EB-5 Visa Consulting Firms – To Use or Not to Use?
With such an economic decline in the United States in recent years, foreign capital is increasingly sought after. The ability to rely primarily on investment and domestic funding sources has put businesses and corporations in a difficult situation. Developers want to know how they can become a government approved EB-5 Regional Center and attract this foreign capital, while foreign investors seeking EB-5 visa want to know exactly which Regional Center they should invest in and how – what it is the safest investment with the least risk and the best expected results? – That is the question.
The $ 500,000 investment in a USCIS-approved Regional Center conditionally provides the foreign investor and the investor’s immediate family (unmarried children under 21 years of age) a green card with an EB-5 visa. As long as the investment directly or indirectly creates 10 jobs, the issuance of an EB-5 visa manages permanent residence in the United States.
Although it sounds simple enough – with over 100 approved Regional Centers in the United States – the actual process of selecting the correct one can be a difficult decision for any foreign investor, especially when the investor’s knowledge of each and every Regional Center and The entire EB-5 process as a whole is much less than distinguished. Since the investment is totally at risk, there is a possibility that the chosen center will not meet the requirements. In this case, the investor not only loses the opportunity to obtain an EB-5 visa, but also loses his money.
Relying solely on Regional Center advertising or expected results is risky business and many Regional Centers encourage the investor to work directly with them to invest in their program. This can be a great disadvantage for the investor and for the best interests of the investor. If a Regional Center does not report or misrepresent the information, it can leave the investor in an unfavorable position. Therefore, it is very important to research and compare all the options. One way, in particular, is by turning to a consulting firm. The most esteemed consulting firms play a very important role by acting as a kind of impartial advisor in the EB-5 process; By providing due diligence reports, financial projections, assessing risk, reviewing all legal documents, and most importantly, monitoring the project to completion, the consultation essentially helps take most of the burden off the investor.
The best consulting firms consist of a team of not only expert consultants, but also include financial specialists, economists, SEC attorneys, immigration attorneys, commercial attorneys, industry investigators, and even marketing directors. Clearly, this type of task force has the professional experience and skill necessary to help the foreign investor make the smartest decision about which Regional Center to choose. Unless the prospective foreign investor has the education and skills of an attorney, entrepreneur, and marketer, collecting and evaluating all relevant data can be a nerve-racking task.
When inquiring about using a potential consulting firm, it is important to confirm their credentials; verifying the success rate of the firm, especially through requesting personal testimonials from previous clients and also discovering which nationalities they have worked with are useful types of information when questioning the practice of the firm. Questioning how they are compensated can also provide evidence of the validity of the business; if they are being paid only by the client or if they are also receiving kickbacks from certain Regional Centers in an effort to advance all referrals. Another source of credibility is finding out how many Regional Centers your clients have used; the higher the amount, as long as they have a high success rate, it would generally be a key sign that the consulting firm is legitimate and experienced, which is ultimately what any investor would want.
The expert consultant, Exclusive Visas, works with clients whose nationalities range from India, China, Venezuela and even Russia. Not surprisingly, they are the leading EB-5 visa consulting firm on the market today. A useful tool for simply researching the EB-5 program is www.eb5exclusive.com, where there are resources for the latest EB-5 news, press releases, and blogs.