EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program: Regional Centers

The EB-5 Regional Center Program began in the early 1990s to spur economic growth by giving immigrants a way to obtain permanent U.S. residency through job creation. Administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the EB-5 program directs foreign investment into projects that revitalize local economies. Investors whose money creates at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers become eligible for a U.S. green card.

Regional Centers, designated by the U.S. government, promote job creation in a defined geographic area. Regional center investment is ideal for investors to immigrate is because (1) the regional center investors will not need to manage the project directly and (2) The “10 full-time job opportunities” requirement includes all the job opportunities created by the investment funds in the project.
 
Currently, most of the regional center programs are Target Employment Area projects. Target Employment Area is the area that the unemployment rate is over 150% higher than the national average or the population in the area is less than 20,000 on any statistical significance. It means that only a $500,000 investment in a Target Employment Area can help a whole family to immigrant to U.S.

EB-5 investment immigration is a core practice group at MT Law, and our attorneys have vast experience with regional centers. If you are an individual foreign investor interesting in investment immigration or a U.S. organization seeking more information about obtaining EB-5 funds, please schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys.