A primer on the EB-5 visa

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The EB-5 visa is the outcome of a permanent residence program targeted to foreign investors who are gainfully participating in the maintenance and growth of the American economy. This type of visa is an alternative to a green card, and offers unique opportunities for its holder and benefits to American industries.

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 In short, the EB-5 visa allows foreigners to immigrate to the United States if they invest in U.S. business. This visa program was first established in 1990 by the United States Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990 designed to facilitate local economic growth through foreign investment. Applications have been growing due to the rising demand for additional capitalization in burgeoning and crucial industries like energy and agriculture.

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There are several requirements an investor must meet to qualify for an EB-5 visa. The most basic is an investment capital of $1 million (or $500,000 for an area with high unemployment). The commercial enterprise should employ at least 10 full-time US workers for a minimum of two years. The investment must also be made in an approved business entity, which follows one of the many prescribed business structures. Foreign investors may also invest in regional centers that manage EB-5 investment projects.

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Once decided, applicants must submit their I-526 petition and have it approved. Accomplishing that, the investor will receive a conditional permanent residency, which is essentially a permit to monitor his or her investment for two years. If the investor successfully meets all the requirements of the EB-5 program after two years, he or she can then file the I-829 application, or the petition by an entrepreneur to remove the conditions of his or her temporary residency.

Only after this application is approved can the investor be granted a permanent residency card.

The general process for an EB-5 visa is relatively simple and straightforward. For a more detailed description of each process, it is recommended that the investor consult an EB-5 specialist.

Shalom Segelman has helped many foreign nationals gain permanent U.S. residency with his expertise. Learn more about his services by visiting his Facebookpage.

Some investment avenues to explore in the coming years

Learning how to invest successfully is all of acquiring the skill of studying the foreseeable future. This way, investors can assess the trends that will soon be profitable in specific markets.

Although the future is inherently uncertain, Business Insider has collected ideas from Wall Street’s renowned traders, strategists, and economists to predict the best investments in the next ten years.

Here are three of them:  

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Farmland. According to Lorcan Roche Kelly, strategist at Agenda Research, agricultural land will prove to be a good investment in the next ten years given the customer base, and controlled and limited supply of production. In addition, farmlands are also expected to have capital gains and are unlikely to be disrupted by technology.  

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Oil services. Focused on international pressure pumping, Dan Dicker, the president of MercBloc, believes that oil services will boom in years to come. He explains: “While crude oil continues to ratchet upwards in price and get more and more expensive to find, natural gas through hydraulic fracturing seems to get easier with the boundaries for ever wider-scale production.” Other industry experts hold the same belief as service companies have profited greatly in recent years, producing troves of oil and natural gas from deeply buried rock formations like shales.  
 

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International health care. Constantin Gurdgiev, adjunct professor of finance at Trinity College, Dublin, and University College, Dublin, reckons the demand for healthcare, pharmaceutical, bio-pharma, and bio-tech stocks will rise as people refocus on their health and life expectancy—particularly in developing and advanced economies.  

Learn more about business and investment by following Shalom Segelman on this Twitter page.

Immigrating to the United States as a foreign investor

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Foreign nationals who are looking to achieve U.S. residency have an opportunity in the EB-5 or the Immigrant Investor Program. Through the program, 10,000 visas are granted to foreign investors and their families each year as long as their qualifying investments result in creating or preserving at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers.

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Created in 1990 by the U.S. Congress, the program is meant to stimulate the economy through job creation and capital investments by foreign investors. Typically, the program requires a minimum capital investment of $1,000,000. If the investment is made in a targeted employment area, which is a location with high unemployment or a rural area, then the minimum investment is $500,000.
 
Regional centers also allow multiple investors to pool their money, which makes the job creation requirement easier to fulfill. Shalom Segelman, an EB-5 visa specialist, regularly travels around the world to find investors who wish to attain U.S. residency. According to Mr. Segelman, he can help foreign nationals who have invested in a business to set up a green card, gain U.S. residency, and receive citizenship in five years by meeting the guidelines set by the USCIS.

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With the EB-5 program, qualifying investors, their spouse, and unmarried children under 21 will be granted U.S. Lawful permanent residency. There are no minimum requirements as to their age, their ability to speak English, their employment experience, or their education. They may also live and work anywhere in the U.S. Meanwhile, minors gain education benefits including admission to universities at U.S resident costs.

 Find out more about the immigration opportunities afforded by the EB-5 program to foreign investors through www.shalomsegelman.com.