Reliable EB-5 Regional Center; Alternative for OPT, CPT, H1-B to stay in the U.S.

crystalh20

New Member
Many people who consider the EB-5 visa find it as an alternative to having to deal with employment sponsorship with their H1-B or OPT/CPT in order to stay in the U.S.

I used to work at the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, approving a lot of EB-5 projects and dealing with a variety of regional centers. Most projects I approved were development projects, such as hotels or shopping centers. The regional centers usually tried building a new infrastructure from the ground up, which on the surface, seems like a solid EB-5 project, but actually has a lot of unforeseen problems.

One of the biggest issues with development projects is that the jobs created that are counted by USCIS, are only those created by the developer, and not any of the jobs created within the infrastructure after construction. (The employees of the hotel--housekeeping, reception, etc.--do NOT count towards the job creation). For example, if the regional center decides to build a hotel for Marriott, they must find a developer to help build the structure. The only job the developer has is to complete the building as efficiently and as cost effectively as possible. The developer creates the necessary construction jobs to complete building--the only ones that count towards USCIS job creation--and will not take into account the number of jobs the regional center needs to create in order to fulfill USCIS requirements.

But in order to build a new infrastructure, the regional center and developer will need a lot of money, and therefore, a lot of investors. If 200 investors invest at at $500,000 each, the regional center will have a total of $100 Million for a development project. And if each investor needs a minimum of 10 jobs created, there must be a minimum of 2,000 jobs created in order to fulfill the requirements for all 200 investors. Since only the construction jobs are counted by the USCIS, and not any of the hotel employees, it will be very difficult for the regional center to reach its target job creation.

Not only is the number of jobs created extremely difficult to achieve, the regional center must also fulfill the other USCIS requirements within a 2 year time frame. Once the regional center has raised enough money to build the hotel, they must get all investors' I-526 approved by USCIS, obtain permits from the city or county in order to start construction (which often takes more than a year), create at least 2,000 jobs, and complete the construction on the entire development within 2 years.

Of course most regional centers will sell you this project in an ideal world--how they would obtain all permits on time, and create all necessary jobs to get you your green card, etc. But thinking realistically, you will realize how difficult something like that really is. During my time working at the Governor's Office, I encountered numerous regional centers who could not even complete a single project because of these kinds of issues they encountered while trying to build a new development.

Most regional centers that follow this development project business plan become entrenched and are unable to produce what they promise their investors or unable to finish what they started. So it's essential to learn about each regional center's project before investing your money.

A friend of mine invested with an EB-5 regional center while trying to get his green card through his H1-B, and got the EB-5 green card before the H1-B green card (and he had been doing H1-B for about 4 years at that point). He got his I-526 approval in less than a year, and one of his fellow EB-5 investors got his in only 26 days.

Their projects contrast the development projects you normally see with regional centers. They create long term jobs (unlike the short term construction jobs in development projects) in existing establishments, which the regional center purchases. This way, the businesses does not have to wait for construction to be completed and can operate from day one. This regional center purchases all of the properties for their projects to use as collateral, in order to protect the investors' money.

Another thing that sets them apart is that they are the only regional center in California with international offices. This way they are able to communicate with their investors and deal with the investment money directly, without the use of commission-driven agents abroad to recruit investors, like most regional centers do. And of course, their projects are open and accessible for investors to see at any time, so they can thoroughly understand and see first hand where their investment is going, and how the business and projects operate. It was no surprise to me to see that they have maintained a 100% approval rating for all applicants, and is ranked #1 by the Governor's Office.

Regardless of where you decide to invest, it is important to find a regional center that is reliable and has a solid business model. It's important the regional center allows you to see the projects in person, so you can better understand where your investment is going, and gauge how likely it is for you to obtain a U.S. Green Card.

Message me if you're interested in learning more about this regional center or EB-5 in general.
 
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Hi, I appreciate your post and would like to get your help finding a regional center that is reliable and has a solid business model.
 
Many people who consider the EB-5 visa find it as an alternative to having to deal with employment sponsorship with their H1-B or OPT/CPT in order to stay in the U.S.

I used to work at the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, approving a lot of EB-5 projects and dealing with a variety of regional centers. Most projects I approved were development projects, such as hotels or shopping centers. The regional centers usually tried building a new infrastructure from the ground up, which on the surface, seems like a solid EB-5 project, but actually has a lot of unforeseen problems.

One of the biggest issues with development projects is that the jobs created that are counted by USCIS, are only those created by the developer, and not any of the jobs created within the infrastructure after construction. (The employees of the hotel--housekeeping, reception, etc.--do NOT count towards the job creation). For example, if the regional center decides to build a hotel for Marriott, they must find a developer to help build the structure. The only job the developer has is to complete the building as efficiently and as cost effectively as possible. The developer creates the necessary construction jobs to complete building--the only ones that count towards USCIS job creation--and will not take into account the number of jobs the regional center needs to create in order to fulfill USCIS requirements.

But in order to build a new infrastructure, the regional center and developer will need a lot of money, and therefore, a lot of investors. If 200 investors invest at at $500,000 each, the regional center will have a total of $100 Million for a development project. And if each investor needs a minimum of 10 jobs created, there must be a minimum of 2,000 jobs created in order to fulfill the requirements for all 200 investors. Since only the construction jobs are counted by the USCIS, and not any of the hotel employees, it will be very difficult for the regional center to reach its target job creation.

Not only is the number of jobs created extremely difficult to achieve, the regional center must also fulfill the other USCIS requirements within a 2 year time frame. Once the regional center has raised enough money to build the hotel, they must get all investors' I-526 approved by USCIS, obtain permits from the city or county in order to start construction (which often takes more than a year), create at least 2,000 jobs, and complete the construction on the entire development within 2 years.

Of course most regional centers will sell you this project in an ideal world--how they would obtain all permits on time, and create all necessary jobs to get you your green card, etc. But thinking realistically, you will realize how difficult something like that really is. During my time working at the Governor's Office, I encountered numerous regional centers who could not even complete a single project because of these kinds of issues they encountered while trying to build a new development.

Most regional centers that follow this development project business plan become entrenched and are unable to produce what they promise their investors or unable to finish what they started. So it's essential to learn about each regional center's project before investing your money.

A friend of mine invested with an EB-5 regional center while trying to get his green card through his H1-B, and got the EB-5 green card before the H1-B green card (and he had been doing H1-B for about 4 years at that point). He got his I-526 approval in less than a year, and one of his fellow EB-5 investors got his in only 26 days.

Their projects contrast the development projects you normally see with regional centers. They create long term jobs (unlike the short term construction jobs in development projects) in existing establishments, which the regional center purchases. This way, the businesses does not have to wait for construction to be completed and can operate from day one. This regional center purchases all of the properties for their projects to use as collateral, in order to protect the investors' money.

Another thing that sets them apart is that they are the only regional center in California with international offices. This way they are able to communicate with their investors and deal with the investment money directly, without the use of commission-driven agents abroad to recruit investors, like most regional centers do. And of course, their projects are open and accessible for investors to see at any time, so they can thoroughly understand and see first hand where their investment is going, and how the business and projects operate. It was no surprise to me to see that they have maintained a 100% approval rating for all applicants, and is ranked #1 by the Governor's Office.

Regardless of where you decide to invest, it is important to find a regional center that is reliable and has a solid business model. It's important the regional center allows you to see the projects in person, so you can better understand where your investment is going, and gauge how likely it is for you to obtain a U.S. Green Card.

Message me if you're interested in learning more about this regional center or EB-5 in general. Please send me information. Thank you
 
My name is Jessica Carrillo and I have worked for 2 of the most reputable EB5 regional centers in the US; CMB and EB5 Capital. I am now working directly with a developer in the Chicago area who has an amazing EB5 project that is shovel ready. I am happy to provide details to anyone interested in reviewing the information.
 
I wanted to give you some quick information on our project in case you have not had a chance to read through the information. These details about our project will give you an idea of the type of project you are reviewing.

  1. Premier location with TEA status: The site is one and a half block from Michigan Avenue. The state has issued a letter confirming the TEA status with the unemployment rate of 14.4% (see attached).

2.Secure job creation: The project will only use indirect jobs (665 jobs for 40 investors) created during the construction period, and will not use any operational jobs (138 jobs).


3.Repayment Source: The project can repay the EB-5 investors through refinancing or cash flow from operations.


4.Shovel-ready project: The project has received all necessary permits, finished demolition and signed Maximum Price Construction Contract.


5.Strong developer/operator: Mr. Greenberg is the developer/owner/operator of three hotels, of which two are in downtown Chicago, one is call theWit (a well-known Hilton hotel, at State and Lake) and the other is Marriott Fairfield. Both hotels have occupancy rates over 88%.


6.Proven market demand: Marriott's global reservation system shows that the additional demand of the Marriott Fairfield Hotel is big enough for an additional hotel. Due to the scarcity of the vacant land in that area, it will be very difficult for competitors to enter the market. In addition, the location is adjacent to the Northwestern Medical Campus which are building a number of new facilities. Patients, families and researchers will increase the market demand.


7.Excellent Support Team: Greenberg Traurig prepared the project legal documents and will review all I-526 applications before submission. DLA Piper did all real estate-related legal work. EPR prepared the job creation report. McGladrey will do quarterly and annual audit and report. NES Financial will be the escrow manager and provide a platform for investors to track the disbursement and use of funds. Rockwell Group will be the designer. These are all top companies in their fields.


8.The I-924 exemplar petition was filed in March 2015.
 
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