EB-5 Investor Green Card Program

Chicago EB-5 Investor Visa Lawyers

The EB-5 visa is ideal for foreign nationals who intend to start or invest in a business that creates jobs for U.S. workers, especially within certain regional centers. While the EB-5 application process is complex, working with a Chicago SimVisa investor visa attorney makes it much simpler.

Helping Clients Throughout the U.S. Petition for EB-5 Visas

SimVisa streamlines the visa application process. A SimVisa immigration attorney will connect with foreign entrepreneurs anywhere in the U.S. to provide immigration services, including completing the investor visa process. With SimVisa EB-5 visa lawyers, you can trust that your future is in experienced, capable hands.

What Is an EB-5 Visa?

The EB-5 visa is available to foreign investors who wish to enter the U.S., foster U.S. economic growth, and create jobs for U.S. workers.

You should know these key points about the EB-5 visa:

• Targets development in rural areas
• Requires different minimum investment amounts, depending on the regional center
• Streamlines an immigrant investor’s admission to the U.S.
• Grants green cards to EB-5 visa holders

The EB-5 visa is a great option for any immigrant investor hoping to obtain permanent resident status while conducting business in the U.S.

Working with immigration services lawyers is the easiest way to identify which regional center, commercial enterprise, and type of EB-5 visa you qualify for. EB-5 investment visa lawyers have the in-depth knowledge of immigration law essential for ensuring that your foreign capital investment plans — and your EB-5 visa application — meet the strict requirements necessary for approval.

What Are the Different Types of EB-5 Visas?

There are four tiers of EB-5 visas:

• C5: Employment creation outside regional centers
• T5: Employment creation within regional centers
• R5: Investor Pilot Program participants outside regional centers
• I5: Investor Pilot Program participants within regional centers

A SimVisa EB-5 visa attorney can discuss immigration law and your investment goals to help you determine which EB-5 visa is right for you.

Why Is the EB-5 Investor Visa a Popular Option?

The key EB-5 benefits for foreign entrepreneurs include:

• Permanent green cards for the investor and immediate family members
• Choice of investing in an existing or new commercial enterprise
• Potential for financial returns from successful investments
• Freedom to start a U.S. business without oversight by immigration control
• Freedom to live and work anywhere in the U.S.
• Educational and employment benefits for recipient's children

The EB-5 visa is one of the fastest ways to achieve United States citizenship for represented clients and their immediate relatives, and it often takes less time than other employment-based immigration visas.

Not all green card applicants have the resources to meet the EB-5 visa program requirements, which leads to a smaller pool of applicants and a faster application process.

What Are the EB-5 Investor Program Requirements?

The EB-5 visa program sets clear-cut requirements for the type and amount of eligible investments:

• The investment is in a business formed after November 29, 1990
• If the investment is in a business formed before that date, there will be significant financial benefits
• The investment leads to the creation of ten full-time jobs
• Results must be achieved within two years of EB-5 visa approval
• Results must be reported by the 90-day priority date before the end of the two-year period
• The investment is an at-risk capital investment

There are two ways to meet the EB-5 visa program requirements: direct investments and regional center investments. Direct investments are investments in any eligible U.S. commercial enterprise. These investments usually have a minimum investment requirement of $1.8 million.

Regional center investments target mostly rural areas identified by the USCIS. Investment in regional centers brings lower financial requirements, and the investment minimum is $900,000. Regional center investment also referred to as targeted employment area investment is intended to stimulate job creation and economic growth in rural areas or areas with high unemployment.

A SimVisa EB-5 visa lawyer can help you understand the different options and the investment obligations they entail.

EB-5 Investor Visa Application Process

The EB-5 investor visa application process is known for its complexity. If you hope your application will succeed, working with an experienced lawyer for EB-5 visa is strongly recommended.

One payoff for the complex application process is the reduced wait time — the EB-5 visa is one of the fastest ways to gain permanent residency status. You can expect the EB-5 application process to involve these steps:

• File I-526, Petition by Alien Entrepreneur
• Await approval and conditional permanent resident status
• File I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence (if already in the U.S.)
• File DS-230/DS-260, Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration (if filing from abroad)
• Upon execution of the investment plan presented at filing, file I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions

The EB-5 application is highly technical. You'll need to include the type of visa you're applying for, the type of investment you're making, and a detailed business plan showing how you will achieve the investment objectives outlined in the visa requirements.

Your application will describe your investment plans in depth, specifying elements that include:

• Whether you're investing in a new commercial enterprise or an existing business
• Whether you're investing in targeted employment areas
• A detailed plan for how the investor's funds will create jobs
• The amount of capital invested

Failure to achieve or report the required job creation or commercial enterprise results before the second anniversary of your green card approval comes with severe consequences and can even lead to the loss of the green card.

EB-5 Green Card Processing Time

Processing time for an EB-5 green card can range widely. Approval might occur in months, but in other cases, the process can take years.

The central element of your EB-5 visa is the first form you file, the I-526, Petition by Alien Entrepreneur. Review and approval of this form, which contains your proposed investment plan, is typically the slowest step of the process. However, since the EB-5 visa does not require a U.S.-based sponsor, the immigrant investor program spares applicants from some of the delays that often accompany other types of immigration visas.

How Can SimVisa Help with an EB-5 Visa?

A SimVisa EB-5 lawyer works with you to complete the EB-5 visa application, collect the necessary supporting documentation, and ensure your investment plan contains the appropriate details and timeline needed for success.

EB-5 visas are in high demand, but availability is limited: The U.S. issues only 10,000 each year. SimVisa assists with all aspects of the EB-5 application process, including the initial application for conditional permanent residence, I-526, Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, along with the follow-up form that must be completed within the allowed two-year period, I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions.