At the beginning of the new year, immigration policies across various countries are constantly changing, especially in major traditional nations. With news such as the reopening of the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program in Canada and the "return" of the Australian 188A visa, the United States is also quietly stepping up its EB-5 pace in 2014:
Increase in Investment Amount: In fact, as early as last September, when U.S. President Obama signed the decision to "extend the EB-5 Regional Center Program for 3 years until September 2015," it was already evident that an increase in the EB-5 investment threshold would be inevitable. With traditional immigration countries like Canada significantly raising their investment requirements, and considering market supply and demand, it is a natural trend for the U.S. to increase its investment threshold; it is only a matter of time before the amount is adjusted upward.
Severe Case Backlog: Currently, among the 59 U.S. immigration courts, 220 immigration judges will become eligible for retirement next year. Due to the increasingly difficult working environment in immigration courts, many judges may consider early retirement. Facing a current backlog of 350,000 immigration cases, the U.S. immigration court system in 2014 may face "compounding difficulties."
Visa Retrogression: According to U.S. immigration law, if the total demand for a specific visa category exceeds its overall quota, statutory limitations are triggered, leading to scheduling issues for certain countries or regions. In recent years, the number of EB-5 visas issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has increased significantly each year. Assuming each EB-5 investor applies for U.S. visas for themselves, their spouse, and their children, half of the annual visa quota would already be exhausted. Therefore, it is highly likely that visa retrogression will occur in 2014.
More Rational Investors: From the perspective of investors, after years of exposure to the U.S. EB-5 investment immigration program in China, they have become more comprehensive and rational in analyzing projects and have come to understand that the U.S. EB-5 investment immigration program inherently carries risks.
Greater Emphasis by the U.S. Government: The capital from Chinese investors plays a positive role in the recovery of the U.S. economy, a view shared by both houses of the U.S. Congress. There was a proposal in 2013, though not yet formally implemented, to change the U.S. quota from 10,000 green cards (visas) to 10,000 families. In 2014, the United States will not close its doors to Chinese or global investors; rather, it will become more open.
Worldway immigration experts also remind investors that EB-5 investment must involve risk; this is stipulated by U.S. law, and anyone claiming there is no risk is in violation of the law. However, risk does not equate to recklessness. Based on a thorough analysis and study of U.S. investment immigration laws, it is entirely feasible to select high-quality and safe EB-5 projects through professional immigration agencies.
