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The Employment Based 5th preference visa (EB-5) was created by Congress in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation by immigrant investors. There are 10,000 EB-5 immigrant visas available annually, of which 3,000 EB-5 visas are set aside for foreign nationals who invest in Regional Centers designated by USCIS based on proposals for promoting economic growth.

An EB-5 regional center is an organization, public or private, in the United States that is involved with promoting economic growth. Regional centers are designated by USCIS for participation in the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. To view the list of approved regional centers, including ours, visit www.uscis.gov/eb-5centers.

The investor, spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 (including adopted children) are eligible to apply for a green card through one investment in the EB-5 Visa Program.

As of November 21st, 2019 the standard investment is $1.8 million. Investments in “targeted employment areas” qualify for a reduced investment amount of $900,000. Future adjustments to the minimum investment amounts will be evaluated every five years, and be tied to inflation (per the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, or CPI-U).

A Targeted Employment Area (TEA) is a region of the United States for which the threshold for investment for an investor to be eligible for the EB–5 visa is $900,000 (as opposed to the usual $1,800,000 threshold for the US as a whole). There are two types of targeted employment areas (TEA). 1. High unemployment areas (defined as areas having unemployment more than 150% of the U.S. national average calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) 2. Rural areas (defined as areas outside a Metropolitan Statistical Area). The Green Mountains Regional Center’s geographic region qualifies as a Rural TEA.

The EB–5 program affords foreign nationals and their spouses and unmarried children under age 21 the ability to obtain a U.S. visa based solely upon a minimum investment in a for-profit enterprise that creates or retains a specified number of jobs. There are no language, education, or job training requirements. The following are the basic requirements: 1. Invest lawfully obtained funds of 1,800,000, or $900,000 in a TEA. 2. The investment must be made in a for-profit U.S. commercial entity. 3. The investment must create ten full-time U.S. jobs for two years, or in the case of a troubled business, preserve ten jobs.

Yes, a parent or relative may gift funds needed to qualify an EB-5 investment. The gift cannot be a loan. The giftor must provide documentary evidence to prove the gifted funds were obtained through lawful means.