EB-5

EB-5 Investment

The Immigrant Investor Program— also known as the EB-5 program— was created by Congress in 1990 to stimulate economic growth through foreign investment. While certain EB (employment-based) visas are set aside for foreign workers based on their academic credentials or workplace skills, the EB-5 visa program affords foreign nationals and their spouses and unmarried children under age 21 the ability to obtain a U.S. visa based solely upon a minimum investment in a for-profit enterprise that creates or retains a specified number of jobs.Each investment must create at least 10 full-time jobs within two years of the immigrant investor’s admission to the United States as a Conditional Permanent Resident.

The specific required investment amount under the EB-5 program depends on whether or not the investment is made in an economically depressed location that qualifies as a targeted employment area (TEA). In order to qualify for the TEA designation, at the time of investment, the location must be in a rural area or experiencing unemployment of at least 150 percent of the national average rate. The minimum qualifying investment either within a high-unemployment area or rural area in the United States is $500,000; otherwise a $1 million investment is needed to satisfy the capital investment requirement.