EB-5 Investor Program; Choosing the Right Path

Social and political instability worldwide has led an ever-increasing number of nouveau riche foreign nationals to research and consider USCIS’s EB-5 program. While the investment itself must be considered ‘at-risk’, more and more investors are factoring in better property protection, living environment, and education for kids through immigration to the United States as additional benefits of the EB-5 program. These seemingly added bonuses have enticed enough foreign nationals to apply for permanent residency through the EB-5 program at a rate in 2011 that is double that of 2010 and ten times greater than 2007.

One of the many challenges to the EB-5 program is the comparatively higher labor costs. The manufacturing industry has seen a strong shift in outsourcing in the last decade or so in efforts to keep prices down and remain competitive in a global marketplace. Because the EB-5 jobs must be created for American workers, the labor costs could leave businesses operating at a loss. In the event that a business fails to sustain the EB-5 required number of jobs for the two year conditional period, applicants run the risk of a cancelled application.

With all of these risk factors, how do EB-5 investors mitigate the risks their investment. EB-5 investors should be given all of the information about the program, its risks, and the projects in which they are investing. Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group (CFIG) is a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services EB-5 Regional Center that prides itself on its honesty and integrity. CFIG’s Executive Director, Taher Kameli, has been involved in both immigration and international business law for almost two decades and fully understands the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program and immigration processes.

Although the trend internationally is for migration agents to ignore risk factors when offering EB-5 projects, CFIG operate differently. CFIG provide honest disclosure to accredited investors and extends its responsibility further to helps guide EB-5 investors through the processes. CFIG recognizes how significant a risk and change EB-5 investors assume, and therefore, treats every investor as an individual versus a mere source of capital.