It’s good news for investors in India and H-1B visa holders from India who filed for green cards under the EB-5 investment-linked program via regional centers. The EB-5 Regional Center Program has been prolonged by the US Congress until the financial year 2027, according to budgetary legislation authorized by Congress.
Migronis (the leading international migration service) declares that until June 30, 2021, this Program was in effect, and it was no longer available. Because of the halt in processing their green card applications, approximately 80,000 investors (the large bulk of whom were from China, followed by India) have been left in limbo since then. They were facing an uncertain future and were concerned about the possibility of losing their investment money.
Contribution in Targeted Employment Areas (TEAs) or infrastructure projects now needs a minimum investment of $800,000, up from the previous requirement of $500,000 for new EB-5 sophisticated investors.
It takes more than ten years to become a citizen of the United States under the EB-5 Program, which is much shorter than waiting for a green card at work. Since then, it’s grown quite popular among Indians in the United States. Under the EB-5 Program, regional centers are responsible for directing 90% of investments instead of the alternative direct investment option accessible to investors who establish their own businesses in the United States.
What do the representatives say?
The Economic Times, the US publication for the latest financial news, features dozens of articles where opinion leaders comment on these changes and the Program itself. The best investing books have also been a good source of comment for this pathway to citizenship.
“It is not yet clear when US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be able to accept new Regional Center tax forms and keep going adjudicating pending cases that were stopped after last year’s program expiration, but the agency will be able to do so,” says Mitch Wexler, a partner at Fragomen, a world-renowned business that provides only immigration-related services.
Current participants are protected by the Act’s grandfathering provisions. Because the “regional center” scheme has expired, Wexler notes that it bans rejection of applications and authorizes USCIS to continue to award green cards for those requests that were submitted before September 30, 2026, when the regional center program expired. The new rule also allows good-faith investors to finish the process of obtaining permanent residency even if an EB-5 organization or Regional Center is terminated or debarred from the Program.
“The new legislation has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from investors. “The Act provides positive improvements that will affect shareholders, regional centers, and third parties,” said Suresh Rajan, CEO of LCR Capital Partners, in a statement. “We are looking forward to functioning in a far more efficient atmosphere with faster processing times, increased compliance controls, and greater investor protection.”
“We are delighted, along with all of our shareholders, that a long-term renewal of the EB-5 Program has finally been accomplished. We believe that the certainty provided by a long-term renewal, along with sought-after elements such as grandfathering, would secure our investors,” said Tom Rosenfeld, President and Chief Executive Officer of CanAm International.