USCIS administers the EB-5 Program. Under this program, entrepreneurs (and their spouses and unmarried children under 21) are eligible to apply for a green card (permanent residence) if they:
Make the necessary investment in a commercial enterprise in the United States; and
Plan to create or preserve 10 permanent full-time jobs for qualified U.S. workers.
This program is known as EB-5 for the name of the employment-based fifth preference visa that participants receive.
Congress created the EB-5 Program in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors. In 1992, Congress created the Immigrant Investor Program, also known as the Regional Center Program. This sets aside EB-5 visas for participants who invest in commercial enterprises associated with regional centers approved by USCIS based on proposals for promoting economic growth.
How Does It Work
As part of the program, foreign investors are currently required to invest $ 500,000 in a company that creates and maintains at least 10 jobs, in order to help stimulate the economy in some rural areas or high unemployment in the United States. Investors are granted a temporary visa once their application has been approved by Citizenship and Immigration Services of the United States (typically a one-year process). Investors can then request the status of permanent resident in the United States once again proved that the economic benefits arising from their investment are achieved.
Below the steps for obtaining the Green Card through EB-5 program approved by the US government: