EB-5 Visa Explained
On October 24, 2020 by Walter PowellIn 1990 the United States Congress sought to increase foreign investment into the US economy. Therefore, they developed the EB-5 visa program, which allows investors and their families to gain permanent residency, and eventually citizenship, for direct and indirect investments in the US. If you are looking for information about investor visas Houston TX, this will provide you a brief overview of the EB-5 visa program.
Investment Guidelines
An investment in the US economy is required prior to EB-5 visa application and approval. You may invest directly into the economy by creating a for-profit business or project or investing in an already established business. However, you must own at least 50% of the business and serve as the business or operations manager to qualify.
EB-5 regional centers also take funds from multiple foreign investors to pay for new and existing for-profit projects. Although the risk is lower overall, these investors do not have controlling interests in the projects created or funded through this type of investment. Rather, these are silent investors.
Although the investment minimums may change every 5 years, the current minimums require a $900,000 investment in areas of the country with high unemployment and $1.8 million investments in areas with low unemployment.
Job Creation
EB-5 visa holders’ investments must produce a minimum of 10 permanent, full-time jobs for US citizens and qualified residents. These jobs may also be held by green card holders. Although these investors and their family members work for the company or project, their jobs are not counted toward the 10-job creation requirement.
Background Checks
Like any other visa process, the US will conduct background checks on anyone applying for an EB-5 visa. All of the investors family members who seek residency in the US will also undergo background checks. For example, these individuals will not be granted visas if they have broken US immigration laws, and their visa approval may be denied or delayed if they have criminal records.
These investors and their family members must produce personal documents, such as financial documents, medical histories, proof of citizenship in their countries and other documents, to determine their eligibility. In addition, these investors must produce documentation that proves the source of their investment funding to ensure the money was not illegally obtained. Instead, the investment must be the result of salaries, bank deposits or other investments. Investment loans may require proof of collateral. Finally, tax documents will be requested.
If you are interested in seeking permanent residency or citizenship in the US and you have the money necessary to meet the minimum investment requirements, consider pursuing an EB-5 visa.
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