EB-5 Basics - AIIA

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program was created under the Immigration Act of 1990 as the U.S.’s first investment migration opportunity. This program allows foreign investors the opportunity to qualify for Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR/Green Card) status in exchange for a one-time investment in an American commercial enterprise which creates at least 10 jobs. The program was expanded in 1998 through the creation of the EB-5 Regional Center Program, which allowed for pooled investments from multiple investors and subsequently, larger scale development and job creation.

The main objectives of the program include providing employment opportunities to U.S. citizens and stimulating the economy with foreign direct investments. The program has historically been used to raise money for American industry in times of economic distress, such as the 1990 recession (which led to the birth of the program) and in the 2007 financial crisis (when the Regional Center Program became popular). In exchange for assisting with these economic objectives, qualifying immigrant investors and all eligible family members are offered the opportunity to receive permanent green cards.

Although the EB-5 program is sometimes advertised as or mistakenly interpreted as the “golden visa”, or a visa purchased by the wealthiest 1% to bypass immigration queues, it is intended to allow investors from a variety of economic backgrounds to forgo the need for employment or family sponsorship for immigration. 

The EB-5 Visa Program, albeit wildly successful for both the immigrant population and the communities they serve, has faced its fair share of challenges. Any prospective investor must take the time to fully understand the risks and rewards of undergoing both the immigration and investment processes, conduct due diligence with trusted professionals, and carefully compile their capital and documentation before embarking on the journey towards permanent residency.

The entire EB-5 process from start to finish can take several years to complete, including both the immigration journey and the investment journey. Below we have resources detailing the basics of the program. After going through them you can move on to a breakdown of the immigration stages and investment stages:

AIIA 在其中扮演什么角色？

AIIA is a “by investor, for investors” non-profit advocacy organization. As a group of investors from all over the world, we were brought together because we shared the same problems with our investment and immigration: fear for recovery of investment capital, endless immigration backlogs, manipulation and malpractice by issuers, the EB-5 program lapse, and the crushing burden of stress EB-5 investors faced day after day. AIIA strives to be an authoritative, investor-focused advocacy organization representing interests of all EB-5 investors regardless of their country of birth, adjudication status, or prior residency in the United States. We highly encourage all EB-5 investors to learn more about the EB-5 program through AIIA’s resources that have been put together by a variety of professionals and investors.