For Investors
For Investors
United States Citizenship through Investment
The EB-5 Program is available to foreign nationals seeking United States citizenship by investing into new commercial enterprises that will benefit the United States economy by creating jobs for United States workers.
Under the EB-5 Program, foreign nationals who meet the minimum investment threshold into development projects throughout the United States may obtain permanent resident status in the United States for themselves, their spouse, and their unmarried children under the age of twenty-one (21). Each investment must create at least ten (10) qualifying United States jobs.
The majority of EB-5 investors elect to make their EB-5 investment through a USCIS-designated EB-5 Regional Center, which undertakes numerous functions on behalf of the EB-5 investor, including structuring an EB-5 investment compliant with USCIS regulations, performing project due diligence, managing the day-to-day operations of the investment, and pooling EB-5 investments to utilize economic multipliers, which expands such EB-5 project’s job creation statistics.
Potential EB-5 investors must complete an “Investor Suitability Questionnaire” to determine preliminary eligibility as a prospective investor in Auric Ventures International’s EB-5 Regional Center. If you are considering immigration by making an investment in an EB-5 Regional Center, kindly click the button marked “Questionnaire” below to obtain an “Investor Suitability Questionnaire”, and return an executed copy of the “Investor Suitability Questionnaire” to our attention.
Investor Benefits
Investor Benefits
EB-5 Investor Benefits
The EB-5 Program has a number of benefits for investors seeking permanent residence in the United States, including the following:
Expedited Immigration Process. Obtaining a green card through the EB-5 Program is considerably shorter as compared to other immigration categories.
No sponsor necessary. Foreign nationals do not need sponsorship from an employer or family member for eligibility.
Minimum Capital Contribution Requirement. Investing through an EB-5 Regional Center in a project located in a Targeted Employment Area allows an investor to meet the investment requirement for an EB-5 visa with a minimum investment of only five hundred thousand USD ($500,000.00).
Lawful Permanent Residency. EB-5 investors have the opportunity to apply for United States citizenship five (5) years after receiving a green card.
Work Authorization. EB-5 investors may get a job anywhere in the United States.
Flexibility. There are no language, business, or education requirements for applicants. EB-5 investors that receive a green card through the EB-5 Program are permitted to work and live anywhere in the United States.
Access to Social Security. EB-5 investors may recieve retirement benefits, such as supplemental income, after contributing to the Social Security system.
Access to Medicare. EB-5 investors may receive health insurance benefits from the United States government from the age of sixty-five (65) onward after residing in the United States for five (5) years.
Travel. EB-5 investors that receive a green card through the EB-5 Program may travel to and from the United States without a visa.
Education. After United States residency is established, EB-5 investors and their children may be able to attend colleges and universities at lower tuition rates available to United States residents.
Investment Process
Investment Process
Investment Process
Obtaining an EB-5 visa requires careful consideration and proper execution of all relevant documents. It is important that EB-5 investors carefully analyze the investment opportunity, consider their options, and work with their immigration counsel to ensure the EB-5 petition's success. If any EB-5 investor does not have counsel, a list of independent immigration attorneys will be provided to the EB-5 investor.
Phase One: Complete Investor Suitability Questionnaire
Potential EB-5 investors should contact us or click the button marked “Questionnaire” below to receive our preliminary “Investor Suitability Questionnaire”. Once completed, your responses will be evaluated internally to determine EB-5 eligibility. Review will be completed in no more than forty-eight (48) hours.
Phase Two: REVIEW Project Documents
If a potential EB-5 investor is preliminarily approved for the EB-5 Regional Center program, they will be contacted by a member of our team to discuss available investment offerings. Once the potential EB-5 investor has decided which project meets the potential EB-5 investor's stated investment objectives, a numbered Private Placement Memorandum ("PPM") and Subscription Agreement will be delivered to the potential EB-5 investor. At that point, a potential EB-5 investor should review all documents with their attorney and prepare the source of funds documentation enclosed therein.
Phase three: Execute Subscription Agreement & Funds Transfer
If the potential EB-5 investor decides to invest, after reviewing all project documents with their attorney, the investor should execute the Subscription Agreement and transfer funds in accordance with the instructions enclosed therein.
Phase four: i-526 petition filing & adjudication
I-526 documents are sent to the EB-5 investor's immigration counsel for preparation of the I-526 Petition. EB-5 investor's counsel then returns draft of I-526 for review. Once approved, the EB-5 investor's counsel may submit the I-526 for USCIS adjudication.
Phase five: Immigration VISA or Adjustment of Status
Upon successful adjudication of I-526 Petition, EB-5 investor's immigration counsel files application for immigrant visa or adjustment of status.
Phase six: conditional permanent residency period & Removal of Conditions
USCIS approval of immigrant visa or adjustment of status allows the EB-5 investor to be a conditional permanent resident. Within six (6) months of conditional permanent residency period ending, EB-5 investor's immigration counsel files an I-829 Petition for removal of conditional status.
Investor FAQ
Investor FAQ
What is the EB-5 Program?
The EB-5 Program was created by the U.S. Congress in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation by foreign national investors seeking to become lawful permanent residents. There are 10,000 EB-5 visas available annually.
What is the minimum amount of investment required in the EB-5 Program?
For investments in areas other than "Targeted Employment Areas" (TEAs), the minimum amount of investment is one million USD ($1,000,000). Investments in TEAs, which include most regional center projects, can qualify with a minimum investment of five hundred thousand USD ($500,000).
What is a "Targeted Employment Area"?
A "Targeted Employment Area" is rural area or geographic area that has experienced unemployment at a rate of at least 150% of the national average rate. Individual states are authorized to designate geographical areas within the state that qualify as "Targeted Employment Areas".
Each EB-5 investor must create 10 direct or indirect qualifying jobs for U.S. workers in order to obtain a "green card".
How many jobs must be created per EB-5 investor?
Any person who can demonstrate the ability to: invest the required amount into the US economy; document that the capital was lawfully earned; and satisfy the general eligibility requirements for immigration. The EB-5 Program does not impose verbal, educational, or business experience requirements for applicants.
Who may apply for an EB-5 visa?
A successful EB-5 investor's spouse and unmarried children under the age of twenty-one (21) are eligible to recieve a green card through the EB-5 Program.
Who is eligible to obtain permanent residency?
How does an EB-5 investor demonstrate that their capital was "lawfully earned" ?
Under current USCIS regulations, EB-5 investors must demonstrate that their investment capital was gained in a lawful manner. Investment capital may be demonstrated as "lawfully earned" if such funds were obtained through lawful business earnings, salary, sale of investments, property sales, gifts, loans, or other lawful means. Parents or other relatives may gift investor capital, so long as the gift is documented a a transaction.
What does "conditional" and "unconditional" resident status mean?
Purusant to USCIS regulations, an investor who files an I-526 petition and is approved for the EB-5 Program receives a "conditional" green card, which is a temporary green card that is valid for two (2) years. EB-5 investors must file an I-829 petition to remove the "conditional" aspect of their permanent resident status within ninety (90) days of the end of their two (2) year period of conditional residency. An EB-5 investor's conditional residency will be extended while USCIS processes their I-829 petition. If the I-829 is approved, the "conditional" restriction will be removed so that the immigrant, their spouse, and their unmarried children under the age of twenty-one (21) can live in the U.S. permanently.
How do EB-5 investors remove their "conditional" status?
The EB-5 investor must prove through their I-829 petition that their investment has been sustained, meaning the EB-5 investor must prove that the investment was not withdrawn, and that the requisite jobs creation requirement has been satisfied as a result of the EB-5 investment.
May EB-5 investors travel after obtaining conditional resident status?
Conditional permanent residents are free to travel in and out of the U.S. subject to the rules generally applicable to permanent residents. However, the EB-5 investor must maintain a residence in the U.S. and must not be outside of the U.S. for a continuous period of one year or more, unless they have obtained a reentry permit.
Must the entire EB-5 investment be made before filing an I-526 petition?
Yes, the full capital requirement must be transferred to the project prior to filing the USCIS I-526 petition.
What are the risks involved with EB-5 investment projects?
All investments are subject to risks including Regional Center projects. Under the federal immigration laws, USCIS regulations, and immigration court precedent, EB-5 Regional Centers may not guarantee a profit or the return of an investor's principal investment. Regional Center projects have limited operating history and are subject to financial risk. There are no assurances that a member's petition will be granted, that a member will be able to obtain a visa or unconditional lawful permanent resident status, Laws, regulations, and interpretation of the EB-5 Program are subject to change at any time.