Living in America offers diverse opportunities, high standards of living, and a high standard of living, obtaining a US Green Card and becoming a permanent citizen a dream come true.
The EB-5 program is a top choice for investors seeking a U.S. green card due to its direct investment pathway, avoiding complexities and waiting periods.
It offers financial returns and secures a future for the investor’s immediate family.
Here are ten important things to know about US EB-5 visa program.
The EB-5 visa program, administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), aims to generate employment and elicit foreign investment in the United States by ensuring that immigrant investors (along with their spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21) become eligible to become Green Card holders if they make a minimum specified investment and create a specified number of jobs.
The US EB-5 visa program—an employment-based fifth preference visa—has become a popular option for foreigners seeking to enter the US permanently since it provides a special and expedient route to citizenship.
To be qualified for the EB-5 visa, Indian immigrant investors must make a considerable financial investment, to the tune of – USD 1,050,000 as a minimum investment amount or USD 800,000, if the investment is to be in a ‘targeted employment area’.
EB-5 visa program applicants must intend to create or preserve 10 permanents ‘full-time jobs’ (defined as a position requiring a minimum of 35 working hours per week) for ‘qualified US workers’ (a US citizen, lawful permanent resident, or other immigrant authorized to work in the United States, including a conditional resident, temporary resident, asylee, refugee, or a person residing in the United States under suspension of deportation).
There are two ways to use the EB-5 visa program to obtain a US green card: one is the Direct EB-5 Program, in which a participant can invest in their firm in the United States or a franchise, and the other is to invest in Regional Centers (RC) commercial real estate developments.
In the case of RC, individuals participate passively, and depending on the agreement with the Regional Center, the capital invested may be refunded after 5 to 7 years.
One of the most significant advantages of the EB-5 visa program for immigrant investors is that it provides a shorter and speedier road to becoming a Green Card holder.
Successful candidates for this visa program are often granted conditional green cards for two years.
The immigration authorities then remove the conditions on these green cards over time, once the applicant has proved that the visa standards outlined above have been met.
Once you’ve decided on a project and a business in the United States, you must make the requisite capital investment, establish an escrow account, and file an I-526 petition with USCIS. You are eligible for two years of conditional residency in the United States under the EB-5 visa application process if the I-526 petition is approved.
To become an EB-5 visa holder and permanent resident of the United States, you must file an I-829 petition before your conditional residency expires.
Once the I-829 petition is filed, it takes between 22 and 45 months to receive a permanent green card.
The EB-5 Visa fee will be $11,160, up 204 percent from the previous $3,675 price, for Forms I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, and Form I-526E, Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor.
The fee for Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, is $9,525, up $5,775 or 154% from the previous $3,750 fee.
The charge for Form I-956, Application for Regional Centre Designation, is $47,695, up $29,900 or 168 percent from the $17,795 fee for Form I-924, Application for Regional Centre Designation, under the Immigrant Investor Program.
The pricing schedule and a complete set of amended forms will go into effect on April 1, 2024.
Most students look forward to settling in the US after completing their studies in America.
There are numerous routes to becoming a permanent US citizen in America, but as the competition is fierce, the likelihood of obtaining a US Green card is slim.
The traditional process of an F-1 student visa followed by an H-1B non-immigrant visa and then an EB-1, EB-2, or EB-3 immigrant visa is time-consuming.
This is where the EB-5 visa may make a tremendous difference.
The average processing time for an I-526 petition is 48 months, which means that a student who applies for the EB-5 visa at the start of their degree may have conditional permanent residency by the time they graduate.
The EB-5 visa program officially known as the Employment-Based Fifth Preference Visa Program is an immigrant investor program in the United States that allows foreign investors to obtain a U.S. green card.
In a nutshell, the EB-5 program, also known as the US golden visa, offers a unique opportunity for foreign investors and their families to obtain permanent residency and Green Cards in the United States.
To be eligible for the EB-5 program, applicants must spend at least $800,000 on a government-approved real estate project in the United States that will generate at least ten full-time jobs for American residents.
Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/business/investing-abroad-eb-5-visa-program-10-thing-to-know-about-us-green-card-for-permanent-residency-in-america-3510175/
