactions.

Participants from over 40 states and China

Audience from all over the country and China