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December 11th, 2009 |
An Indian expert on US immigration law recently presented a new theory on immigration. He explained that now maybe the right time to enter the US. He went on to say:
“There been a decline in number of Indian students going to the US. A significant decline of 15% has been noted in the flow of students bound for the US. However, this decline has not affected genuine students wanting to take advantage of the US education system, which is undoubtedly the best. This decline has happened only in relation to the students who are prospective emigrants and want to use student visas to sneak into the US. They are backing out now because they feel that, in the present circumstances, even if they invest in a US degree, they may not be able to earn on the campus. The US authorities always wanted to curb such an inflow and recession has helped them in streamlining the influx of Indian students some of who are now turning to the EB5 visa.
There has been a steep fall in the number of H1B visas too, on which the maximum number of Indian techies used to enter the US. In the wake of the slowdown, the US authorities initiated new measures that include the denial of certain business incentives to firms hiring skilled immigrant workers on H1B visas. That shrunk the number of H1B visas. An alternative is the EB-5 investor category visa, which has started luring increasing numbers of Indians”. Link to original article
For more information visit: www.EB5-INFO.com
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, education, H-1B, Immigration, indian, investors, students, US degree, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
December 7th, 2009 |
 Will the EB5 Program Run Out of Visas? With 3000 visas available yearly (the visa year ending in October each year) this seemed to be unlikely while the number of approved applications were in the approximate range of 1200 a year. However, there are a number of issues which may alter this situation and mean like other visa categories, the EB-5 regional center program, could in certain circumstances, develop a waiting list.
Some interpretations of the visa numbers include not just the actual investors/petitioners (1200) but also the family members included with the applicant. On current trends this could potentially take the number over the 3000 level. Clarification from USCIS is being sought regarding this, but it could have a significant impact.
The EB5 regional center program is now a better known and more proven option. Renewal has gone through which extends the program for three years and some of the initial investors have or are about to receive their capital investment back.
Other visa routes such as the H1B and E2 have apparently been seen by some as increasingly problematic leading to immigrants looking increasingly favorably at the EB-5 option.
The development concerning numbers is an issue apparently requiring clarification, particularly if you need to invest sooner rather than later so that you can move to the USA ASAP. It may also have an impact on certain regional centers for reasons we will go into in a future blog.
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Tags: E2, eb-5, H-1B, immigrants, regional center, USA, uscis, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
July 15th, 2009 |
We have been looking at the reasons why the EB5 visa has been of interest to particular groups of immigrants and today we look at a case study taken from one of our previous 100+ investors - this relates to a citizen of Pakistan who wished to change his visa from the H-1B to the EB-5 to live permanently in the USA.
The gentleman had relocated to the USA eight years ago, initially as a student on an F1 visa. After graduation he worked for a major finance company in New York. After working for a few years on the H1B visa, and wishing to file for permanent residency in the United States, he faced a lengthy waiting period required for the labor certification during the first stage of the employment-based permanent residency application. This situation had been further complicated by the distressed economy. He and his wife were also fast approaching the end of the six years allowed under their H-1B visas. An inability to renew their H-1B’s, despite both their desire to remain in their respective jobs and the willingness of their respective company’s to help, could have necessitated their departure from the USA.
After meeting Stephen Parnell during a Which EB5 discovery day in New York city, he looked at the EB-5 regional center pilot program in more detail. A successful project track record, quick processing time and an investment with a project that offered a specific exit strategy were some of the important criteria that he considered in reaching his decision. Once he had completed his diligence on the projects that met his criteria, he decided to invest the requisite $500,000 in a limited partnership project in an approved and proven regional center program for the development of an infrastructure project in California. The funds are loaned to a development agency to fund the redevelopment and renovation of a redundant government facility for commercial use. The entire process took a little over four months from beginning to end, with the I-526 approval taking three months, and the green card arriving little over a month later.
If you are currently on an H-1B visa and need to look for an alternative route to permanent residence click here now.
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Tags: california, citizen, eb-5, eb5, employment based, F1 visa, green card, H-1B, I-526, investors, labor certification, New York City, Pakistan, quick processing time, regional center, stephen parnell, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
July 14th, 2009 |
We have already examined the families looking to retire to the States via the EB5 and families face problems with existing visas such as H-1B, E2 and L1, today we are looking briefly at those for planning to study or are about to graduate in the USA.
Each year many students plan to go to the USA to study and a number would like to stay and work during their course of study and following their graduation, this is not an option on student visas but the EB-5 visa provides permanent residency status.
A number of students have been financed by relatives for the EB-5 visa which not only enables them to work as they wish during their course of study but also to remain permanently in the USA to develop their career and life as permanent residents and if they wish after five years apply for US citizenship. For more personal information or a chat with the partners at Which EB5 please click here.
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Tags: E2, eb-5, eb5, foreign students, H-1B, L1, permanent residence, student visa, US Citizenship, USA, visa, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
July 13th, 2009 |
Each year we deal with several hundred applicants who are looking at the EB5 route to obtain permanent residence in the USA. Their reasons vary – however, the majority fall into a small number of key groups and we continue to look at these groups in more detail.
We have already examined the families looking to retire to the States via the EB-5 and those having problems with remaining in the USA on the H-1B. Today we are looking at those that already have the E2 or L1 visa, but are experiencing problems and are planning to apply for the EB-5.
There are many individuals and families in the United States on non immigrant visas such as the E2 or L1 that only allow the recipient to stay for a limited period.
Among the problems these visa holders can face are:
• The business they bought is not delivering sufficient turnover or employing sufficient staff for visa renewal.
• The owner of the business is not well enough to continue operating the business.
• The owner of the business wants to retire but cannot remain in the USA if they no longer maintain the business.
• The owners’ children turn 21 and face having to leave the country as they are no longer covered by the visa.
• The owner did not really want to have to run a business but was not advised of other options.
The E2 in particular has proved a problematical visa for the reasons above.
Comments from a Consular Office
“I would also like to point out that a non immigrant (E2) visa is not a good option for someone who intends to reside permanently in the United States. If the investor retires or sells their investment, his or her visa status lapses and he or she must leave the US. Only single dependent children under 21 are eligible for visas to accompany their investor parent, and when these children turn 21 they lose their status as a dependent and their visa. The more secure option for those that have the necessary capital is the permanent resident (green card EB-5) investor visa. In this case the required investment is one million dollars, or under certain circumstances $500,000.” John Caulfield, Consul General, US Embassy London.
In this blog series on who should be interested in the EB-5 we will look into some cases studies of those who used the EB5 instead of or due to renewal issues with the E2 or L1. To stay up to date don’t forget to subscribe to our blog (you can do that at the top of this page) or for more personal attention contact the partners at Which EB5 using this link.
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Tags: E2, eb-5, eb5, green card, H-1B, L1, problems, united states, USA, visa, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
July 10th, 2009 |
Each year we deal with several hundred potential immigrants keen to utilize the EB-5 visa route to permanent residence in the USA.
Their reasons vary – however, the majority fall into a small number of key groups and over the next couple of weeks we will continue to look at these groups in more detail.
We have already examined the families looking to retire to the States via the EB5 and today we are looking at those that already have the H1B visa and are looking for an alternative to long wait times and quota numbers.
There are many individuals and families in the America on non-immigrant visas such as the H-1B that may only allow the visa holder to stay in the USA for a limited time. Additionally, those seeking to obtain immigration via the H-1B are often finding application times or sponsorship daunting or have reservations over the prospect of having to uproot their family back overseas after a few years, for them the EB-5 is an ideal alternative particularly if time is of the essence for instance to start a job, or place children into school at the beginning of term.
As part of our series on who should be interested in the EB-5 we will look into some cases studies of those who used the EB-5 instead of or due to problematical renewal issues with H1B.
Contact Which EB5 for independent advice.
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Tags: eb-5, eb5, H-1B, permanent residence, USA, visa, Which EB-5
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
July 1st, 2009 |
Each year we work with several hundred clients who look at the EB-5 visa as a route to permanent residence in the USA.
Their reasons vary – however, the majority fall into three main groups
1. Those seeking to retire and live permanently in the States – often in the warmer climate of Florida or California who had not realized that the EB-5 visa options is a relative easy visa option.
2. Overseas students about to be educated at Universities and Colleges in the States or those who have just graduated and want to remain and work in the States – the EB-5 has been particularly attractive for students from India following complications with the few other options and the difficulties with waiting times for the H-1B visa.
3. Those relocating to America with their families who have found that the complications of the E2 and the L1 visa can make these options too risky, particularly if their children have to leave the USA at age 21.
Over the next few blogs we will look at these groups in more detail and also examine the key mistakes they sometimes make when looking at the investment strategies of some of the regional centers.
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Tags: california, E2, eb-5, florida, H-1B, L1, permanent residence, regional center, USA, visa
Posted in Immigration | No Comments » |
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