The Importance of Project Selection in the U.S. EB-5 Program: Immigration Companies Should Exercise Due Diligence

  U.S. EB-5 visas differ significantly from investment immigration programs in other countries due to the careful selection of projects. Currently, there are over 300 approved regional centers, and a large number of EB-5 investment projects are flooding into China, making project selection the key to immigration success or failure.
  Selecting safe EB-5 projects involves numerous considerations, such as management structure and team, feasibility studies, cost-benefit analysis, data reliability assessments, independent third-party evaluations, industry trend analysis, U.S. economic forecasts, project due diligence, and more. However, these factors far exceed the analytical capabilities of individual investors with a $500,000 investment. If a project encounters issues, immigration companies cannot escape responsibility; therefore, it is particularly important for immigration companies to ensure the quality of the projects they recommend.
  Due to the varying quality of EB-5 projects available in the market, many potential immigrants still have numerous doubts and face significant risks when it comes to actual investment immigration. Experts at Worldway point out that the key to successful immigration lies in the selection of EB-5 projects. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) evaluates the business plan, expenditure plan, completion report after the project is finished, and whether the funding situation matches the expenditure plan and truly provides ten jobs. The size of the project is not very important; we focus on the source of the project's funds, generally aiming for EB-5 to account for about 30-40%. The project should also provide backup plans, and the qualifications of the developer and the company's historical background must be considered.
  On July 19, the controversial 520 Bridge project received preliminary approval, on August 26, the Metropolitan Square Phase II project in Washington, D.C. was approved, and on September 13, the I-526 application for the Congressional Fire Center project was approved. Against the backdrop of extended processing times by USCIS, Worldway successfully obtained approvals for three major EB-5 projects within just three months, with the Fire Center project approval time being 12 months, which is 3.7 months faster than the average approval time of 15.7 months published on the USCIS website, undoubtedly bringing a new landscape to the EB-5 industry.
  While celebrating the approval of clients' I-526 applications, Worldway immigration experts believe this is merely the beginning of the EB-5 investment journey, the starting point of a long marathon. True success is only achieved after passing the three hurdles of I-526 approval, meeting I-829 employment requirements, and ensuring the safe return of funds. As an immigration agency that is highly responsible for clients' interests, Worldway will not pursue projects that merely aim for quick I-526 approvals. The true test of a project team’s capabilities lies in their ability to patiently and meticulously conduct thorough due diligence, review the feasibility of the project’s business plan, assess the difficulty of achieving goals at each stage, and manage risk factors, ultimately ensuring that clients successfully obtain I-829 condition removal and the safe return of funds. In the future, Worldway will continue to adhere to the philosophy of selecting quality projects and recommend more high-quality U.S. EB-5 projects to clients.
  High-security projects can withstand scrutiny in all aspects, and immigration companies should strictly control the first step in selecting EB-5 projects. In the application process for U.S. investment immigration, taking the crucial step of selecting the right project is essential to minimize risks.