EB5 immigrant visas of all types are once again available to investors who create job opportunities for American workers. The Omnibus Spending Bill signed by the president on March 23 included the extension of the US immigrant investor EB5 regional center program to the end of September 2018.
The US State Department’s April 2018 Visa Bulletin will be revised soon to show that EB5 regional center immigrant visas are immediately available for all countries of birth, except mainland China, which is expected to have the same waiting period as the EB5 non-regional center program.
Media around the world has been warning readers of the demise of the EB5 regional center program. The US Embassy at Hanoi, Vietnam, announced on March 20 that no EB5 regional center immigrant visas would be issued after March 23. Now that advisory is no longer effective and immigrant visa appointments will continue to be scheduled at US embassies and consulates.
EB5 refers to the US employment-based fifth preference immigrant visa category. EB5 allows an investor, spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 to obtain resident status in return for creating at least 10 full-time equivalent jobs for American workers through a business investment. The EB5 non-regional center program considers only jobs for workers directly employed at the business investment, while the EB5 regional center program also counts the larger number of indirect and induced jobs created as calculated by government-approved economic models.
Both types of EB5 generally require a US$1,000,000 investment, but a US$500,000 investment can qualify if the business is located in a targeted employment area. Such areas either have an unemployment rate 150 percent above the national average or meet the legal definition of rural.
There are proposals to raise these EB5 target investment levels, which have not changed since being set in 1990. Most experts expect substantial increases, along with other changes to EB5 regulations, but no one knows when this will happen. As a result, immigrants may want to act quickly to invest and file their EB5 immigrant visa petition as soon as possible. They should especially be sure to do so before September 30, 2018, when the EB5 regional center program is next set to expire.
