(News and views from IBLF staff and attorneys)
Question Detail: Can two regional centers "co-host" one project? That is, two separate regional centers will each seek EB-5 investors for the same project (until the EB-5 project quota is filled), with the investors filing under their respective regional center. If yes, will two sets of PPM/business plans/economic analyses have to be made? Will any complications arise from this structure?
Question Detail: I am a Mexican citizen and I currently live in Mexico. However, I lived in the United States illegally with my family when I was younger, from about 3 to 13 years old. Would this previous illegal residence disqualify me from applying for an EB-5 visa? Will I have to document my time spent in the United States anywhere on the EB-5 application?
Question Detail: My I-526 petition has been approved and I received a letter saying that the National Visa Center (NVC) will determine the 'right' consulate for me. My country of temporary residence is different than when I submitted the petition. Will NVC pick a consulate for me without asking me about my preference? How does the NVC determine an EB-5 investor's consulate?
Question Detail: A few months ago I submitted my EB-5 application to USCIS. My EB-5 investment funds are currently being kept in an escrow account which says it will be released to the regional center only when my application is approved. Today the regional center asked if I can release the funds now for them to use immediately. Should I comply with the regional center's request? What risks will I face with this early release of funds?
Question Detail: What is the purpose of an EB-5 investor signing the Form W-8BEN? Will the regional center file this form with the IRS?
Question Detail: I know that the business plan is an important component when submitting the I-526 application. However, I have not been able to figure out exactly what the business plan is supposed to include. What are the essential parts of an EB-5 business plan? Will a business plan for a regional center project be different than one for a direct investment project?
Question Detail: I will be submitting my I-829 application and would like to work with a different attorney than the one who filed my I-526 and I-485. Is it possible to change attorneys at this late stage in the immigration process? Will I need to provide USCIS with different documentation? How will my EB-5 application be affected if I change immigration attorneys?
Repost of the American Immigration Lawyers Association: AILA "Take on President Obama’s "Immigration Accountability Executive Action" Plan".
My parents invested through the EB-5 program and were interviewed for their conditional green card in late January 2014. They are communist bankers who do not hold any political position, but USCIS still needed to perform an additional background check. Will their current communist status complicate their I-526 approval? In addition, about 95% of the other investors in the same project have already received their conditional green card. Because we are still waiting for I-526 approval, and are now last in the queue, will our chances of receiving I-829 approval be reduced?
I just managed to get my conditional green card through the EB-5 program and shortly after that I won the electronic diversity visa lottery. May I apply for a permanent green card? Is there any possibility to cancel my participation in investment program and the regional center I invested in and get my money back Is this situation somehow regulated by law or rules (DV Lottery or EB-5 rules)?
