The American Dream: EB-5 Visa Opportunities

The American Dream is alive and well, and people across the world are fulfilling their own U.S. immigration goals through the EB-5 Visa Program.  Compared with other countries, the United States is still a safe place to invest money, raise a family and start a business.  The EB-5 visa and the various paths it offers allows immigrants to live and work anywhere in the country.  There are even passive investment opportunities for those who don’t wish to work, or would like to work someplace other than the EB-5 project they invest in.

The United States’ foundation was built by immigrant communities, and despite economic hardship across the globe, people still flock to the U.S. for better opportunities.

How can the EB-5 visa benefit you and your family?  U.S. immigration law is structured in a way that doesn’t offer many opportunities for permanent residency (green card) for people without ties to the United States.  Unless you have a relative to sponsor you, or an employer willing to sponsor you, the EB-5 visa may be your only option.

The EB-5 Visa Program allows foreign nationals the opportunity to make a qualified investment into a U.S. business in exchange for their green card.  There are no English language requirements, family ties or job offers needed.  Provided the investor invests the requisite funds they likely qualify.

What are your options for EB-5 Investments?  Most EB-5 investment opportunities offer flexible options for potential investors.  Depending on your needs and goals, you can take an active role in the project or a completely passive role.  The investment amount is $1 Million but may be reduced to $500,000 in certain designated areas.

Often, an investor wishes to fund the EB-5 investment and not worry about the day-to-day operations of the business and immigration requirements.  This is absolutely possible and encouraged by immigration attorneys.  As an EB-5 investor, you don’t want to be burdened with EB-5 compliance and immigration issues – leave those worries up to the EB-5 project management.

Once invested, you are free to live and work (or not work) anywhere in the United States. 

To learn more about the EB-5 Visa Program and how you can make your American Dream a reality, contact Kyle Barella at General Counsel, P.C., 703.556.0411, or by email at kbarella@gcpc.com.  You can visit our website at www.eb5investmentlaw.com.  Our office is conveniently located in the Washington DC Metro area.

H-1B Visa Season is Here

It’s that time of year again.  H-1B season is upon us.  U.S. companies wishing to hire foreign national employees should be gathering supporting documents and retaining an immigration attorney to file the H-1B Petition on the April 1^st opening.

The H-1B visa allows a U.S. employer to sponsor a foreign national to work on a temporary basis in the United States.  The position to be filled by the employee must be one that is considered a “specialty occupation” by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  The minimum education requirement is a degree equivalent to a 4 year U.S. bachelor’s degree.  The employer must also pay the foreign national a fair wage, also known as the prevailing wage – as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor.

While the H-1B visa may seem like a fantastic and inexpensive way to bring over foreign labor, the government places a numerical cap on the number of petitions they adjudicate.  For this reason – it’s important to establish a relationship with an immigration attorney to file a timely petition.

The numerical cap is set at 65,000 visas per fiscal year.  The first 20,000 petitions submitted by candidates with a master’s degree (or higher) are exempt from the cap.  This gives significant advantage to potential employees holding advance degrees above the bachelor level.

Once an employee obtains an H-1B visa they may begin working at their designated job.  Visas may be renewed once expired – but may not be extended beyond six years.  The acceptance for 2015 petitions begins on April 1^st.  Should USCIS receive your petition after that date, there is virtually no chance of getting an approved visa.

To learn more about the H-1B Temporary Worker Visa and how General Counsel, P.C. can assist you, contact our office today.

Executive Action on Immigration - November 20, 2014

This evening President Obama announced his plan for executive action on immigration.  The President has decided to take unilateral action on immigration without support of Congress, and as some polls suggest, without the support of the American populous.

Obama stressed that his immigration action is lawful while critics disagree.  He urged congress to pass a bill on immigration reform in the future months.

What does the President’s executive order entail?

The President made three points related to his plan.  1) More resources will be provided to US Border Patrol agents on the US-Mexican border.  2) There should be an easier and faster immigration path for highly skilled workers graduating from US universities.  3) And finally, the need to deal with the current illegal immigrant population in the United States.

Mr. Obama provided a more detailed plan to accomplish his third point in dealing with undocumented individuals currently in the country.  He stressed increased deportation of criminal illegal aliens and made clear that his goal was not to tear families apart.

Undocumented individuals who have lived in the United States for five or more years, have US citizen or permanent resident children and pass a background check may remain temporarily in the US without fear of deportation.  The President also mentioned that this executive order is not a path to citizenship, not a permanent amnesty and not for recent illegal arrivals.

While many people are celebrating the President’s announcement – many questions are left unanswered.  Obama stressed that the deferred deportation is not permanent, however, no mention of how long the deferment is valid for is mentioned.  Further, many people who followed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012, recognize that still to this day no mention on how long the deferment is valid for has been discussed.

Another issue, and perhaps the most important to immigration lawyers, is how the documentation of these undocumented individuals will slow down the processing of currently pending (and future) legal immigration applications.  Many have also questioned, what sort of message is being sent to potential legal immigrants who believe that there is no point to following the law when they can come to the US, overstay and live undocumented until the government provides them amnesty.

For more information on whether you qualify to remain in the United States due to the President’s executive order, or information on any other immigration matters, please feel free to contact our office.

Attorney Kyle Barella

(202) 621-3198

kbarella@gcpc.com

Three Paths to EB-5?

When researching the options for making an EB-5 investment, clients often hear about the two EB-5 investment paths - direct and indirect.  But are there really three paths?  The answer to this question is yes and no.  This article will detail the different options a potential investor has when deciding to make their EB-5 investment.

By far the most popular option for EB-5 is the indirect regional center investment.  The indirect regional center investment allows the client to make a completely passive investment in a project that will be the sole responsibility of the developer to maintain.  These investments are generally loan based, but in some instances may be equity based investments.

The EB-5 investor will not have any managerial or day-to-day responsibility.  They simply invest their money and leave it in the hands of the developer to meet the immigration requirements so they can become full-fledged green card holders.  It’s an affordable option because the vast majority of regional center projects are located in targeted employment areas that allow for the reduced investment of only $500,000.

What are the positive attributes of an indirect regional center investment?  The reduced investment amount is what makes the regional center path most appealing to clients.  Some investors also enjoy not having to worry about the day-to-day burden of running the business.  While a client may have created a successful business in their home country, they may be unfamiliar with US business practices and culture and opt to have the project managed for them.  For these investors, the regional center path fits perfectly into their immigration plan.

What are the negatives of an indirect regional center investment?  Regional center investments will offer a low return.  This isn’t to say that the project is bad – it’s just the nature of EB-5.  A typical regional center project will generally yield a 0.5% - 1% return.  This isn’t very high, so investors wishing to obtain a larger return should choose a different path for their EB-5 investment.  Clients should be very wary of regional center projects offering them large returns.  Another potential negative aspect is that the EB-5 investor doesn’t have any decision making power in the business.  This may not be ideal for clients that consider themselves to be savvy investors.

So what are the options for investors not wishing to invest through the indirect regional center path?  Here is where the discussion of three paths to EB-5 comes up.  Many clients (and immigration attorneys) misinterpret the rules regarding a direct (non regional center) investment.  Often they think the investor must be involved in the day-to-day operation and running of the business.  They believe they have to live in the same city and go into the business daily to qualify for EB-5.  That is one option, what I refer to as a “true” direct EB-5 investment, but it’s not the only option for direct EB-5.

So what are the two paths under the direct EB-5 umbrella?  It’s first important to examine the rules regulating the requirement that the EB-5 immigrant investor be engaged in the management of the new commercial enterprise.  The EB-5 Program requires the immigrant investor to be engaged in the management of the new commercial enterprise, either through the exercise of day-to-day managerial responsibility OR through policy formulation.  8 C.F.R. §204.6(j)(5). 

For investors courageous enough to take the plunge and run their own EB-5 business, they can do so through the “true” direct EB-5 path.  They will be responsible for the creation and day-to-day management of the business, as well as meeting all the immigration requirements.  Their investment return will be based solely on their own personal efforts.  This path can prove to be risky and should only be undertaken by clients confident in their ability to meet all requirements under the program.

This may work for some investors, but the majority of EB-5 clients do not want to assume full responsibility for their immigration future.  These clients may benefit from a more “hands off” direct investment.  This “hands off” direct investment path is great for investors wishing to invest in smaller projects that may yield significantly higher returns than the indirect regional center investment.  In conformity with the rules, these investors will have a policy-making role by being a corporate officer or member of the corporate board of directors.

These investors get the best of both worlds.  Unlike the regional center path they have some control over the business and typically receive a larger return.  However, there is no requirement for then to run the day-to-day operations and they leave the responsibility of meeting the immigration requirements to the project developer.  The EB-5 investor is free to live and work anywhere in the United States, regardless of the business location.  This path is ideal for all EB-5 investors frustrated with the lack of control and low returns of an indirect regional center investment.

For more information on the EB-5 Visa Program and which EB-5 path is most suited for your investment needs, contact General Counsel, PC and speak to one of our Washington DC EB-5 attorneys. 

www.eb5investmentlaw.com | www.generalcounsellaw.com

6849 Old Dominion Dr. Suite 220, McLean, VA 22101 | 703.556.0411 | kbarella@gcpc.com

Washington DC EB-5 Attorneys | Northern VA EB-5 Attorneys

Immigration Courts to Expedite Children's Cases

Criticism over slow processing times and system backlog has led immigration courts to speed up the cases for Central American children detained at the border. 

Generally when an undocumented alien is detained at the border for attempting to illegally enter the United States they are given a date to report to court for an initial hearing.  Often, due to a large backlog of cases the hearing may not be scheduled months and sometimes even over a year.

Children detained at the border will now be granted their initial hearing within three weeks.  While many Americans are praising this decision to process and potentially deport these children in a timely manner, some fear that the three week expedited hearing does not allow the child to obtain competent legal counsel. 

With a shortage of pro-bono attorneys to represent these children, many wonder if three weeks is enough time prepare a case arguing that the child should remain in the country legally.

Ultimately immigration judges need to ensure that each child has been given proper due process to avoid any unnecessary appeals.  There is a fine line between speeding up cases to promote efficiency, and speeding up cases too fast that may lead to mistakes resulting in even more delay.

For additional information on immigration law or to speak with an immigration attorney, contact General Counsel, PC at 703.556.0411 or by email at kbarella@gcpc.com.