DIRECT OR REGIONAL CENTER INVESTMENT
There are two ways to invest within the EB-5 category:
1. Creation of a new job-generating enterprise
or
2. Direct investment in a troubled business
For the immigrant’s convenience (and with the intent of facilitating larger-scale job-creation enterprises), Congress approved an alternative job creation program:
- Investment by the immigrant in a Regional Center, a 3rd party-managed investment vehicle whose purpose is the promotion of economic growth, improved regional productivity, job creation, and increased domestic capital investment. A Regional Center takes the responsibility of creating the requisite jobs out of the hands of the individual investor.
Direct Investment vs. Regional Centers
It is possible for companies to accept EB-5 investments directly, without working through a regional center. However, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), approximately 90% of investors utilizing the EB-5 program choose to go through a regional center. The reason is the numerous benefits for both the investors and the companies when working with a USCIS approved regional center.
Facilitating the EB-5 investment through our Regional Center allows management to maintain its focus on growing the business. Additionally, the Southeast Florida EB-5 Regional Center already has a pre-established network of international partners and agents to help find investors.
For investors, the Southeast Florida EB-5 Regional Center qualifies for expedited petition review. More importantly, investing through the Southeast Florida EB-5 Regional Center, helps assure the investor thorough due diligence has been conducted on the project and that it meets the requirements set forth by the USCIS.
The EB-5 requirements for both methods are essentially the same, except the USCIS is less restrictive on the job creation and the investor’s daily involvement is less burdensome.