An EB-5 visa is a permanent U.S. visa based upon investment and creating American employment, thus the name Employment Based 5th Preference Visa. If a foreign national invests $1 million (or in some cases $500,000) in a business that creates ten American jobs they would be eligible to obtain a green card (permanent visa) for themselves and their entire family.
Types of EB-5 Investments:
EB-5 Investments are broken into two categories: a direct investment into a business, or an investment into a federally approved Regional Center. The direct investment is just that – an investment within a company. A Regional Center is a designation granted to a company that has completed an application process with the USCIS. This rigorous application process explains the entire business plan of the Regional Center. Once approved, the Regional Center has much greater power in creating jobs through pooling investor funds. Furthermore, Regional Centers are allowed to utilize both direct and indirect job creation to support the investor’s requirement of a minimum of ten American jobs created. Simply stated, a Regional Center is a more powerful tool for an EB-5 applicant to prove job creation
