A Simplified Guide to EB-5 Visa Requirements and Availability.
- What is the EB5 visa?
- What are the EB5 visa requirements?
- How to apply for an EB-5 visa.
- Tips on choosing an investment pathway.
- How to evaluate EB-5 investments to make the right choice for you.
- What are Targeted Employment Areas (TEA) and why are they important?
- How to choose your EB-5 investment amount.
- What is the full cost of the EB5 visa.
- What are the benefits of the EB-5 visa.
- Understanding EB-5 visa processing times (including a step-by-step breakdown and table).
- Ready to invest? Here are the next steps.
- Understanding the EB-5 Visa Timeline: From Application to Green Card.
- Taking the next steps with Peachtree.
- FAQs
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program supports economic growth by stimulating job creation and capital investment and provides investors and their families with the opportunity to live, work, and study in the United States without company sponsorship or cumbersome renewal processes.
The program was established by the United States Congress in 1990 and offers foreign nationals the chance to obtain permanent residency by investing in U.S. businesses.
How does EB-5 differ from other immigration.
This investment-centric approach sets the EB-5 visa apart from many other U.S. immigration visa programs by directly linking immigration benefits to economic development and job creation and providing an investor with the chance to obtain permanent residency.
Unlike visas based on employment, family ties, or humanitarian grounds, the EB-5 visa requires applicants to make a significant financial investment in a U.S. business. Additionally, if the EB-5 visa requirements are met, the program provides a pathway to permanent residency (a green card) not just for the investor, but also for their immediate family members, including spouses, and unmarried children under the age of 21, offering a comprehensive solution for families seeking to relocate to the United States.
Yearly Distribution of Immigration Visa Slots
About 1 million immigrant visas are granted each year.
- A base allocation of 620,000 is from “preference categories”
- Preferences are broken down into family-based (480,000 annual allocations) and employment-based (140,000 annual allocations)
- There are five versions of employment-based
- EB-5 is the fifth “preference”, i.e. the 5th version
EB-5 visa requirements are simple in theory; would-be immigrants invest capital (at least $800,000) into a designated project or business that will create at least 10 jobs for workers in the U.S.
To dive a little deeper into requirements, the full EB-5 process includes several steps:
- Minimum Capital Investment: $800,000 invested over 4-7years.
- Background Check: No U.S. immigration law violations, criminal convictions, or history of financial fraud.
- Documented Lawful Source of Funds: Requires documentation proving the capital investment was earned legitimately, typically documented by an immigration attorney.
- Investor Petition Form I-526E: An investor pooling their investment with one or more qualified immigrants participating in the Regional Center Program uses this form to petition USCIS for status as an immigrant to the United States.
- “At Risk” Investment: The investment must be fully invested in the U.S. economy for a minimum of twenty-four months, and until the required jobs are created.
- Create Jobs: The investment must lead to the creation of at least 10 jobs per investor petition for U.S. workers.
Below we’ll break down the nuances of EB-5 visa requirements, including the minimum cost of an EB-5 investment.
We’ll explain the factors involved in calculating EB-5 visa processing times and visa allocations, and touch on how to evaluate the requirements of EB-5 investment projects.
In the simplest terms, these are the steps involved in what you will need to do to secure your green card through EB5 investment.
- Decide if it's the right immigration pathway for you.
- Determine if you meet the EB-5 visa requirements.
- Get experienced EB-5 immigration counsel. If you haven’t already engaged with one, the Peachtree team can give you recommendations for an attorney from our network of trusted legal experts who specialize in the EB-5 Visa.
- Select an EB-5 investment. Keep reading to learn more about how to choose the right project.
- File form I-526E. This solidifies the promise that you’ll invest money, create jobs, and otherwise comply with all EB-5 Visa requirements.
- Answer all questions and get approved (note: there is no guarantee).
- Start two years of conditional lawful permanent residence. More information on what constitutes ‘conditional’ here.
- File form I-829. This form shows that you kept your promises and fulfilled all your EB-5 investment requirements.
- Receive a permanent green card (which also includes the removal of conditions).
- Optional: apply for citizenship after maintaining the green card requirements for five years.
You have two primary pathways to choose from: Direct EB-5 Investment and the and the Regional Center Program. They are quite different approaches to securing your U.S. permanent residency.
Direct EB-5 Investment Approach
Direct EB-5 Investment involves investing directly in a business you manage yourself, giving you full control over the project. This EB-5 visa type requires you to actively manage the business and to directly hire at least ten concurrent, full-time workers.
While this model offers direct involvement in the operation, it also places the responsibility of managing all aspects of the business, including payroll processing, record-keeping, and EB-5 compliance.
This includes:
- Finding someone you trust in the U.S. to run and manage your investment while you are in your home country.
- All of the legally required reporting, including compliance with U.S. employment laws and record-keeping for several years.
- Fulfilling all stringent paperwork requirements, both quarterly and annually.
The Regional Center Approach
In contrast, Peachtree sponsors projects pursuant to the Regional Center program. By doing this, we simplify the entire process for you.
Under the Regional Center Program, your investment is managed by Peachtree Group, and your EB-5 visa job-creation requirements are satisfied by a widely accepted econometric formula instead of employee payroll records.
The Regional Center program allows you to pool your investment with others as long as the econometric models show the creation of at least 10 jobs per EB-5 investor.
Peachtree Group Projects
Peachtree has completed billions of dollars in loans and has a robust pipeline of deals. We make sure a quality subset of those deals become EB-5 investments as long as they qualify and meet all of our criteria and that of the regulations of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program as outlined by USCIS.
This means there is a constant stream of reliable EB-5 opportunities in our pipeline. Here is a list of our latest featured deals, or contact Victor Espinosa (Vice-president, Global Business Development) for more information about our process, read this article on the Peachtree Advantage.
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Choosing the right EB-5 investment is a core pillar of your success.
There is a lot of pressure to choose the right project because it impacts your path to U.S. residency and your financial contribution.
This section outlines the key factors you should consider when evaluating the EB-5 visa requirements.
Criteria for Evaluating EB-5 Projects
Character:
Always evaluate the character and experience of the professionals with whom you do business. Peachtree’s 17-year history and the decades of finance work of our professionals have taught us that the most important factor in any finance or business dealing is the character of the people with whom you work.
Peachtree’s reputation as a smart company with smart, approachable people with integrity is important to us. We are listed as one of the best places to work by USA Today and Inc. Magazine and our principals were just named the best bosses in commercial real estate by the trade publication GlobeSt.
Complexity:
Make sure you can understand the business and financing plan of the deal you’re considering. Some EB-5 deals have very complicated structures with many multiple layers of entities and sources of capital. Complex does not necessarily mean bad, but a simple deal allows you to understand how your investment goes into a deal, how it will be used, and when you’ll get paid back.
Job Creation Potential:
The core EB-5 visa requirement is to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation. Because of this, a major criterion for evaluating an EB-5 investment is its potential to create at least ten full-time jobs for U.S. workers per investor.
For example, at Peachtree, we our Boone project creates 13.5 jobs per EB-5 investor.
Investor Rights and Protections:
You already know that understanding your rights as an investor is always important. You want to look for projects that offer clear terms on investment returns, capital repayment, and the administrative fees involved.
Your EB-5 projects should also provide transparency around your exit strategy and the conditions under which your funds will be returned. You also want to assess the legal protections in place to safeguard your investment against potential disputes or failures.
Financial Structure:
An EB-5 project’s financial health is also central to its success. You need to evaluate whether the project is well-capitalized and has strong funding beyond just the EB-5capital.
This includes examining the capital stack, which should have a balanced mix of equity, debt, and EB-5 investment, reducing the reliance on EB-5 funds as the primary source of capital.
Peachtree’s EB-5 projects retain the senior position on all debt. This means we don’t we don’t need to wait for any other loan to be repaid before we get repaid.
It’s another unique advantage of partnering with Peachtree Group. Our projects are also fully financed, which ensures that our projects will not have to wait for the EB-5 capital to be raised in order to commence construction.
The U.S. Government allocates visas based on the project type. A portion of the total 9,940 available EB-5 visas are reserved for Targeted Employment Areas and infrastructure projects.
Of the 9,940 EB-5 visas, 20% (1,988 visas) are allocated to rural projects. A further 10% (994 visas) are reserved for projects in areas of high unemployment. Finally, 2% (198 visas) are earmarked for infrastructure projects.
Before the EB-5 law was updated in 2022, the demand for visas from certain countries far exceeded the annual limit, leading to potentially years-long waiting times for investors. The new law created separate, reserved categories that currently have no backlogs.
Rural Projects
Projects in Areas of High Unemployment
Infrastructure Projects
Distribution of EB-5 Visa Allocations by Project Type
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The EB-5 minimum investment amount for the EB-5 visa program depends on the location of the investment project. Currently, EB-5 visas require:
- $800,000 for projects located in Targeted Employment Areas (TEAs) which are either rural areas or areas with high unemployment., or for projects that qualify as infrastructure projects.
- $1,050,000 for projects that are not in Targeted Employment Areas or do not qualify as infrastructure.
These investment thresholds were adjusted in 2022, reflecting an increase from previous amounts to account for inflation and other economic factors.
It is worth noting that the minimum is set to be adjusted for inflation every five years, if you wait, you could end up paying more.
Beyond the EB-5 visa’s required investment amount, there are several additional expenses. Applicants must account for legal fees, which can vary significantly depending on the complexity of the case and the attorney's expertise.
There are also administrative fees charged by the regional center or the direct investment project, which cover the costs of managing and processing the investment.
Government filing fees, including those for Form I-526E (Immigrant Petition by AlienInvestor) and Form I-829 (Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on PermanentResident Status), add to the financial outlay.
Additionally, applicants need to budget for EB-5 visa costs related to medical examinations, translation, and certification of documents, and travel expenses for themselves and their families.The EB-5 minimum investment amount for the EB-5 visa program depends on the location of the investment project. Currently, EB-5 visas require:
The EB-5 visa offers numerous benefits that make it an attractive option for investors seeking U.S. permanent residency and a chance to truly call the U.S. home. One significant advantage is that an EB-5 visa provides a direct path to a greencard, with fewer bureaucratic hurdles compared to other immigration options.
Recent reforms and streamlined procedures have led to enhanced accuracy in the adjudication of applications, ensuring that investors receive timely and reliable decisions. These improvements have also contributed to faster processing times, allowing investors and their families to secure their residency status more quickly. That said, it is important to be realistic about visa processing times and to understand the process.
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EB-5 visas require processing to be administered by two departments of the U.S. government. The USCIS reviews EB-5 petitions for qualification and approval. USCIS also processes “adjustment of status” for applicants who are lawfully in the United States to get their green cards.
The section of the law that covers the allocation of immigrant visas is called 8 USC 1153. You can read the official U.S. code here.
The U.S. Department of State issues EB-5 visas to petitioners outside of the United States which allow the petitioners to enter the country and obtain their green cards.
The USCIS has target processing times for reviewing the EB-5 Visa Petitions, and then they have the actual EB-5 petition processing time based on data from previous years. These figures are different.
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EB-5 visa processing times vary and no one can know in advance exactly how long processing will take in any individual case.
Criteria for Evaluating EB-5 Projects
Step 1: EB-5 Visa Petition Approval Time.
This measures the time from the date on which the investor’s petition is received by USCIS to the time USCIS issues its decision.
There may be one or more rounds of questions from USCIS about the petition (called “Requests for Evidence” or “RFEs”) during this period.
- Target EB-5 Processing Time according to the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (the “RIA”): Less than 120 days (4 months) for TEAs or less than 240 days (8months) for non-TEAs.
- Typical EB-5 Visa Processing Time Range: 19 to 52 months, reflecting recent trends due to USCIS workload.
Step 2: EB-5 Visa Number Wait Time.
This measures the time some investors with approved petitions may have to wait if demand for the EB-5 visa and overall immigrant visa demand from their country exceeds certain annual quotas.
- Typical EB-5 Green Card Processing Wait Time: Currently, there are no waiting times for investors from any country, including EB-5 investors from China and India who invest in the new “reserved” categories established under the RIA.
- Extended Wait Time: The process can take several years if the number of EB-5 applicants surpasses the available visa quota. Currently, these wait times apply only to EB-5 investors from China and India, and only for those investors who applied before the RIA.
Step 3: Time from EB-5 Approval to Visa Issuance.
After approval, EB-5 investors must submit documentation to the National Visa Center within the U.S. Department of State, and then they must attend an interview in a U.S. consulate abroad.
Approved investors who are legally within the United States may apply for “adjustment of status” with USCIS, instead.
- Expected EB-5 Visa Processing Time: This can vary significantly depending on USCIS and Department of State staffing.
- Historical EB-5 Visa Processing Time: Around 6 months, potentially extending under high-demand scenarios.
Step 4: Conditional Permanent Residence Duration
- Fixed EB-5 Green Card Processing Time: Exactly 2 years, starting from the date of admission under the EB-5 visa.
Step 5: EB-5 Permanent Green Card Finalization; the “Removal of Conditions”
- Target Processing Time for EB-5 Visa: Less than 90 days to remove conditions.
- Actual EB-5 Green Card Processing Time Range: 26 to 49months, since 2019. Note that the EB-5 immigrant and family may remain in the U.S., work and travel while the removal of conditions is pending.
Key Points to Remember:
- Target EB-5 Visa Processing Times are ideal processing durations set by regulatory goals
- Actual EB-5 Visa Processing Times offer a realistic look at durations based on the current USCIS processing landscape.
- Delays in EB-5 processing times are generally influenced by application volumes, visa availability, and administrative (staffing) capacity.
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Preguntas frecuentes sobre EB-5, respondió.
El Congreso de los Estados Unidos creó el programa de visas de inmigrante de quinta preferencia basado en el empleo (el «Programa EB-5») en 1990 para estimular la economía estadounidense mediante la creación de empleo y la inversión de capital por parte de inversores extranjeros. El programa EB-5 permite a los inversores, y a sus cónyuges e hijos solteros menores de 21 años, solicitar la residencia permanente legal en los Estados Unidos realizando una inversión calificada en una nueva empresa comercial con la intención de crear o conservar diez (10) empleos permanentes a tiempo completo para trabajadores estadounidenses calificados.
En 1992, el Congreso de los Estados Unidos creó el Programa de Inversionistas Inmigrantes EB-5, también conocido como Programa de Centros Regionales, que reserva visas EB-5 para los participantes que inviertan en empresas comerciales asociadas con centros regionales aprobados por el USCIS sobre la base de propuestas para promover el crecimiento económico, incluida la posible creación de empleo y el aumento de la inversión de capital nacional. El 15 de marzo de 2022, el presidente Biden firmó la Ley de Reforma e Integridad EB-5 como parte de la Ley de Asignaciones Consolidadas de 2022 (Ley Pública 117-103), que creó nuevos requisitos para la categoría de visa de inmigrante EB-5 y el Programa de Centros Regionales. Las visas de inmigrante están autorizadas en el marco del Programa de Centros Regionales hasta el 30 de septiembre de 2027.
Según los requisitos actuales del Programa EB-5, un inversionista inmigrante calificado debe invertir $1,050,000. La cantidad de capital requerida se reduce a 800,00 dólares para invertir en un área de empleo específica o en un proyecto de infraestructura. Los gastos administrativos, legales y de solicitud no están incluidos.
Minimum Capital Investment: $800,000 invested over 5-7 years.Background Check: No U.S. immigration law violations, criminal convictions, or history of financial fraud.Documented Lawful Source of Funds: Requires documentation proving the capital investment was earned legitimately.‘‘At Risk "Investment: The investment must be fully invested in the U.S. economy for a minimum of twenty-four months, and until the required jobs are created.Create Jobs: The investment must lead to the creation of at least 10 jobs for U.S. workers.
- Minimum Capital Investment: $800,000 invested over 5-7 years.
- Background Check: No U.S. immigration law violations, criminal convictions, or history of financial fraud.
- Documented Lawful Source of Funds: Requires documentation proving the capital investment was earned legitimately.
- ‘‘At Risk "Investment: The investment must be fully invested in the U.S. economy for a minimum of twenty-four months, and until the required jobs are created.
- Create Jobs: The investment must lead to the creation of at least 10 jobs for U.S. workers.
Un área de empleo objetivo es un área rural o un área designada por el Secretario de Seguridad Nacional como un área de alto desempleo en el momento de la inversión. El término «área rural» significa cualquier área que no sea un área dentro de un área estadística metropolitana (según lo designe el Director de la Oficina de Administración y Presupuesto) o dentro de los límites exteriores de cualquier ciudad o pueblo que tenga una población de 20,000 o más (según el censo decenal más reciente de los Estados Unidos). Un área de alto desempleo es un área que ha registrado una tasa de desempleo de al menos el 150% del promedio nacional de EE. UU.
- Selecciona el proyecto
- Revisa y firma los documentos de la oferta
- Deposita la contribución de capital y la cuota administrativa de 800.000$
- Presente el formulario I-526E, petición de inmigración presentada por un inversor de un centro regional ante el USCIS; *Si ya se encuentra en los EE. UU. estudiando o trabajando con una visa diferente, al momento de presentar el formulario I-526E, será elegible para presentarlo simultáneamente, lo que le permitirá permanecer en los EE. UU., trabajar y viajar dentro y fuera de los EE. UU. mientras su formulario I-526E esté pendiente.
- Una vez que se apruebe el formulario I-526E, si reside en los EE. UU., puede presentar su solicitud de registro de residencia permanente o ajuste de estatus ante el USCIS; o si se encuentra en el extranjero, el Centro Nacional de Visas le notificará que visite un consulado de los EE. UU. para obtener una visa EB-5 de admisión a los EE. UU. La tarjeta verde que se le emite en esta etapa es una tarjeta verde condicional que tiene una validez de dos (2) años.
- Entre 21 y 24 meses después de recibir su tarjeta verde condicional, presentará al USCIS el formulario I-829, Petición de un inversor para eliminar las condiciones del estatus de residente permanente, que proporcionaría documentación para demostrar que la inversión se ha mantenido y que se ha creado el empleo. Una vez que se apruebe el formulario I-829, se convertirá en residente permanente de los EE. UU.
- La visa EB-5 está disponible para ciudadanos de todos los países
- La petición de inmigración cubre al inversor, a su cónyuge y a todos los hijos solteros menores de 21 años
- El monto de la inversión puede ser regalado o prestado al inversionista inmigrante
- Para calificar para la visa EB-5, no hay requisitos de edad, educación, experiencia empresarial o idioma
- La visa EB-5 proporciona un camino rápido hacia la residencia permanente y la ciudadanía estadounidense
- Brinda libertad para vivir, trabajar, estudiar y poseer propiedades en los EE. UU.
- El derecho a asistir a la escuela pública y a la universidad
- Usted y su familia están protegidos por todas las leyes de los EE. UU., el estado en el que reside y las jurisdicciones locales.
A Path to Permanent Residency
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Peachtree Group Secures Rapid USCIS Approval for EB-5 Funded Home2 Suites by Hilton Development
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Peachtree Closes 17 loans totaling more than $244MM in the last 90 days
Peachtree Group Closed 17 loans totaling more than $244MM in the last 90 days
Peachtree Group is a nationwide direct balance-sheet lender, offering competitive terms, in-house loan servicing, and flexible capital to handle a wide array of projects.
Peachtree provides full-stack debt capital solutions to qualified commercial real estate owners across all sectors throughout the U.S. We offer bridge, construction, mezzanine, preferred equity, CPACE, permanent and NNN financing.
See below for some of the most recent loan transactions from Peachtree Group including hotel loans, retail, multifamily, industrial, and land. Click here for our portfolio.
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FEATURED: $20.5MM Development Loan for a Conversion
Peachtree Group worked with the Sponsor to convert a retail store to an industrial building in a sought-after area of Sacramento, CA.
Read the Case Study.
FEATURED: $12.5MM Bridge Loan for a Hotel
Peachtree Group worked with the Sponsor to pay off its maturing loan while executing a business plan to upgrade its property to better compete in the marketplace and retain its Hilton flag.
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Peachtree is an award-winning hotel lender. Contact us to discuss your deal.