FY12 Q1 EB-5 Statistics

USCIS has released new statistics as part of the presentation for the 1/23 EB-5 Stakeholder Meeting.

Form I-924 (& Pre-I-924) Regional Center Initial Applications
Fiscal Year or Quarter	Receipts	Approvals	Denials
FY12 Q1	41	14	22
FY11	192	80	51
FY10	110	36	30

Form I-924 (& Pre-I-924) Regional Center Amendment Requests
Fiscal Year or Quarter	Receipts	Approvals	Denials
FY12 Q1	17	4	3
FY11	86	43	7
FY10	42	42	11

Form I-526 Petition Final Actions
Fiscal Year and/or Quarter	Form I-526 Approvals	Final Action %	Form I-526 Denials	Final Action %
FY12 Q1	1,076	83%	222	17%
FY11	1,563	81%	371	19%
FY10	1,369	89%	165	11%
FY09	1,262	86%	207	14%
FY08	640	84%	120	16%
FY07	473	76%	148	24%
FY06	336	73%	124	27%
FY05	179	53%	156	47%

Form I-829 Petition Final Actions
Fiscal Year and/or Quarter	Form I-829 Approvals	Final Action %	Form I-829 Denials	Final Action %
FY12 Q1	144	93%	11	7%
FY11	1,067	96%	46	4%
FY10	274	83%	56	17%
FY09	347	86%	56	14%
FY08	159	70%	68	30%
FY07	111	69%	49	31%
FY06	106	64%	59	36%
FY05	184	62%	112	38%

EB-5 Visa Usage
Fiscal Year	Total EB-5 Visas Issued
FY12 YTD*	2,364
FY11	3,463
FY10	1,885
FY09	4,218
FY08	1,360
FY07	806
FY06	744
FY05	158
*Estimate of FY12 Visas Issued YTD, reported by the Department of State as of 01/17/2012.

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.

Get to know Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group EB-5 Regional Center

Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group, LLC (CFIG) is an U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved EB-5 Regional Center, receiving its designation in 2009. As an EB-5 Regional Center, CFIG promotes investment projects aimed at assisting investors in obtaining permanent residence status.

CFIG structured uniquely so that in all of its projects the investors are always protected.

By designing an EB-5 Regional Center that is truly dedicated to the protection of the investors, CFIG has implemented clearly defined exist strategies in each of the projects in an effort to minimize the EB-5 Investor’s risk.

At CFIG, we pride ourselves on adherence to the integrity and goals of the EB-5 Program. We strive to ensure that our projects are as safe as possible for investors. By retaining control over our projects, CFIG is able to oversee development and operation from start to finish–ensuring completion of the Program requirements. This allows CFIG to have a positive impact on the community through growth in businesses which are both sustainable over long periods of time and capable of creating numerous permanent jobs.

What Makes CFIG Unique?

CFIG takes a vested interest in the goals and aspirations of our investors. We view investors as individuals and not just investment dollars. The center understands both the EB-5 and general immigration programs and provides unparalleled experience and expertise in helping investors complete the immigration process to create a win-win situation in which both investors and projects achieve their goals while promoting economic growth, improving regional productivity, and creating jobs.

For more information please visit www.ChicagoEB5.com

EB-5 Investor Immigration Program: EB-5 Investors Can Boost Employment

EB-5 Investor Immigration Program: EB-5 Investors Can Boost Employment: How Foreign Investors Can Boost Employment With the continued economic instability, elected officials in all major cities, including C...

EB-5 101

Launched in 1990, the EB-5 immigrant investor program was designed to stimulate the U.S. economy by attracting foreign investors able to create jobs. Often incorrectly labeled an immigration program, Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group recognizes the importance of properly explaining EB-5’s origin, mission, and terminology in order to elucidate the many economic benefits.

 At Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group, we recognize that the EB-5 visa category has been instrumental for both foreign nationals interested in investing in the U.S. and for job creation. The name of the program comes from the fact that this visa is the 5th category of employment based (EB) visas. Ten thousand visas are set aside annually for investors and their immediate family members under the program. Each investment must create at least 10 new jobs.

What Are the Basic Criteria Required for an EB-5 Visa? In order to qualify for an EB-5 Visa, an investor must invest at least $1,000,000, or $500,000 for a project in a “targeted employment area” (as discussed below), in an enterprise that will create at least 10 new full-time jobs for U.S. citizens and legal residents. If the project is an existing business, the 10 new jobs have to be in addition to the existing jobs in the business. Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group can help further demystify the visa application process.

What is a Targeted Employment Area? A targeted employment area is any city, county, census tract or other geographical area accepted by the USCIS that has an unemployment rate over 150% of the national average rate, or a “rural area.” A rural area is an area outside a metropolitan statistical area or outer boundary of any city or town having a population of 20,000 or more.

What is an EB-5 Regional Center? A Regional Center is an entity created by either a public or private group to sponsor projects for EB-5 investors. There are currently about 150 approved Regional Centers, but many more applications are pending with the USCIS and are expected to be approved if their business plans are considered feasible and meet the job creation criteria. According to the trade association IIUSA, Regional Centers have invested over $2.0 billion of foreign capital, creating over 50,000 jobs in the U.S. Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group has the only regional center that allows investors to invest on themselves and play a vital role in their own projects

Who are the EB-5 Investors? EB-5 investors can come from any country outside the U.S., and can even include people who are in the U.S. legally under a temporary visa. In the first three quarters of fiscal 2011, over 70% of all EB-5 investors have come from mainland China and Dubai, where Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group has very strong contacts.

What issue has caused the most problem when applying for an EB-5 visa? The most common problem area has been insufficient documentation of the source of funds. Many people try to disclose the least possible information only to have the file returned with a request for further information.

With the continued economic instability in the United States, the EB-5 program offers a tremendous opportunity to build infrastructure and promote job growth. Chicagoland Foreign Investment group remains committed to both educating and promoting this powerful stimulus program.