November 30th, 2009 |
 Which EB5 is the Best? You may have come across a number of press releases, articles and sales promotion material claiming one or other regional center is the best or most successful. Some of you may simply put this down to either typical American salesmanship or the center spending to much time listening to the lyrics of that well known Tina Turner classic SIMPLY THE BEST – BETTER THAN ALL THE REST.
As consumer advocates for those considering EB-5 options, we were interested to know how some regional centers come to the conclusion that they are the best. After all, from your viewpoint as potential immigrants, you may measure the best by the number of successful I-526 approvals, conditions removed at I-829 stage, return of capital, fewest requests for evidence (RFE’s), quickest approval times and even lowest costs.
We were curious as to which were the particular criteria, centers claiming to be the best, were referring to – was it all or some of these -
• The greatest number of I-526 approvals. It is interesting that one center claiming to be the best, even on its own investor figures, is actually far behind the two regional centers with the greatest number of I-526 approvals. Interestingly one of these two centers rarely advertises its programs as they are often fully subscribed shortly after launch.
• The greatest number of I-829 approvals. This may seem an important measurement but there is an argument to be made that past performance may not be a good indicator of future results; particularly when a regional center changes the type of program it offers.
• The greatest amount of political support; after all, if things go wrong, this may be important.
• Returning the largest number of investors capital. Less than a handful of centers have or are about to return investor capital. However, these centers are not claiming to be the best – it gets stranger and stranger!
• The best for creating jobs in a disadvantaged area. This is an important criterion for the US government but the flip side is it may not be advantageous to the viability of a particular program and thus cause complications with the exit strategy.
• The quickest application times; how often have we heard this!
• The fewest number of RFE’s.
For feedback on all our findings please see EB5-INFO
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Tags: best, conditions removed, eb-5, EB-5 options, EB5-INFO, I-526, I-829, regional center, return of capital, RFE's, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 26th, 2009 |
 The Origins of Thanksgiving could be considered a celebration of immigration Today is Thanksgiving here in the USA and almost everyone is at home today with the family. This is, to many, the most American of holidays. One that you, should you decide to become an American some day, will no doubt find is a tradition of huge importance to your American neighbors.
We won’t take any more time today as we , like almost everyone else in the USA, will be celebrating or giving thanks for everything American that we enjoy.
Have a very special day and if you have thoughts of living in the USA let us know how we can help you. We are, after all, first generation immigrants ourselves.
Sincerely, The Partners of Which EB5
You can look up the history of Thanksgiving here
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Tags: american, Immigration, Thanksgiving, USA, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 25th, 2009 |
 Be Careful Out There There used to be a popular TV police series in the USA called Hill Street Blues where the catchphrase was “let’s be careful out there”. As immigrants to the USA ourselves, we feel it is very important to stress these words when you are looking at the EB-5 regional centers. We feel particularly concerned when we come across issues that may lead to potential problems for immigrants.
The EB-5 visa does requires a balancing act – It provides much needed jobs for the USA and it provides the opportunity for permanent residence (Green Cards) in the USA to the immigrant in return for investing $500,000.
However, while the $500,000 investment is required to be at risk, we are concerned if regional center programs simply become a method to use the hard earned lifesavings of immigrants in programs which may be considered by some, in the current economic climate, as an easy source of funding that would otherwise not be available.
We are aware of a number of individuals or groups who are currently looking into establishing their own EB-5 Regional Center. Some of these proposals are from real estate developers struggling and unable to complete their projects due to a lack of funds. The problem is not just funding but the falling prices which have contributed significantly to a projects’ potential failure. Some of these developers recognize that foreign funds are an ideal way to complete their projects to buy redevelop and sell foreclosed or distressed properties.
There are many issues that need to be considered in these circumstances, particularly in relation to jobs and exit strategy, i.e. getting your hard earned money back – for more information on the EB-5 regional center program contact Which EB5 via email at info@whicheb5.com
And remember - Be careful out there!
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, green card, immigrants, regional center, USA, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 24th, 2009 |
There are many USCIS “Approved” Regional Centers, few can offer you a project that has already been proven in a number of key aspects. Among the issues we or the accountants and attorneys we work with cover are -
 Important EB-5 visa information to consider
- Job creation methodologies
- Government involvement
- Loan based vs. equity based
- Structure
- Exit strategy
- Safety and security
- EB-5 Investors and non-EB-5 investors - potential conflicts
- Targeted Employment Areas
- “Approved” Regional Centers
- Implications of how many investors are needed for the investment
- Claims vs. reality
- Worst case scenario
Each one of these areas poses a variety of additional questions and considerations. For further information on your EB-5 regional center choices contact Which EB5 via email at info@whicheb5.com or by phone +1-559-EB5-INFO
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Tags: eb-5, EB5-INFO, regional center, uscis, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 23rd, 2009 |
 Is a list of EB-5 Regional Centers any use to you? With approximately 80 regional centers approved by United States Citizenship and Immigration Service to take your $500,000 investment, we at Which EB5 are sometimes asked for a list of regional centers.
The problem is the list is just that, a list, and a particularly dangerous one at that.
- Listing EB-5 centers does not tell you which one might have a representative facing a potential court case for alleged racketeering.
- Listing EB-5 centers does not tell you which ones have returned all of the the original $500,000 of investors funds and which have not.
- Listing EB-5 centers does not tell you which ones have been subject to comments (positive and negative) in trade and local newspapers.
- Listing EB-5 centers does not tell you which ones have economic models which many immigrants look upon favorably in the current economic climate.
These are just four examples of why we feel a list alone is potentially dangerous and why you need to know the positives and negatives of the regional centers – for more EB-5 regional center information see EB5-INFO
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Tags: eb-5, EB5-INFO, list of regional centers, regional center, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 20th, 2009 |
 Which EB5 Visa? Occasionally we hear from an EB-5 applicant, who having signed up for a particular EB-5 regional center program, suddenly finds out about our service and approaches us for advice as to whether they have done the right thing.
Often they originally found out about the EB-5 through a persuasive agent, or an advert from a regional center or even had been recommended it by an immigration attorney.
Our first though generally is oh dear, after all, once they have placed their investment with the regional center and are in the process of making an application there is little that can be done.
In much the same way as if you rush into marriage with the wrong partner you may have something of a roller coaster ride, if you have chosen an inappropriate regional center program you not only risk losing some or all of your $500,000 but also face potential deportation for you and your family – hardly the outcome you may have been planning!
The time to ask for advice is now, before you make a decision. Visit EB5-Info now.
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Tags: agent, applicant, eb-5, EB5-INFO, immigration attorney, investment, regional center
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 19th, 2009 |
 Complaints about Visa's I had a phone call over the weekend from a very nice lady. She was asking whether I knew about a recent conference in Orlando Florida attended by over 400 immigrants who were having problems with the renewal of their E2 and L1 visas.
I had to admit I knew nothing about this conference but was not surprised that there were so many people attending given the number of people we had been working with over the past few years who were turning to the EB-5. This was not because they particularly wanted to invest $500,000 but simply because they recognized, in their specific cases, it was their only way to obtain permanent residence in the USA.
The lady who phoned me told me about the anger and misery at this conference, of course all the stories have a family at the end whose lives have been thrown into disruption. I was surprised that with the E2 and H1-B in particular, the attorneys who had originally advised these families had, according to reports, not always pointed out the potential dangers of these visa types. After all, it’s a major problem if you relocate to the States, live here many years and then find you, or even your children, face deportation because you have not been told about the implications of your visa. It really is a very sad business. It can be avoided with the right information and advice.
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Tags: alternatives, conference, E2, eb-5, florida, H1-B, immigrants, L1, orlando, permanent residence, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 18th, 2009 |
 Ask lots of questions You are constantly cautioned by us on the need to ask detailed questions when considering the viability of a particular EB-5 regional center program, one that hopefully will meet your specific requirements.
The need for asking these questions becomes even more important when you consider just some of the issues we have found when visiting regional centers - Such as:-
• Does the Regional Center exit strategy depend on selling equity in a disadvantaged area? Some of the Centers we visited have implications like this that are not obvious.
• What we found in areas surrounding regional centers that can have a major impact.
• What the implications of the ownership of the regional center can mean to you.
• What happens if a center is not fully subscribed in a timely manner?
You can request a call with our partners to discuss these implication via email to info@whicheb5.com
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Tags: eb-5, exit stratergy, questions, regional center, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 17th, 2009 |
 Visiting Regional Centers It has become increasingly apparent to me, as I rack up the air miles visiting EB-5 regional centers throughout the USA, that it is absolutely imperative, if you are considering the EB-5 regional center visa, you obtain sound independent advice prior to selecting a center.
Unless you plan to visit numerous centers scattered all across the USA it is very hard to pick up on key issues that can have a critical impact long after you have selected a particular EB5 program. It’s also apparent that there are significant issues needing to be bought to your attention that only become obvious when you actually spend time, on the ground in the area of a regional center, looking in detail at exactly what you are investing in – I have certainly identified many such issues on examining centers in the USA over the past few months!
If you would like to know the reality of our regional center visits contact Which EB5 now
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Tags: eb-5, regional center, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
November 16th, 2009 |
 Cost of an EB-5 Visa Our clients from around the world all have one thing in common, they want to know how much money they require for an EB-5 investment in the regional center pilot program. Our answer is of course $500000. We also explain that they will need to be aware of the additional costs of an EB-5 investment visa such as the regional center administration fee typically between $30000 and $65000 plus legal fees which typically vary from $10000 to $35000.
All this information on the cost of an EB5 visa is fine but much of the time our clients ask us what the true cost is in their own currency. With currency fluctuations taking place by the minute we have been looking for a way to accurately show these costs in the many home country currencies of our EB-5 clients. From today that is possible.
You will want to bookmark this page so you can refer back to it for the latest EB-5 investment amounts (this information is updated automatically) in your own currency.
If you would like further information on how we may be able to help you with your currency transfer needs please contact us via email at: info@whicheb5.com
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Tags: currency exchange, eb-5, eb5, investment visa, legal fees, pilot program, regional center, true cost
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
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